I think 18 is a valid point, actually. As someone on the site (Coach, maybe?) has pointed out, the Senate was supposed to represent the interests of the States. Therefore, the Senators were appointed by the State Legislatures. When that was changed, they became another glorified beauty pagent, much like the House of Representatives. (Also, if the Senators were still appointed by the State Legislatures, it's entirely possible that NY would have one Dem and one Republican, seeing that the NYS Assembly is hopelessly in Dem control, and the Senate is Republican-led.)