The Welcome to episode 28 of the Charles C. W. Cook podcast.

This is the first podcast I've done since I've had a haircut,

so if it sounds a little bit different that's almost

certainly why I asked Luther Abel who was on my show a few weeks ago, if we could amend the operational

Fentilitration to deal with the shift caused by my having had a haircut but I haven't heard from him

since he went down into the control room and there's now a strange howling sound coming up the stairs, so I'm sure he's okay.

I hope he's okay.

Before I get to my guest I have time for one quick question.

Please do keep those questions coming, very useful, which is. Sorry about that. Poor old Luther, he'll be missed. Question one of one. Why do most state legislatures have a Senate?

At the federal level, it makes sense because it balances population

representation with state representation.

But this does not exist at the state level.

In Minnesota where I live, the Senate District is literally made up of two House districts.

It is just a 50% smaller population-based parliamentary body.

Wouldn't it make more sense if the Senate had a representative from each county instead?

Or just have a unicameral legislature like Nebraska?

This is a good question.

Now I ought to note at the outset that while it's true now that at the federal level the Senate balances population representation

with state representation but that this does not exist at the state level.

It was not always the case.

Historically, many American states had systems exactly like the federal system where the state Senate represented say

counties or geographic areas and the state house represented the people more generally, or vice versa.

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