Term Limits - Has It's Time Come
A serious problem in this country is becoming more apparent lately, if current polling implications are correct. In recent polls taken by Scott Rasmussen of 1000 likely voters, only 29% thought the country was headed in the right direction, 23% felt congress’ actions had the consent of the governed and 53% of those polled thought that elections were rigged in favor of the incumbent. This covered polls taken in one week! If this is indicative of the feelings of constituents, then what is the motivation for congress to do the things that they do?
With a quick Google I found that of the current congress, 10 members have served over 36 years. Of the current House 26 had twenty or more years there and in the Senate, 21 had twenty or more years. I can only guess but it would be my strong inclination to say that getting reelected was if not at the top of the list, very close. I love my representative and his voting is representative of the feelings of the residents of this district. However if one leaves private life and devotes over ten or fifteen years to the public sector, one would have to think about it as a career. All of us know that if you have a career it logically follows that you have ambition. If you have ambition the main focus of your endeavor , naturally, is to do what would further your career. In politics the first necessity of furthering your career is to stay in office – keep getting re-elected. What are the requisites of doing this? High among them are raising money and getting larger numbers of people to vote for you. How can you accomplish this? Do favors, help pass legislation, etc., that either favor a group of people or help line some people’s pockets. You have now reached the point that your constituents – “the ones that brung’ you”- are down the ladder in the hierarchy of concerns. A noticeable residual effect is that access to your representative gets harder and usually amounts to generic emails touting his accomplishments, or a quick nod at a fund raiser. This is not what our founding fathers envisioned.
I would raise the question, isn’t it time we revisited the need for term limits. What duration that would encompass would be debatable. For starters I would feel two terms in the Senate or six terms in the House - twelve years - would be a place to start. With the average age of our representatives this would seem to allow for public service and a private career. Many in the Senate, though I have no data to support it, would appear to have already advanced in some private endeavor before election to a point that returning to private life would still be feasible and many who entered politics later would actually be close to retirement age. They have a very generous retirement package now and if it even had to be sweetened some, it would pay off for the taxpayers. In addition, the change should mandate no employment in lobbying or otherwise trying to influence action by congress as a whole or by individual legislators. Other restrictions should be considered to make their break with the political structure as complete as possible.
This will not be originated in congress. Self interest is a normal human reaction. The special interests and lobbyists will not like it. They have a lot invested in time and money in gaining the ear of the powerful. It is also the destination of many in congress upon leaving. It would have to probably be done by constitutional amendment, or as happens some times, the threat of one.
Until serving in government again becomes a temporary public service with the main objective being to further the lives and well being of the ones represented as a whole, and with the probability of going back to the area you represent and living under the laws that you pass becomes a reality, the idea of our country having a truly effectual form of representative government will not come to pass.
These thoughts provide more questions than answers, but in the situation the country is in now and with a very noticeable awakening of interest by the average voter, it is certainly one whose time has come.
With a quick Google I found that of the current congress, 10 members have served over 36 years. Of the current House 26 had twenty or more years there and in the Senate, 21 had twenty or more years. I can only guess but it would be my strong inclination to say that getting reelected was if not at the top of the list, very close. I love my representative and his voting is representative of the feelings of the residents of this district. However if one leaves private life and devotes over ten or fifteen years to the public sector, one would have to think about it as a career. All of us know that if you have a career it logically follows that you have ambition. If you have ambition the main focus of your endeavor , naturally, is to do what would further your career. In politics the first necessity of furthering your career is to stay in office – keep getting re-elected. What are the requisites of doing this? High among them are raising money and getting larger numbers of people to vote for you. How can you accomplish this? Do favors, help pass legislation, etc., that either favor a group of people or help line some people’s pockets. You have now reached the point that your constituents – “the ones that brung’ you”- are down the ladder in the hierarchy of concerns. A noticeable residual effect is that access to your representative gets harder and usually amounts to generic emails touting his accomplishments, or a quick nod at a fund raiser. This is not what our founding fathers envisioned.
I would raise the question, isn’t it time we revisited the need for term limits. What duration that would encompass would be debatable. For starters I would feel two terms in the Senate or six terms in the House - twelve years - would be a place to start. With the average age of our representatives this would seem to allow for public service and a private career. Many in the Senate, though I have no data to support it, would appear to have already advanced in some private endeavor before election to a point that returning to private life would still be feasible and many who entered politics later would actually be close to retirement age. They have a very generous retirement package now and if it even had to be sweetened some, it would pay off for the taxpayers. In addition, the change should mandate no employment in lobbying or otherwise trying to influence action by congress as a whole or by individual legislators. Other restrictions should be considered to make their break with the political structure as complete as possible.
This will not be originated in congress. Self interest is a normal human reaction. The special interests and lobbyists will not like it. They have a lot invested in time and money in gaining the ear of the powerful. It is also the destination of many in congress upon leaving. It would have to probably be done by constitutional amendment, or as happens some times, the threat of one.
Until serving in government again becomes a temporary public service with the main objective being to further the lives and well being of the ones represented as a whole, and with the probability of going back to the area you represent and living under the laws that you pass becomes a reality, the idea of our country having a truly effectual form of representative government will not come to pass.
These thoughts provide more questions than answers, but in the situation the country is in now and with a very noticeable awakening of interest by the average voter, it is certainly one whose time has come.
posted by Oldhugh | 4:15 PM
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