Term Limits for Everyone
This is just getting to be such a joke…only it is not funny. Rather, it is amazing. It is time for term limits across the board for everyone who serves in public office. Why? Simple. The people’s interests are rarely ever at hand.
I just finished an article about the detainee bill this morning and all I could do was sit there shaking my head in amazement. After all of the big talk by many Democrats and some Republicans, it looks like the President is going to get his way and the bill he asked for. The reason, in my mind, is because it is time to get out on the campaign trail and Republicans (in this situation) are wanting to look unified and like they have done something. As a Republican, I think the people in Congress should be ashamed at themselves for a lot of reasons, but mostly for the uncontrollable spending they have been guilty of for the past 6 years. Of course, the rhetoric hasn’t changed, “We (Republicans) are for lowering taxes and Democrats are for raising taxes” can be heard every night on just about every news channel by some Republican Senator or Congressperson. Of course, the fact that they are responsible for spending more than any of their predecessors, using just about any measurement you can dream up, doesn’t seem to ever come up as a topic of conversation.
I guess I can’t really fault them, it really is the American way. After all, capitalism is about getting what you can for yourself. So, how can anyone blame them for doing just that?
I say we get rid of much of the incentive to not keep the public’s interests and the interests of their constituents at hand by implementing term limits across the board. Yes, there are some career politicians and fixtures in the House and Senate that one might be able to make a case for, but the vast majority are puppets and we would all be better served by just about anyone else.
[tags]Republicans, Democrats, Politics, Detainees, Bill, Term Limits[/tags]
November 5th, 2006 at 11:06 am
The Only Foolproof Method of Dealing With the Mess In Washington
Unfortunately, history teaches that incumbency almost guarantees reelection. A sad truth is that tenure in congressional office almost invariably corrupts. So what can a citizen do?
There is no dearth of talented people who are willing to serve one term in public office and then return to their professions. It is unimaginable that one-term members of congress can be anymore destructive to our country then the career politicians have been.
Legislators are unlikely to approve legislation that would limit terms of office. And, if such a law were to pass, the Supreme Court is likely to strike it down. Remember, this is the court that has determined that money is speech; remarkably, the court believes that those with the most resources should have the most influence in elections and the legislative process.
Despite the enormous resources leveraged against the public by special interests, we can still rid ourselves of the costly corruption in Washington DC by taking the pledge. The pledge is a last ditch grassroots movement to help establish a fair and respected federal governmental system.
If you believe in participatory democracy, you must also believe that as many citizens as possible should have the opportunity to serve in public office. The pledge does not require your time or resources. There are no financial contributions to be made no meetings to attend no speeches to endure. Please join us by making the following pledge and, please help us by communicating this document to others.
The Pledge:
“With the recognition that there are huge numbers of intelligent, talented and qualified citizens who are prepared to limit their public service to one term, I hereby pledge that I will not vote a second term for any United States Senator or United States Congressman.”