He noted the constitution is silent on how Senators get PAID, so instead of the FEDERAL government guaranteeing them all the SAME cushy lifetime salary, pension, and benefits, simply pass a law devolving salary matters to the state level. If the state of California wants to pay THEIR Senators $2 million per year, they could do so out of their own state government's funds, and if the state of Idaho wants to pay their Senator a $1.00 salary a year, they could likewise make that decision. All U.S. Senators would still have the exact same powers and responsibilities and be elected by We The People, but how they get compensated for their "duties" would be entirely up to state governments.
Sounds like an excellent idea to me, and would likely result in numerous Senator's salaries being slashed once each of the 50 state governments had to pay out of pocket for the "services" of their U.S. Senators.
The problem with that pay business is that you’d just simply have very wealthy people only. No “average person” could be able to serve (unless they were bought, which they would be). That’s the problem now with the House, too. Even for state legislators and city/town/village councilmembers, it’s costing more and more to be able to run a campaign and win.