The President, Governors and many state legislative positions have term limits.
Why should the House of Representatives and Senate be any different?
Besides receiving salaries much higher than average Americans, politicians are regularly be treated to free lunches and dinners with lobbyists looking to pass their agendas.
Do we really need career politicians any more?
Do we really want men and women in their 90's still in office?
The maximum should be 4 terms for a senator (24 years) and 12 terms for a congressman (24 years).
Even better would be half that 2 terms for a senator (12 years) and 6 terms for a congressman (12 years).
I think Unity '08 should definitely propose to put some term limits on these do nothing politicians!
I agree we need term limits for members of congress...simple test is to look at Senator Robert Byrd of WV when he's on TV. And yes, I understand the people of WV keep electing him. My opinion, 24-years as shinners suggested is a bit generous...max of 12-years for senators and representatives. I know there are those that belive term limits are bad because we lose continuity and corporate knowledge, but look where not having term limits has got us now? Whether they're (members of congress) on the left or right, they're so dug in, they have, and will keep our country polarized. Unity 08 is a great new idea to break that strangle hold and send a message that American's are tired of members of congress representing their own interests instead of ours. Our country needs a breath of fresh air on a regular basis...term limits for members of congress!
Can you believe we pay these nincompoops so much!
And this does not even count all the expenses and other fringe benefits they get that normal U.S. citizens don't...
Let's add to that, they have whole staffs of people doing most of their work!!!
Check this link -
http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa031200a.htm
Congress: Rank-and-File Members' Salary
The current salary (2006) for rank-and-file members of the House and Senate is $165,200 per year.
Senate Leadership
Majority Leader - $183,500
Minority Leader - $183,500
House Leadership
Speaker of the House - $212,100
Majority Leader - $183,500
Minority Leader - $183,500
A cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) increase takes effect annually unless Congress votes to not accept it.
Term limits always surface at election time (along with elimiating the IRS) but after the election it disaapears.
Maybe we could have some impact by changing the goal to Age Limits.
Pilots are forced into retirement at 60 to proctect the well being of their passengers.
How about Politicians who can affect the well being of 300m people.
Mandated Term Limits for Reps would be a horrible idea. We have Term Limits NOW - it's called elections folks! I am against anything that limits the franchise in any way and Term Limits would do just that. Term Limits mandated on reps would just be a feel-good cop-out and at best would just increase the pace of the revolving door of Congressmen funneling into the REAL cushy power ladened jobs in DC - K Street Lobbyists/PAC/Special Interest Advocate. Remember the "Law of Unintended Consequences"!! We need to keep the responsibility for voting in and out the good, the bad, and the ugly - with us the citizenry and not some invisible hand. Let's not abdicate our citizenry responsilities any more with a term-limit cop out!
DC - 3rd ward - milligansstew08@yahoo.com
http://milligansstew.blogspot.com
in citizens' hands, then term limits are a must!! A big part of the problem is that right now, politics is a career. It should be a temporary public service. By making it so that nobody could serve two consecutive terms in any office, or run for a different office without sitting out at least one two-year cycle, limiting the number of House terms any one person can serve to two in any ten-year period, and the number of Senate terms to one in any fifteen-year period, we could start to dismantle the entire concept of the career politician.
As for your assertion that this would increase the number of people going through the revolving door to K Street (lobbying), it is highly unlikely that lobbying would have nearly as much impact as it does now when Congress members are not there long enough to develop relationships with lobbyists, and to suggest that there would be a new home on K Street for every Congress member at the end of any two-year cycle is just illogical.
Yes, if term limits are only limiting House members to three or four terms and Senators to two, then the positive impacts would be negligible, and not serve much more purpose than elections do now. But if we remove every incumbent from every race, then we will begin to have citizen-run government.
Just because empire is an ugly word doesn't mean you don't live in one.
I completly agree with the idea of term limits if that's what it takes to return us to a representational democracy. If you think for a moment that you still have "representatives" in government, please take note of the following.
The letter reprinted at the end of this communication was sent out to Ms. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Senator from Tx.
Two weeks after that, a short letter (by yours truly) was printed on the op/ed page of the Fort Worth Star Telegram regarding her total disregard of her constituents' concerns. To give you the flavor of the piece, a portion follows.
"..When I write to (or telephone) U. S. Senators Kay Bailey Hutchinson or John Cornyn, I don't receive a reply concerning the topic in question. What I get is a form letter that basically tells me what a swell job they're doing. I used to receive the same sort of replies from U. S. representative Joe Barton, but since I've called for the impeachment of President Bush, he no longer responds to me in any form whatsoever. It's called 'taxation without representation'..."
One would think that such a public (literary) attack would demand a response from the Senator(s), and in fact I received a letter from Ms. Hutchinson's office dated the very day after the letter appeared. There's no need to reprint the entire response; I believe the first sentence is sufficient.
Dear Mr. Kelly,
Thank you for contacting me regarding the establishment of English as the official language of the United States...
(Letter mailed 07/06/07)
I have been paying attention to the actions (and inactions) of Congress and have been struck by the seeming difficulties that its members have been having with the English language. Therefore, in the interest of linguistic accuracy, I offer the following definitions:
a) Intentionally violating the F.I.S.A. is called a felony.
b) Intentionally outing a covert C.I.A. operative during a time of war is called treason.
c) Saying something that you know to be false is called lying.
d) Not showing up for legally mandated National Guard duty is called A.W.O.L.
(During war it’s called desertion)
e) A President or Vice President lying in order to trick the country into a war is defined as a high crime.
f) Passing legislation favorable to individuals or blocs in return for donations is called bribery.
g) My governments’ refusal to enforce our existing immigration laws for the past thirty years is called dereliction of duty.
h) The “war on drugs” as well as the “war on terrorism” (why not initiate a “war” on bullets?) is called moronic imbecility.
i) Supporting your government when it is right and opposing it when it is wrong is called patriotism.
Until 2024, I was about as politically active as a golf ball. That has changed. For years I’ve heard from the right how people like me “hate” George Bush. Nothing could be farther from the truth; I don’t hate anyone. (That’s simply one more childish and disgusting tactic that they have used to divide our country in a base attempt to retain their stranglehold on power) I am, however, vehemently opposed to the actions that he and this administration, including a complacent and acquiescent Congress, have taken. The list of illegal actions this administration has taken would fill (and indeed has filled) several books, so I will not enumerate them here. Suffice it to say that I consider Mr. Bush, Mr. Cheney and their cohorts to be blatantly criminal as well as cowardly and mind numbingly incompetent. The number of people that are being fooled by all of this is, thankfully, growing mercifully inconsequential. The number of people like me is growing exponentially. In my opinion, your voting record is a litany of the worst that our government has to offer. If I were a Republican, I’d start sending out resumes.
As you can tell if you've stuck with me through all of this, our reps in congress are so hopelessly lost an disorganized that they are no longer even capable of defending themselves or their actions. This is the only thing that gives me any hope...
I agree that there should be term limits. I think the limits should be similar in length to the President.
Term Limits- President (10 years) 2 terms
- Senators (12 years) 2 terms
- Congressman (10 years) 5 terms
- Term limits permit Senators and Congressman to become vested in a generous and minimum retirement package under FERS & TSP.
I would also support any increase in the time limit that Senators and Congressman are able to become lobbyists. Current ethics rules say a minimum of one year after leaving office. Further, I support any move, be it an amendment or law that takes these provisions out of federal lawmaker hands to change. For instance, It would be ideal if an amendment arising out of a National Convention of State Legislatures that required state approval to change any of these items.
Career Politicians merely become more connected to pursue self-interest over the interest of the American people.
I'll go along with that. It would also be a good idea to tie their pay to economic performance. A little incentive. How about twice or thrice the median income, and NO pension.
ck your math phil, 2 terms of 4 years is 8 years for the president.
ha ha that is true. President can serve 10 years though.
Under current law, if a president were to die or otherwise be removed from office on the first day of his/her term, the vice president could serve the other three years, 364 days, and still be elected twice more.
Just because empire is an ugly word doesn't mean you don't live in one.
I just re-read the 22nd amendment, and you are right, ten years is the maximum a president can serve. I apologize for posting with insufficient knowledge.
Just because empire is an ugly word doesn't mean you don't live in one.
Common sense - the cure for stupid!
Term limits, term limits, term limits - Yay!!
But I also think that previously elected officials should not be allowed to become lobbyists at all.
Lobbying as a practice should be illegal in it's own right.
I agree about the lobbyists. But our constitution was set up for citizen legislators. If we followed that, we would not need term limits. If you are elected to congress you stay for the allotted time of 4 years, and then have to go home and live with the laws you made. Congress has set themselves apart and don't have to live by the laws they made == what can be done about that??????????? No matter who is elected, we will have the same problem, unless that is handled===Anyone know how that could be done, it would really solve the whole problem.
We are trying to address your point at Congress shall make no laws excluding public participation. The motion, admittedly, isn't perfect, but with your participation and support, it could be.
ex animo
davidfarrar
Yes Jochannan, I know how it can be done and where you can find the information you need : click on www.america-21stcentury.com READ/DIGEST A Series of Recent Postings THE ANSWERS ARE THERE .. be sure to read with an open mind and remember those famous words "Don't Think About What Is - Think About WHAT CAN BE" !!
If you are a person willing to think "outside the box" - I would appreciate your comments.
Peter K (popo) Evans
You suggest that members of Congress are elected to serve for four years and then "go home," but that is not at all what is in the Constitution. The Constitution says nothing about term limits (except the 22nd Amendment, regarding the presidency), and it sets terms in the House at two years, and in the Senate at six years. So, if you are suggesting that one term should be the limit, that may be perfectly valid, but in neither house of Congress would that be four years.
Certainly, we do need citizen self-government rather than rule by an elite minority, and term limits are one avenue to get us there. The term limits offered at the top of this thread are entirely insufficient, however, to accomplish that. Term limits should be thus:
1) No person may run for any elected office if that person is currently serving, or has served in any elected office in the last two years prior to the start of the term for the office in question.
2) No person shall serve more than two full terms in the U.S. House of Representatives in any ten year period, or more than one full term in the U.S. Senate in any fifteen year period.
Just because empire is an ugly word doesn't mean you don't live in one.
Dick Morris's Book "OUTRAGE" identifies The Members of The House and Senate who have FAMILY MEMBERS THAT ARE LOBBYISTS - HOW STUPID CAN WE GET TO ACCEPT THIS KIND OF DESPOTISM ..
Congress has become a cesspool of Finaglers and Manipulators whose sole purpose in life IS TO GET RICH AT OUR EXPENSE AND PREVENT HONORABLE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS FROM CHANGING THINGS ..
It's that simple and that disgusting - THERE IS A WAY TO PUT A STOP TO IT - ALL IT TAKES IS THE WILL TO DO IT ..
Click on www.america-21stcentury.com read/digest todays posting Aug 13/2007
popo
Common sense - the cure for stupid!
We need to cap the campaign spending somewhere that makes sense, and have complete financial transparency right down to the cup of coffee in the diner in podunk wherever while campaigning.
Why are our elected representatives, who are WELL paid, allowed to accept money for any reason from any group - individual citizens being the only exception?
I don't know if the system can be fixed. Do the citizens have the will to push for change?
As it stands now - "those who won't are supported by those who will". Those who work, budget, and plan to make a life for themselves and support their families are expected to pay for those who make irresponsible choices whether stupid or just plain careless.
At what point in time did individual responsibility get replaced with, Uncle Sam owes me a living?
I'm gonna go check out that link - hope it makes sense.
Red Robin
The President already has term limits. Now the Congress needs term limits. House of Representatives no more than 5 consecutive terms and the Senate no more than 2 consecutive terms. No retirement benefits, No cost of living increases. The rest of the government should only get merit increases and not cost of living increases.
Do you get a cost of living increase every year?
Only government jobs supported by taxpayers get increases at an expense to you and me.
No Congressman should be allowed to have a lobbist job. They should have to return to their state of residence for one year after completion of office. They should only be able to receive donations from citizens of their voting region only. No corporate donations.
Change is hard by someone has to start sometime. I am for also cancelling all the benefits that Congressman get just for being a Congressman. I think that their benefits should be just like the average American's and no more at this time.
Red Robin
When are we going to actually start treating this war like a war? I thought the object was to kill the enemy or render them harmless. The religious leaders of the Radical Muslims are always stirring up the pot. They need to be sought out and killed. Remove the head and the body will die. What happened to that line of thinking. When are we going to get some politicians like our fore fathers who were not afraid to stand up for the American Way. I am sick and tired of Politically Correct. I want walk softly but carry a big stick.... and don't be afraid to use that stick. Free our Military to fight the war. Get the media out of the way!!!!
If American is to survive; we must be aggresive and take charge.
Yes, I AM AN AMERICAN AN I AM PROUD OF THAT FACT.
IMO
We already have term limits..in theory. It's called the vote. I know that our sacred vote has been desicrated by the current crop of fanatical right-wing evangelical criminals currently that have stolen control of our government. It's up to US to have verifiable paper trails of our votes and to SCREAM BOODY F***ING MURDER when another election is stolen like the last two. (In Ohio in 2024, 50 out of 86 precincts' paper votes were thrown away in 60 days in direct FELONY violation of federal laws requiring them to be kept for 22 months. What happened to the criminals that did this? Were they prosecuted by the people they helped cheat into office? Hell no, of course not; because you apathetic jerks sit by idly and let it happen)
No one listens to you.
No one represents you in government.
No one is thinking in the long term.
Re-elect No One!!!
Brought to you by the commitee to re-elect no one.
Curious that Congress passed the XXII Amendment that set term limits for the President back in 1947 (After FDR successfully won four terms as President and scared the beejeebees out of the Republicans.), yet they didn't believe it was necessary to set term limits for themselves. What's good for the goose . . .
On principle, I believe that we should be able to vote for whomever we wish. That's democracy. Based on this principle, I would repeal the 22nd Amendment and allow any citizen to run for President (yes, even Arnold).
However, I've almost come to accept the necessity of term limits because of the power of incumbency. Those in power don't relinguish it easily and have in fact entrenched themselves quite successfully.
But aren't term limits dealing with the symptom and not the problem? The problem is that incumbents have unfair advantages in money, support, access and publicity that make challenges to them futile. Rather than undemocratic term limits, couldn't we publicly finance elections, mandate equal coverage (somehow), eliminate attack ads and otherwise level the playing field?
I just can't accept the notion that I would be prevented from voting for a candidate because of some arbitrary restriction like term limits. It seems like the wrong solution.
While it is true that term limits deal with the symptom and not the problem, we can't get at the problem due to the enormous swelling generated by seemingly permanently embedded unclean material that now infects congress. I think we either need to sterilize or amputate.
Put another way, term limits can't possibly hurt.
You could vote the entire House out every two years, Thirty-three percent of the Senate is up for election in 2024, and the presidency is up every four years.
People have the power to decide who represents them. How they choose to use that power is the real issue.
Jeff C
leikec@yahoo.com
You can't. The power of incumbency limits challengers.
Politically neutral districts would help. Dismantling gerrymandering would help make challenges more possible. That's not enough though, there are still the enormous advantages in money, publicity and access that incumbents have. Not to mention graft.
The problem with just voting them out is the fact that most often we end up voting against one candidate, rather than for the other. A case of "Better the devil I know than the one I don't". I mean, what can really be done with guys like Robert Byrd. He is so entrenched, and delivers so much pork to his home state, there is no way his state is not going to re-elect him. Another problem with just voting them out is that you are being compelled to vote for a party you disagree with. In other words, if the jerk gets the nomination, your stuck.
The name says it all "LIBERTARIAN"
What that word says to me:
"Unelectable", and "incapable of governing even if they win".
Jeff C
leikec@yahoo.com
The point being, we need very little governing. Unelectable? I'm afraid you are correct. Too many have too long sucked the gov't teat to ever be weened.
It's called "Pete's Plan For Political & Management Reform" .. ii was developed and submitted to UNITY08 by Founding Delegate Pete Evans ..
For Details, Legal Basis & Rationale click on www.america-21stcentury.com
It's based on the premise THAT THE CURRENT SYSTEM IS DANGEROUS & REDUNDANT, and has been redundant since we became a Super Power and benefactor to the world.
PLUS it offers the only way you've got a hope in hell of getting Congress to pass Bills on Term Limits and Transparency, Competency & Corruption !!
And it enables the People to establish a means of "Control Before The Elections" - that provides essential "leverage" after the elections - THE MOST IMPORTANT TIME.
Click on www.ameroca-21stcentury.com read the last few postings - then with an open mind THINK WHAT CAN BE not what is !!
Come up with legit questions and suggestions - let's see how far we can take it ..
Peter K (popo) Evans
It's called "Pete's Plan For Political & Management Reform" .. ii was developed and submitted to UNITY08 by Founding Delegate Pete Evans ..
For Details, Legal Basis & Rationale click on www.america-21stcentury.com
It's based on the premise THAT THE CURRENT SYSTEM IS DANGEROUS & REDUNDANT, and has been redundant since we became a Super Power and benefactor to the world.
PLUS it offers the only way you've got a hope in hell of getting Congress to pass Bills on Term Limits and Transparency, Competency & Corruption !!
And it enables the People to establish a means of "Control Before The Elections" - that provides essential "leverage" after the elections - THE MOST IMPORTANT TIME.
Click on www.america-21stcentury.com read the last few postings - then with an open mind THINK WHAT CAN BE not what is !!
Come up with legit questions and suggestions - let's see how far we can take it ..
Peter K (popo) Evans
Democracy means rule by the people. That means all of us. Since we have a representative system due to the immensity of our nation, we should have a system that will get as many different people into office over time as possible. If one person serves two terms, he/she is cutting into someone else's turn to serve. We have 300 MILLION people in this country, surely there are enough of us to fill 435 House seats and 33 or 34 Senate seats every two years with a new person. Surely, there are plenty of people who share most of the same opinions as the incumbent who could take a turn in office.
I certainly agree that public financing, equal TV and radio air time and newspaper copy space, less restrictive ballot access laws, etc. could help to bring out more candidates, and possibly accomplish the same thing as term limits, but there should never be a need for the same person to serve two terms in any office, and encoding that into law cannot hurt democracy in that regard.
Just because empire is an ugly word doesn't mean you don't live in one.
Anyone feel a draft? The Bush's and Clinton's have just about completed the fleecing of the sheeple. The problem for the sheeple, they are sheeple after all, they don't know it yet. You see, the sheeple have been herded by Master Sheeple Maniputlators, aka the MSM, aka the MAINSTREAM MEDIA, aka the Master Mushroom Manufacturers, you get the picture. Well it seems it is going to take them at least part of another administration to steal the silverware and some other small items they can't get packed in time for Jr.'s exit. Enter Hillary. The MSM is feeding the sheeple the same thing they grow those mushrooms with! A few sheeple actually say it makes Hillary look better if you eat enough of it. The sheeple pretty much all say the same thing after they have had a few servings of this, yuck! Why yuck?
"Well I think Hillary will be the next president." Why? "Well that's what they say on the news." Are you going to vote for her? "HELL NO!" Do you know anyone who is going to vote for her? "No."
Not all the sheeple are eating the same crap the MSM dishes out though, they have in one way or another found greener pastures on the Internet. Those sheeple have pretty much the same response to their new fodder. "Man I didn't really appreciate how bad that crap the MSM was feeding us was, until I tasted this!" Then they start telling the other sheeple. "Quit eating that crap, it's loaded with lies, deceptions and illusions." And. "Man! Do you see how bad Hillary's went down hill lately!" Another strange thing about the food the MSM serves is that their are two main kinds, about one half of the sheeple eat one and half the other. And man they get mad when a sheeple who eats one kind tries to feed it to one who eats the other!
The Internet is getting to be a problem for the MSM and thus for the Bush/Clinton Gang (BCG) so they feed the sheeple more Hillary mix and GOP, "TOP TIER, guaranteed to go along with the game plan, THE TERROR!, Leader in crisis, Rudy "Da Mayor" Giuilani. Seems a lot of the older sheeple refuse to eat anything but the Rudy mix. They won't even try the good stuff. Of course they were told by the MSM the other stuff would kill you. They scare the young sheeple by telling them Osama Bin Laden might be hiding under their beds. Parts of the MSM are taking it worse than others though, heck FOX News has already attacked Iran!
The good news for the sheeple is that they get the added option of turning into "the People" once their systems are purged of the toxins in their prior fare. A lot of them get mad as hell at the MSM and the thieves they serve for purposefully poisoning their systems and start trying to throw a monkey wrench into their plans. The MSM and BCG, imo, underestimate the consequences for themselves because of the anger of "the People" as compared to sheeple.
To all you People out there, especially former sheeple, don't let the MSM/BCG get away with the silverware too! Time is short. The People are not going to win with a third party, they must win with the rules the PTB's have put in place. There are all kinds of potential executive sheeple herders in the race for the Presidency but there is only one that has the record, qualifications, knowledge, honesty and integrity to lead the People, Dr Ron Paul. If we elect another sheeple herder we will still be sheeple but if we elect Ron Paul we will be "The People". The People have a contract with the government that puts limits and restrictions on the government. As long as a majority of us remain sheeple is how long government will abuse the contract and us. When the majority of us turn into the People however is when we will restore our contract and set ourselves free from the den of thieves in power and their paid for professional liars and whores the MSM! The People have a contract! The sheeple have crap!
I was just wondering what any of this has to do with term limits? Guess I'll never know.
Phil
Be careful when you fight the monsters, lest you become one.
Phil it's a Ron Paul Channelling thing by HC. Leave HC be for a few hours and he might be able to talk himself down from Never-Never land! Here's hopng!
DC - 3rd ward - milligansstew08@yahoo.com
http://milligansstew.blogspot.com
Who is Ron Paul?
Phil
Be careful when you fight the monsters, lest you become one.
I take it back. I was only kidding . . .
Phil
Be careful when you fight the monsters, lest you become one.
Reforming our goverment to drive out corruption and corrupting influences has to be # 1 on our agenda. This is the issue that threatens the very existence of our nation. With honest goverment, we can be assured that your voice and mine are heard equally and that each issue will be decided by democratic principles and that the nation ( the "we") will be served....let us demand the following: a) term limits for congressmen, b) public financing of campaigns, c) prohibition of congressmen becoming a lobbyist within 3 years of leaving office, d)the strictist rules on lobbying, e) no "earmarks" allowed on funding bills.
Changing the make-up of Congress will also be very beneficial in making it represent us better, and moving away from the small band of elected elite who now have virtually complete control of our nation. Of course, this would require a constitutional amendment, whereas the other items in your list can be accomplished by statute. That doesn't mean that we should push for this as well, though.
Just because empire is an ugly word doesn't mean you don't live in one.
Term Limits
No Individual shall serve more than eight (8) years in office as President, Vice-President, Member of the Senate, or Member of the House.
K.I.S.S.