De: that isn't the root of the problem. That is the 17th Amendment.
The Republic, and the citizens of same, got screwed BIGTIME by Our Masters in 1913. We got the IRS and the Federal Reserve setup that year. But the big bomb, which set the stage for all that followed was the 17th Amendment.
The 17th Amendment took a club to the 10th Amendment and States Rights. The Founders set up the Senate to be a double check on Washington by putting election of Senators up to the State legislatures. It was SOLD to the public as transferring power to the people, but it actually transferred power to the sheeple. The State Legislatures were in the best position to know who was most competent (non corrupt) and loyal to the State government. And, remember, the 10th Amendment (Bill of Rights) gave only a handful of powers to the Federal government.
From Wikipedia: The Seventeenth Amendment (Amendment XVII) to the United States Constitution established the direct election of United States senators in each state. The amendment supersedes Article I, §3, Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution, under which senators were elected by state legislatures. It also alters the procedure for filling vacancies in the Senate, allowing for state legislatures to permit their governors to make temporary appointments until a special election can be held.
The amendment was proposed by the 62nd Congress in 1912 and became part of the Constitution on April 8, 1913, on ratification by three-quarters (36) of the state legislatures.
PS: how do you get such a pretty message box, with red border and all that? Is it just because you are better than us?