Illinois government is in a dysfunctional, money-wasting, ethics-challenged mess.

The Illinois Constitution is part of the problem because it has allowed too much power to be concentrated in too few individuals with too little recourse for voters.

It is tempting to encourage a "yes" vote to call for a constitutional convention to revise the Constitution and to send a message to the powers that be that voters are mad and aren't going to take it any more.

But the temptation comes with a big price tag - at least $15 million to $25 million, perhaps as much as $80 million to $100 million, depending on who is cooking up the figures.

Those estimates include salaries for delegates and staff, lodging, printing costs and election expenses, among other things.

Given the current financial problems of Illinois, the timing is not right for an expensive convention to - potentially - rewrite a document that only needs some tweaks.

Doing nothing comes with costs, too, especially if our elected officials cannot get their acts together to get the state moving in the right direction. The more unrest that exists in state government, the less willing businesses will be to move to or expand in Illinois.

If we felt there was a high degree of probability that a constitutional convention would remedy what ails Illinois, we might argue that the money should be found somewhere - especially because we think the convention would cost far less than the higher estimates given by the opponents.

However, we're not convinced that a convention would give us what we need: the power to recall officials, limits on the time a person can serve as House speaker or Senate president and a more restrictive amendatory veto power for the governor - not to mention stronger ethics measures and a more equitable funding mechanism for education.

Furthermore, if the higher end of the price estimate comes true, it would be disastrous for the state's budget.

Without those assurances, coupled with the state's current financial woes, the Pantagraph Editorial Board cannot recommend calling a constitutional convention at this time.

But that doesn't mean we are satisfied with the current Constitution - and we are definitely not satisfied with the leadership in this state.

All those who think changes are needed in the Constitution - and that includes both supporters and opponents of a constitutional convention - must come together and push for those changes to be made through the regular amendment process and through the election of more statesmanlike officials who put the needs of the people above petty politics and the accumulation of power.