Fox News political columnist Liz Peek says that: “Senator Jim DeMint from South Carolina has introduced a constitutional amendment to establish term limits on those serving in Congress. He notes that over the past two decades politicians have been reelected 90% of the time. “Americans know that real change in Washington will never happen until we end the era of permanent politicians” says DeMint. He is completely right. In poll after poll, a large majority of Americans say they support term limits. The good news is that we may not have to wait for DeMint’s long-shot bill to pass; the Tea Partiers may impose term limits all by themselves.”
Maybe she’s right. But let’s cement a term limits process in place with Sen. DeMint’s Constitutional Amendment to make sure that even after the Tea Party movement has succeeded (and it will), the Republicans and Democrats in Congress won’t worm their way back to permanent employment (because THEY will too).
Remember the 1994 Republican “Contract with America”? 75 Republicans came into office as part of the “Revolution,” which was based in part on a “Citizen Legislature” 12-year term limit provision. Today, SIXTEEN YEAR LATER. 23 are still members of Congress (16 remain in the U.S. House) – more than 30%!!! Don’t trust politicians’ promises. Get it in writing, get it in the Constituion.
Term limits are a palliative to dampen our anger.
“Palliative care (from Latin palliare, to cloak) is any form of medical care or treatment that concentrates on reducing the severity of disease symptoms, rather than striving to halt, delay, or reverse progression of the disease itself or provide a cure.”
I hear you, but I prefer to think of term limits as more of a “jerk-ectomy”, removing the tumor, if not fixing the systemic problem. It is not the cure, but part of the systemic problem is these guys in there perpetuating the system. Term limits aren’t the only tool we need to use, but it’s one of them.
Re-elect should be stricken from the dictionary. We need to start by NOT re-electing anybody that is currently in office and then turn the screws to limit everyones service to one six year term. When one leaves office they leave with what they came in with, nothing more. No more golden parachutes with life long salaries and life long insurance. Grandfathering eliminated, no body in office when a law is passed can take advantage of that law during their lifetime if it means increasing their livelihood or windfall profit. I’m sure that we have many details to figure out but it must be done to save the American way of life and keep freedom wholesome. What can I do to help?
I hear you, but I prefer to think of term limits as more of a “jerk-ectomy”, removing the tumor, if not fixing the systemic problem. It is not the cure, but part of the systemic problem is these guys in there perpetuating the system. Term limits aren’t the only tool we need to use, but it’s one of them.