The original 2nd Amendment to the constitution had nothing to do with the right to keep and bear arms. That's right, back then, today's Second was the 4th. What did the original 2nd, the one that _didn't_ pass, say? Well, it said that congress could not vote to raise their own pay without an intervening election before the time of the pay raise. (This got rid of bastards who'd give themselves a raise too easily -- but the founders didn't anticipate state Supreme Court Justices with questionable moral compasses ignoring constitutions they'd sworn to uphold, in favor of their criminal cronies' unfair election-monopoly laws.)
Why didn't the 2nd amendment pass along with the rest of the Bill of Rights? Because the US founders made the mistake of thinking that the assholes of the future would not have the chutzpa to give themselves the $3,072 raise they scammed last year [without ever publicly voting on it]? Now both parties plan to work together (warms my heart) on a scheme to AGAIN raise their pay, this year by $3,554, without "stirring up an election-year controversy." Heaven forbid.
Maybe the inventive founders thought replacing their original second with the present second amendment might give today's moral midgets a bit of pause. All of the hot wind about the fear of guns (and lately, of violent revolt) notwithstanding, if that was their plan, it has failed.
Now, I know that some will object that in the grand scheme of US government waste seven and a half grand or so isn't that bad, but my point is the principle of _reinforcing_ them for not having done their jobs so far _will_ lead to us getting more of the same bad apples doing more of the same shitty job, even if the situation did not include unconstitutional laws we accept daily. Are they worth a three and a half grand raise this year??? You decide, but I think 1-800-962-3524 still works during business hours to get your congresscritter on the horn and give it your opinion on its proposed raise.
Yes, we're perfectly happy when it's easier to get on the ballot in St. Petersburg RUSSIA than St. Petersburg, FL. 'War is peace...Freedom is slavery...'