Single term limits for congress and senate. Make sure none of them get comfortable with their jobs. Its a civil service, not a career

SoCalSurfer: Single term limits for congress and senate. Make sure none of them get comfortable with their jobs. Its a civil service, not a career

I disagree: a continuous cycle of new elected officials just puts more power into the hands of unelected lobbyists, staff, and party bosses.

No, we should adopt an aztec method and and the end of their term if they cannot meet a certain level work quality we should eat their hearts.

Ah yes, Missouri. Where the GOP dominated House and Senate fight each other instead of the Democrats.

It would be amusing to see this much infighting if it weren't for the negative impact on my state.

Today it's enough to say that term limits in the Show-Me State have been an utter failure,

There is no such thing.

taking power from the people's branch - the Legislature - and investing that power in the executive branch and unaccountable special interest groups.

You...wat?

The failure has been so spectacular that many early supporters of the concept, including conservative Missouri Republicans, have come to realize that term limits have drained the Capitol of the brain power, institutional knowledge and collegiality needed to push complex issues forward over several years of debate.

Whatever. You've got an EIGHT-YEAR TERM to do all that.

We should do away with the ideal of representative democracy and just elect kings...

Do away with the senate in it's entirety, and go to three three year terms for the remaining house members.

Gergesa: No, we should adopt an aztec method and and the end of their term if they cannot meet a certain level work quality we should eat their hearts.

Is that really so wise? I mean, you are what you eat.

Gergesa: No, we should adopt an aztec method and and the end of their term if they cannot meet a certain level work quality we should eat their hearts.

Your newsletter, I should like to subscribe to it.

FirstNationalBastard: Term Limits must end?

Seriously?

More like term limits must be enforced across the board. State, federal, local... fark career politicians. And if the people aren't smart enough to dump 'em, treat 'em like the president... 8 years and you're out.


Why not just vote for someone else if your candidate no longer represents you? Why do you need term limits?

Lando Lincoln: FirstNationalBastard: The article did make a good point about new legislators being at a disadvantage to lobbyists.

Simple solution... no more lobbyists.

The only way to get rid of lobbyists is to remove their incentive to be in existence in the first place.

Or simply make contacting a legislative member a capital offense. Sequester them from the general public for the duration of their terms in office.

Angry Drunk Bureaucrat: SoCalSurfer: Single term limits for congress and senate. Make sure none of them get comfortable with their jobs. Its a civil service, not a career

I disagree: a continuous cycle of new elected officials just puts more power into the hands of unelected lobbyists, staff, and party bosses.

On top of that, the hard limit makes it way easier for lobbyists to bribe offer post-term jobs in exchange for favorable legislation.

SoCalSurfer: Single term limits for congress and senate. Make sure none of them get comfortable with their jobs. Its a civil service, not a career

That also means effective, integral legislators wouldn't be around for long. And God knows those are hard to come by.

Wouldn't need term limits anyway, if people paid attention.

bidness: Gergesa: No, we should adopt an aztec method and and the end of their term if they cannot meet a certain level work quality we should eat their hearts.

Is that really so wise? I mean, you are what you eat.

The real issue is what if you have a politician like cheney with no functioning heart. Perhaps some kidney pie instead. Or the brain, afterall the mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Term limits cause dysfunction. There's absolutely no incentive to fix anything or compromise -- you just end up with a revolving door of sophomoric ideologues.

Lando Lincoln: Don't worry about keeping promises to your corporate masters in exchange for their campaign cash.

Instead, they'll be worrying about keeping promises to corporate masters in exchange for the job they know they'll need in two years.

Arachnophobe: Gergesa: No, we should adopt an aztec method and and the end of their term if they cannot meet a certain level work quality we should eat their hearts.

Your newsletter, I should like to subscribe to it.

Finger lickin' good.

Term limits are just like the CBA's of the major sports. They both say, "They system is too open for us stupid people NOT to screw ourselves with it, so let's change the rules so we can't be dumb."

We have term limits already, its called ELECTIONS. If people are too stupid to figure out that sometimes they need to purge the bastards every once and a while, term limits won't fix that. You'll just give more power to the unelected (lobbimonsters and other party apparatchik). And the stupid will still remain and you'll do less investigating into the electoral critters since term limits will keep you "safe". And then just vote the straight party line right! As a people we are too stupid and lazy to fix our problems. Oregon has vote by mail and can barely get over 50% returns on most elections that aren't presidential. Term limits aren't the problem.
People is stupid is the problem.

The treatment to the disease is to address how the incumbent can rig the system. $$$. No advertising in a polling place. And since some states have absentee ballets and/or vote by mail, no mailing information, no TV ads once the ballets hit the mail. Make people do research on these people.

How about removing party listings on the ballets and see what happens...

Term limits are undemocratic.

/Canadian

Angry Drunk Bureaucrat: I disagree: a continuous cycle of new elected officials just puts more power into the hands of unelected lobbyists, staff, and party bosses.

Yup. Term limits are a solution in search of a problem. Presidents shouldn't be term limited either.

TofuTheAlmighty: Presidents shouldn't be term limited either.

Yeah well thank god they are.

TeamEd: Term limits are undemocratic.

/Canadian

How can they "undemocratic" if that's what the people want?

FirstNationalBastard: Term Limits must end?

Seriously?

More like term limits must be enforced across the board. State, federal, local... fark career politicians. And if the people aren't smart enough to dump 'em, treat 'em like the president... 8 years and you're out.

THIS. Mega, utra, this.

FirstNationalBastard: The article did make a good point about new legislators being at a disadvantage to lobbyists.

Simple solution... no more lobbyists.

I've heard that argument before and I'm not convinced. EVERYONE will be rotating in and out of there, they'll all be at that same disadvantage. And besides the fact, who do you think a lobbyist will prefer to try and corrupt... the new, idealistic guy who just got elected or the lawmaker who has been there literally for decades, amassing ever more and more clout and power the whole time while being plied by lobbyists all along?

Yeah, I think I'd prefer we had the new guy in there instead.

whidbey: How can they "undemocratic" if that's what the people want?

Why can't a representative be elected to 20 straight terms in the legislature if that's what the people want?

Happy Hours: We have term limits for all elected officials - they're called elections.

Indeed.

mongbiohazard: I've heard that argument before and I'm not convinced. EVERYONE will be rotating in and out of there, they'll all be at that same disadvantage.

Yeah, that's the problem.

Look, I live in California, we've had term limits for a while now. The lobbyists end up running shiat even more than they do with the career pols, because, as it turns out, they're the only ones who know how the system works.

dougermouse: How about removing party listings on the ballets and see what happens...

People would vote for the candidate whose name comes first on the ballot. I wish I were joking, but it's already an issue in places that order candidates alphabetically, IIRC. Some areas randomize the order to prevent it from being too much of a factor.

qorkfiend: whidbey: How can they "undemocratic" if that's what the people want?

Why can't a representative be elected to 20 straight terms in the legislature if that's what the people want?

They could. I'd be against it, though.

Gergesa: No, we should adopt an aztec method and and the end of their term if they cannot meet a certain level work quality we should eat their hearts.

HeartBurnKid: [with term limits] The lobbyists end up running shiat even more than they do with the career pols, because, as it turns out, they're the only ones who know how the system works.

Bingo. And there's no term limit for lobbyists.

whidbey: qorkfiend: whidbey: How can they "undemocratic" if that's what the people want?

Why can't a representative be elected to 20 straight terms in the legislature if that's what the people want?

They could. I'd be against it, though.

Right, but if there's term limits, that choice is removed from the people. The people shouldn't be forced to choose a new representative after a certain amount of time.

How do you even make term limits a reality? Who among senators and reps are going to vote themselves out of office?

Angry Drunk Bureaucrat: SoCalSurfer: Single term limits for congress and senate. Make sure none of them get comfortable with their jobs. Its a civil service, not a career

I disagree: a continuous cycle of new elected officials just puts more power into the hands of unelected lobbyists, staff, and party bosses.

agreed in some sense, it takes time to get learn the system... a bunch of noobs in office would be destructive, power would be in the unelected party officials, lobbyists and the bureaucracy and not to mention change with the wind of public opinion...

FTA: Former House Speaker Ron Richard of Joplin, a Republican now in the state Senate, has come to realize that term limits are limiting the effectiveness of the Legislature

the current president pro tem of the Senate, Republican Rob Mayer of Dexter.


Odd, the people complaining about term limits are the ones in power. They complaining that they can't do their job so they want to keep their job longer. I think term limits are working as they were designed. Get some people in who know what they're doing.

How about shift terms from 2 years to 4 years so Reps have more than a few months in office before they have to start fundraising and campaigning.

IMO the perpetual campaigning is dysfunctional, polarizing and damaging to governmet, and the constant need to amass funds gives lobbyists a lot more clout than a lack of term limits ever could.

qorkfiend: whidbey: qorkfiend: whidbey: How can they "undemocratic" if that's what the people want?

Why can't a representative be elected to 20 straight terms in the legislature if that's what the people want?

They could. I'd be against it, though.

Right, but if there's term limits, that choice is removed from the people. .

You act as if we couldn't repeal the measure if it wasn't successful.

The people shouldn't be forced to choose a new representative after a certain amount of time

The fact is that many of us want exactly that because of the tendency for politicians to set up camp and become career legislative furniture.

whidbey: The fact is that many of us want exactly that because of the tendency for politicians to set up camp and become career legislative furniture.

You could just vote for someone else.

sprawl15: whidbey: The fact is that many of us want exactly that because of the tendency for politicians to set up camp and become career legislative furniture.

You could just vote for someone else.

Not always an option.