Still Firm on Opposition to CON CON

From the Beloit Daily News: Posted Saturday, December 12, 2015, by Gary Witzack

The Beloit Daily News recently published a guest editorial titled “Republicans are not done passing major changes.” The article contained an interesting list of upcoming “changes” that the Republicans are planning, but I feel that it has left out “the most important change” that may be enacted by the legislature later this year.

Wisconsin’s Senator Kapenga is pushing very hard for a Joint Resolution, requesting that the United States Congress “call” an Article 5 Constitutional Convention, something that we have not had since 1787, and something that could completely transform, convert, metamorphose, transfigure, transmute, or otherwise alter, our current constitutional form of government.

This is possibly the most dangerous action that our state government could take in the entire history of the state of Wisconsin.

Who knows what special interests will become involved in rewriting the constitution, altering a word or two here, or adding a phrase or two there, thus subtly affecting the constitutional protections for our citizens, or possibly even having the eventual effect of substantially modifying the operations, responsibilities, or limitations of the government that we have worked under for over 200 years.

There are many organizations and special interests that are seeking changes to the constitution, changes that will benefit their particular industry or interest group, and all of these interest groups, corporations, and political parties will be pressuring for changes that will most benefit their industry or their constituency.

The last thing that we need is a new Constitutional Convention. It will be very problematic to say the least, and could possibly be disastrous in the end. Oh, I imagine that certain corporations, as well as certain powerful special interest groups will do very well. But the American public is no longer the most important factor in politics today, and they will most certainly be the losers.

Unlike most of the relatively superficial or otherwise harmless “resolutions” that are passed at the state level, once the request is placed for Congress to call an Article 5 Convention of the States, it will be equivalent to a Pandora’s box that cannot be resealed, a request that cannot be called back. The Convention of the States Joint Resolution passed the Wisconsin Assembly last year, but then stalled in the Senate. Efforts are currently underway, and plans are being made, to reintroduce it.

Please write about this COS (Convention of the States) effort, or argue the points, but do not dismiss the very serious importance of an Article 5 Constitutional Convention, and the part that Wisconsin is currently playing in this effort.

Gary Witzack