Voters will face seven constitutional amendments on the upcoming ballot, potentially making our overly lengthy constitution even more bloated.

Be that as it may we are left to deal with the task at hand and here are our views:

Amendment 1 — For

This proposition would impose term limits of 12 years for numerous high-profile boards and commissions. We think individuals should be limited to a lifetime of 12 years in public service of any capacity, elected or appointed. While this amendment doesn’t go that far, it’s a good start to bring these entities in line with other term-limit provisions. Vote For.

Amendment 2 — For

This amendment would insert two extra days in between the time a special session of the legislature is called and the legislature actually convenes. Considering our legislature has been known to spend a billion dollars in special session, the extra two days for preparation sounds like a good investment. Vote For.

Amendment 3 — Against

Voters are being asked to allow a "temporary" legislator to fill in for an elected official if that person is called up for active duty in the military — a bird of rare plumage. One legislator has received notice that he is likely to be called to active duty this year, a possibility he knew about before he ran for public office. He now expects us to alter the constitution to placate his unique situation. Vote Against.

Amendment 4 — For

The impact of approval of this amendment to St. Mary Parish would be large and immediate. It would raise a parish’s share of severance taxes from $850,000 to $1.85 million next year, and $2.85 million in 2010 with annual increases tied to the Consumer Price Index thereafter. Future collections, at 50 percent of funds received, would have to be dedicated to Parish Transportation Fund projects. This also would direct part of the state severance revenue stream to fund Atchafalaya Basin Programs, still leaving more than 90 percent of state severance taxes in the hands of the state’s general fund. If you don’t vote for or against any of the other amendments: Vote For for Four.

Amendment 5 — For

Currently, tax assessments for senior citizens can be frozen, freeing them from having to worry about future tax increases during their twilight years on fixed incomes. But what happens if you are forced from your home by government expropriation? This amendment would allow you to transfer your frozen assessment, within reason, to the new home you were forced to acquire. Vote For.

Amendment 6 — For

When government offers property for sale, state law requires that it first be offered back to the original owners, even if expropriated due to public risk of health and safety — in other words, blighted property seized by governments. It makes no sense to force the government to turn around and offer to sell a property back to the derelict owner that it had to seize it from to begin with. This amendment would allow government to sell the property at open sale regardless of prior owners if the property was held for less than 30 years. Vote For.

Amendment 7 — No

This amendment would allow for local public trust funds created for post-employment, non-pension benefits to invest a portion of their funds in stocks. Currently, there are no such trust funds at the local or parish level, and we doubt there ever will be. The days of post-employment benefits for government workers are fast coming to a well-deserved end. Vote No.