The Issues, No. 4 - Term Limits

The concept of term limits for members of Congress has been around for quite some time and, obviously, hasn't caught on yet. The major obstacle to term limits is that to change the terms of Congressmen and Senators requires an amendment(s) to the Constitution which requires a great deal of input from and involvement by Congress (see Article Five of the United States Constitution). Based on the current trend in Congress where members attempt to make Congress their careers, it would be extremely difficult to convince Congress it needs to introduce an amendment limiting the number of terms they can serve. However, it's not impossible. If enough of us demanded term limits to our representatives in Congress and in our State legislatures, it could happen.

There are a number of advantages to limiting Congressional terms, and, in particular, to one term only. If there is no chance for a Congressman or Senator to succeed themself in office, they would no longer need to worry about votes in upcoming elections and they might just act according to what they believe is best for the country rather than for their career. We also might find that, since Congress is no longer a career option, more people, from all different types of backgrounds and experiences may be interested in serving which could bring a fresh perspective to Congress. Just the turnover of representatives in itself, constantly bringing new individuals into the Congress, would be refreshing. You can also think of a number of advantages, all of which together would combine to give us a Congress that is more representative of our population and more interested in making our nation better. And finally, were we to be successful in convincing Congress to pass legislation limiting or abolishing contributions, we would have a Congress of individuals free to act as their own people, exercising their own minds and doing what they think is right and best for their constituents and America rather than what some special interest group/contributor thinks.

If you are interested in term limits for Congress, let your representatives both in Congress and in your State legislature know. Also, you can find other information about and organizations for (and maybe against) term limits by doing an internet search on "term limits for Congress".