But then there are states like Colorado, which legalized recreational pot thanks to a citizen initiative, which allows citizens to place new legislation on a popular ballot. The state’s Democratic governor, John Hickenlooper (who made a lot of money in the liquor business), and virtually all elected state officials opposed the initiative, but it passed, and the politicians eventually made pot legal.

Elected officials have long opposed citizen initiatives, and they make some good points. Well-funded interest groups can gain undue influence through the process, and it can muck up the daily business of running a government.

But in the days since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized speech for inanimate entities like corporations in its Citizens United decision, average folks have seen their voices muted. On issues that range from climate change and gun control to funding for local schools, politicians ignore the will of the majority and follow ideological scripts written for them by outsiders with deep pockets. You could say the system has gone to pot.

The current cast of characters in the state Capitol takes a paternalistic “we know what’s best for you” approach to ruling. Big government is alive and well in Wisconsin.