Education. If more people mew the local power they held, life would be different.
Also, I harshly disagree with the total repeal of the 17th Amendment. Senators used to be appointed by the States, now it’s a general election.
The Senate, as with the House, needs term limits, limits on the reach and organization of political parties, maybe primaries for special event elections.
There’s some links above in this thread that I posted about these limits.
The reason Congress isnt aligned with the States is because they aren’t apportioned, they set their own wages, and they have political party allegiance. We are dangerously close to having to resestablish our Republic and Constitution through a 2nd Continental Congress by State Governers and county governments.