Villanova University poli sci professor Colleen Sheehan told Glenn Beck on his last Founders Friday that repealing the 17th Amendment would put a useful check on Washington. For recent graduates of public schools and those who still get their news from the dinosaurs, the 17th Amendment adopted in 1913 established the direct election of U.S. senators. Before that they had been picked by state legislatures.
Ms. Sheehan, who represented the 149th District in the Pennsylvania House in 1995-96, said their visits with their state legislators would be far more than bored courtesy calls if the picking of them was as how our Founders envisioned. This would mean no silly federal mandates and no passing the buck on funding them.
Her statements can be found at about the 2:40 mark although the entire things is worth watching.