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| Time for Term Limits in Congress
For many years, I�ve argued that we don�t need term limits in US elections because this would restrict voters� rights. I still haven�t changed this position (that it will restrict voter� rights), but I�ve come to the conclusion that term limits are now necessary for two reasons; (1) as voters, we�ve shown ourselves incapable of making good choices � we return the same old dead beats to Washington year-after-year, regardless of what they do, and regardless of what their approval ratings are, and (2) our elected officials are making careers out of positions that should be temporary. But, there are some very important additional reasons for imposing term limits. Turning over our elected officials on a regular basis will help to: - Ensure that we have �new blood� in key positions - Reduce influence by special interest groups - Improve the probability that we will have a balance of power in the House and Senate - Involve more people in the electoral process Regarding the above point about the �balance of power,� history has shown that the country works best when one party controls the Presidency and another controls the House of Representatives, and when both the President and Speaker of the House are willing to compromise. Cases in point include the Reagan and Clinton Administrations. President Reagan and Speaker Tip O�Neil worked well together, but were are very different ends of the political spectrum. The same can be said of President Clinton and Speaker Newt Gingrich. When one party controls the Presidency, House, and Senate (first two years of Clinton�s first term or the first G.W. Bush term), or when the President and Speaker are unwilling to compromise (G.W. Bush and Speaker Nancy Pelosi), the country suffers from it. Worse yet would be a situation where one party controls all three of these entities and has a �filibuster proof� Senate (that is, 60 Senators of one party) � a great example is the Lyndon Johnson Presidency. So, what can you do? Simple � write letters to both your US Senators and your member of the House of Representatives, as I�ve done. Go to their webmail sites and copy/paste the following text into the �comments� section. Most of the webmail sites will ask you to select a topic from a pre-determined list. If �term limits� isn�t one of the choices, select �Other.� After a lot of thought and research, I�ve come to the conclusion that Congress works best when there�s a balance of power. And, the best way I can accomplish this is to ask you to support legislation for term limits. This isn�t a reflection on you, but it�s something we need to do for the sake of the country. If no one else steps to the plate to write or sponsor such legislation, I expect you to do so. Specific requirements should be a maximum of two 6-year terms for the US Senate and four 2-year terms for US House of Representatives. Twenty years in Congress is more than enough for anyone. Furthermore, there should be specific legislation regarding �grandfathering.� If you�ve already exceeded four terms in the House, or you�re in the middle of your fourth term, you should be allowed to run for one more term. If you�ve exceeded two terms in the Senate, or you�re in the middle of your second term, you should be allowed to run for one more term. |
| Links for writing your elected officials are: US House of Representatives (scroll down to "Write Your Representative) US Senate (find your Senator and click the "Web Form" link) |