Sunday, August 12, 2012

"Reasonable Limits" To Constitutional Rights

The constitutions of the USA and of Wisconsin (And most other States) state that the keeping of arms is a right. The Supreme Court of the USA has confirmed that the keeping, if not the bearing, of arms is a personal right. Before that decision there were some limits placed on that right being: Felons may not keep arms; And, many modern, military level, arms are kept from the People as was not the case when the US Constitution was ratified.
We have already, in Wisconsin, put limits on full right to bear arms by charging a fee to obtain a CCW license AND restricting that right to adults over the age of 21-years. An Administrative Rule has been proposed to require task-specific training before the full exercise of bearing arms may be had by the People.

OK---But, let us look at imposing other "reasonable" conditions on the exercise of other and basic rights.---Even if it requires amendments to our constitutions and changes in our laws.

Voting is a right already limited to adult citizens over the age of 18-years who are not serving felony sentences. If, and only if, those free citizens from 18 to 21 years of age are too immature to CCW, then they should not be allowed to wield the much more dangerous ballot or sign contracts OR marry or enlist in the military (Without parental or judicial consent).
For some reason, law-making judges have fought requiring proof of citizenship for voting although parallel proofs are required to obtain a CCW license or purchase a firearm. After that tyrannical interference with the democratic enacted decisions of the People is suppressed, then we must require the same "reasonable" limit, of providing photo ID, on voting as it is on purchasing a gun (Or, alcoholic beverages or manly other "freedom" activities).
For exercising the constitutional rights of both voting and holding public office we might require current exposure (No testing needed) to course work (At their expense) as to laws regarding voting and, for elected officials, the laws regarding bribery and other "misconduct in public office" matters before they are even allowed to run for office. This is like the proposed, required, education/training of those who will, in the future, apply for CCW licenses.
Since fees are charged for the full execution of the right to bear arms, then I see no reasons not to charge a like fee to vote or hold public office. Another fee is charged applicants for CCW licenses for a "record check" to insure that no excluding criminal conviction exists. Such a check is considered reasonable and should be for both voting and holding public office. Oh, I know that "poll taxes" were considered unreasonable limits on exercising a constitutional right; But, according to today's "thinking" on such limits (As to the "right to keep and bear arms"), that should no longer be a block for such voter licensing fees.

If we consider the amount of physical and other abuse of students (From primary grades through university) inflicted by teachers, perhaps such instructors should be licensed after having been subjected (At their expense), every five years, to some instrument as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory to minimize the risk to those students. Exposure (At the expense of those teachers and professors) to formal instruction as to those laws governing the behavior and liability of teachers should also be required as a "reasonable limit" to the alleged right to hold a teaching position and, therefore, to "academic freedom".

Considering the impact of editorials and editing news, it might be well to consider editors (And their parallels in the broadcast media) as we do teachers and require the above, same, "reasonable limits" on freedom of the press and be likewise tested and licensed.

Of course, there are alleged and other "reasonable limits" could be inflicted on other matters of right as we do on the right to fully "keep and bear modern military arms". Of course, such efforts might very well lead to either non-violent or violent revolution!

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