If our system of checks and balanced governement is general summed up as 3 branches have power over each other and representing a specific role assumtion: Judicial represents original intent of constitution, Legislature is split the House represents the people, the senate represents the states, and then the executive represents the enforcement of the laws with a combine people/state aproval. If that is the case then was the governments checks and balanced government severly damaged when the Senate became populus vote with the 17th admendment thus knocking out a leg of the table, additionally the federal government did not have the power to tax the idividual but went through the state, Is this again a major errosion of our state system of check and balance. Then lastly It seems that the line item veto was ruled as unconstitutional, however these so called signing statements used by many presidents is from what I see one branch stepping into another branches roll again knocking out a leg of the table. Then to sum it up how is it that such things can happen without admendments, or these things can not be related to the fall of rome when people gave more power away for better bread and circues?