My idea: the position of Contributor to the Gazette - should, in this case, be term-limited NOW!!! Gazette staff - please stop publishing the bleatings of this sub-par hack. It wastes the time and effort of all who read it...in fact, I would suggest that we are all now stupider for having read it.

So much for popular sovereignty.

So interesting. So, Mr. E, would you then say that WI Supreme Court justices should be appointed by the governor as well, since WMC bought the election to put Justice Gableman on the bench?

Only someone who doesn't know much believes that the State Superintendent is out of the mainstream in terms of administrative policy.

Dude, stay retired and stop writing bunk.

"Modern organizational and political science literature would support the following revisions."

That's enough for me to know these are probably bad ideas.

Why do we need a re-call of our state treasure? My God; she served part time at the Boston Store...PLENTY of experience!
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Funny you bring up Jackson and the constitution in the same breath. it was, of course Jackson, who set the precedent for spitting all over the constitution by refusing to abide by a ruling made by the supreme court. Throwing out their ruling, and sending out the troops, and the Cherokee Indians to their slaughter along the trail of tears.
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So I ask; why do we need constitutional reform? It's not like any legislator follows the constitution as it is? Most don't even know what is in it.

Don't forget to include the right to concealed carry, line-item veto only for the Governor, and mandatory balanced budgets. We get an automatic recall vote for every Senator and Assembly person who voted in favor of a deficit budget, and the a mandatory vote by the public to approve or veto any proposed budget which the Common Cause organization or any 3 daily Wisconsin newspaper editorials claim is using slight-of-hand or bookkeeping tricks to avoid an actual deficit.

A CLERK POSITION (your emphasis, not mine) for Secretary of State and the State Treasurer? I'd love to see those job descriptions.

I would go even a step further and get rid of the partisan offices at the county level.

Coyote, it seems you missed your calling during the French Revolution...

I think they all should be hung by their guts outside the city gates.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction

This position should be an elected position by all public school board members state wide every three years.

Now that is the type of big thinking that's needed, John. All similar positions of 1-5 at the national level are executive branch appointees subject to confirmation, and nobody seems to be concerned about that. It is not clear why retaining them as elected officials truly makes any sense. There isn't any increased accountability for elected officials since an appointment subject to legislative confirmation would techincally be up every four years with the governor's term. In fact, if an appointee embarasses a governor, it is more likely that person will be required to resign, which is easier done than mounting a recall campaign and election. John, you've given this some thought, and you seem to have found your voice.

Mr. E I remember you from U-Rock. The fact is that your political leanings/views are so far in a certain direction, that your views have no credibility with those of us that lean a different direction. I challenge you to re-write this article when the current state and federal power structure shifts the other way. I seriously doubt that you would be capable of having the same opinion you espouse here.

Wow! Where is the logic in this piece? First the Secretary of State and State Treasurer should not be politically appointed, but the Attorney General and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, which currently are elected positions, should become polically appointed ones? Your logic is inconsistent. The Attorney General needs to be an independent office, free from the grip of the Governor. Point in fact: Gov. Doyle's recent budget made it possible for same sex couples to register and to obtain some of the benefits of married couples in direct violation to the State's Constitutional amendment, which clearly does not allow for this. Registration of same sex couples is a back door to manipulating the constitution. The Attny Gen'l has made it clear that he will not recognize this section of law and will fight it in the State's Supreme Court. Now if he was Doyle's politially appoint crony, whould this be possible? I think not! This logic applies to all of the currently elected offices. Lastly, don't tinker with our or any State Constitution. It will easily lead to tinkering with the U.S. Constitution. Any tinkering with either will simply be politically motivated by the party currently in power. We already have a mechanism to make changes to the Constitution, amendments voted on by the people!

Hi Mr. E., Let me see if I have this right: You want to make government more efficient and have people appointed to currently elected positions, since it would require more "qualified" personnel in these positions? This doesn't sound like a democratic process to me. I keep thinking of the word patronage. Not a good idea, keep trying.

Why not just elect a King (or Queen) and let that person make all the decisions. Why even involve the public? The masses are clearly stupid and unable to make informed decisions - so why let us? We must all be sheep led to the slaughter by WEAC - or is that WMC - or another lobbying organization. I think you grossly underestimate the ability of the people to make sound decisions.