I Think The Cat Means 'A Second Term' ......
I got another e-mail from one of my buddies, with a bunch of suggestions for our next group of Congressmen and Senators. Sorry, but I think castration for all Congressmen to prevent screwing interns is a bit harsh.... However, we are more and more becoming fans of Term Limits. We've wavered a bit back and forth, but we're pretty sure that Congress will never willingly fire themselves, so we must do it for them. But, the question does need to be asked ..... How Long Is Long Enough?
The suggestion was for three Congressional terms and one Senatorial term, to avoid making a career of politics. So, you could presumably spend 12 years in DC. We thought about it, and decided that 12 years is half a career - and that's still too long for us. Here is our thoughts. Six years, and that is it. Either be a Congressman/woman or a Senator, and that's it. The House shouldn't be a training ground for the Senate, because they really are 2 different jobs. If you're in the House, your focus is SUPPOSED to be on your district. Washington is different from the Statehouse, where you have 46 Senators in a state, not just two. There are plenty of gigs in South Carolina to be prepared for the Senate later - almost any statewide agency would do.
Yeah, it's a tough line to put in the sand, but we think it's for the best. Will it happen? Hell no. For some strange reason, they felt the need to limit the term of a President, but the same guys won't limit their own power...... Sounds like Congress to us.
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3 comments:
Mike-the original idea behind limiting the 22nd amendment was the backlash by the US Congress to FDR's four elections. Remember term limits are/were designed to keep a single person from establishing a dictatorship, even by election.
A little history lesson, the 22nd amendment gained support in the early days of the Truman administration as Republicans tired of a decade plus domination by the democrats at the polls. Remember FDR did not just win he whipped the GOP across the country and he had coat tails to go with his wins.
But in the early days of Truman, President Truman did something no southern democrat would have ever agreed to, Truman started integration. That was a little more than the Dixiecrats were willing to swallow and we all know how that turned out.
Meanwhile on the Republican side, the GOP was still smarting from FOUR straight Presidential butt kicking’s and the idea of future domination by the Dems seemed a certainty. Now enters the idea of term limits. Dixiecrats didn’t want Harry around for four more years much less four terms and Republicans were tired of getting whipped.
The final straw came when Ike started making noises that he was going to run for POTUS. The dems could see Ike being a Republican version of FDR, the deal was done and viola--we have the 22nd amendment.
Now some may argue that we need the same for every other elected office, we have that it's called the ballot box. Do I like that there are many instances of dominations by a party or gingival for repeated election cycles--NO! But if our founding fathers had wanted term limits they would have worded something in the Constitution as to such. In fact if you read through their collective writings, many of this country's founder's had a great deal of trepidation when it came to a government of the masses.
Also if we limited candidates to a "short" number of terms (2,3,4 terms)we are also diluting the experience that is needed to both run the government and represent the people of this country. In fact it is the reason the House is up for election every two years versus the Senate which is a third every election cycle (i.e. 6year terms).
I will be the first to admit that term limits would put an end to people like Jimbo Clyburn (and make my life a whole lot easier), but it also would mean the end of leaders like Jim DeMint, Henry Brown and Joe Wilson (and before that Strom Thurmond and Floyd Spence).
In the final analysis every voter has the ability to limit an elected official’s term in office, it’s called the ballot box and it happens all the time. Don't believe me-ask former Senator Herman Talmedge,former Speaker Tom Foley, former Majority Leader Tom Daschle (and hopefully soon to be former Majority Leader Harry Reid) who were all tossed out of office in their respective bids for re-election.
Let me conclude (finally) with this thought, we may not have the most perfect system but after 225+ years we have only had to tweak it once. I guess Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, et al knew what they were doing and I for one am not in the habit of arguing with the visionaries who started this little experiment over 200 years ago...teg
The only infallible, unstoppable, guaranteed way to get a truly new Congress is :
NEVER REELECT ANY INCUMBENT! AND DO IT EVERY ELECTION!
The American voter must IMPOSE term limits by NEVER REELECTING ANYONE IN CONGRESS, AND DO IT EVERY ELECTION! In other words, don't let anyone serve more than one term. That's the only way to teach them that the voter is boss! The “one term limit” can be eased AFTER citizens get control of Congress.
Congress will never allow us to constitutionally term limit them by an amendment. Our only choice is to NEVER REELECT them. All of them!
The number of ‘good guys’ left in Congress is negligible, so if we threw ALL 535 members out, we wouldn’t do as much damage as the good we would gain by by turning Congress into a bunch of honest, innocent freshmen.
Some of the reasons in favor of this approach:
• It gives us a one-term-limited Congress without using an amendment
• It encourages ordinary citizens to run for Congress
• It is supported by 70% of the country (see Rasmussen and Cato polls)
• It is completely nonpartisan
• If repeated, it ends career politicians in Congress
• It opens the way to a “citizen Congress” of guys like you and me
* It would open a torrent of fresh ideas to improve our government
• It ends the seniority system that keeps freshmen powerless
• It doesn’t cost money. But you MUST vote! Just don’t vote for an incumbent
• It takes effect immediately on Election Day
• It is the only infallible, unstoppable, guaranteed way to “Throw the Bums Out”
• When the ‘pros’ stop running, ordinary citizens will run and win
• If it doesn’t work, do it again and again! It will work eventually,without a doubt.
NEVER REELECT ANYONE IN CONGRESS. AND DO IT EVERY ELECTION!
Nelson Lee Walker of tenurecorrupts.com
Email nels96@gmail.com for your free NEVER REELECT bumper sticker
I will read the comments when I have more time.
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