So I finally dragged out a spreadsheet and figured out exactly what the filibuster means, mathematically.
Take a minority of Senators, mostly representing low-population states in the south and the Corn Belt, and give them the power to stop everything. In this case, you can build a filibuster-safe minority with Senators representing under 30% of the population.
But wait, these Senators weren't elected unanimously, so let's assume they won by an average of 70-30, so now we're hanging around 20% of the US population.
Not done yet - turnout isn't anything like 100% ... so maybe they represent 15% of the US population.
Look, I understand that the Founders wanted the Senate to be deliberative and they wanted to protect the rights of the Minority, but to allow a 6th of the country to run roughshod over the rest of us, that's a different matter.
I say, end the filibuster entirely. It's time to allow the country to get on with the matter of governing.
(Of course, these days, these 41 Senators probably really represent about 1% ... their actual constituency. But sadly that could be said about the entire Senate.)