"The government was set to protect man from criminals – and the Constitution was written to protect man from the government." – Ayn Rand

There weren't always written constitutions. At one time, the rulers would start wars, impose taxes to pay for them, and create whatever rules suited them. It took centuries of western civilization to get to the point where the rules were written down and they were created to restrict the rulers, not the people.

Wisconsin has a constitution, although sometimes it is difficult to tell, even though all state officials take an oath uphold it. For example, the Wisconsin constitution, like many others, requires that the state budget be balanced; that is, spending should be equal or less than revenues. Wisconsin has been running structural deficits for the past decade. (Over $2B at this point.) What happens to our legislators and governor when the budget is not balanced? Apparently, they get reelected by voters who have not been paying attention.

Now is a good time to pay attention. The people in Madison play games with the budget, putting off this payment, stealing from that fund, and borrowing to fill in the holes. If a business did that, the officers would be in jail. Isn't it time to straighten out Wisconsin's spending problem?

Another constitutional issue is the right to keep and bear arms. In 1998, the voters of Wisconsin approved an amendment to the constitution giving citizens the "right to keep and bear arms for security, defense, hunting, recreation and any other lawful purpose." Simple and to the point.

So, guess what happened to old, outdated, now unconstitutional laws, such as the 19th century law which permitted only police officers to carry concealed firearms? (Us common folk get fewer rights than our public "servants," it seems.)

The state Supreme Court ruled in 2003 that; "If the constitutional right to keep and bear arms is to mean anything, it must, as a general matter, permit a person to possess, carry and sometime conceal arms ...." The Court invited legislators to bring the concealed carry statute into line with the constitution. The Legislature has yet to complete the simple task of rescinding unconstitutional laws.

Apparently the constitution is being treated as a sort of minor annoyance, but not sufficient to motivate changes in state laws, or enforcement actions by some police officers. Open carry has always been legal, unless the local police chief disagrees and will find some excuse to arrest or harass a law abiding citizen who insists upon exercising his or her rights.

What needs to be done? The concealed carry ban simply needs to be removed from the statutes. Spending must be brought in line with revenues. To do that, voters need to change legislators. Legislators need to respect their oath of office. Why is it so hard?

"Politicians, like diapers, have to be changed frequently – and for the very same reason." – Anonymous