Do we need Term Limits in the US Congress/

[Integrityrespec]

Do we need term limits and if so what should be the limit?
No we don't need term limits.
We need term limits for two terms like the President.
We need term limits that total 12 years.
We need term limits that total 18 years.

 

[TheParser]

YES, we do.


No one should make a career of being a "public servant."

After a decade or so, Representatives and Senators should get out and let some fresh blood take over.

And who says that Congress has to meet so often?

Someone said in another thread that the legislature in Texas meets every two years.

The more time legislators sit, the more mischief they get into.

*****


I am so glad that the President is limited to two terms. Otherwise ...

 

[uptower]

Term limits are a good idea but other far less corrupt countries get by without them. Sure the longer a politician is in office the better the chance for bribery, favors or at least a tenacious desire to do anything to hang on to power. But these are symptoms that can be mitigated.

The problem in the US compared to a lot of other western democracies is the big corporate money allowed in politics. Politicians are slaves to their donors not their voters, before they even take office. And to pay off those campaign contributions and get more for next time; and have a cushy board seat or lobby job at the end of it, they keep working for those donors their whole career.

Yes term limits need to be looked at. Getting the corporate money out of politics should be first - county, state, federal. If politicians aren't beholden to their constituents they won't even hold a vote limiting their own terms anyway.

 

[Integrityrespec]

We only have term limits on the president because Congress amended the constitution in 1951, but they didn't see fit to place limits on themselves.

 

[Moderate Right]

Do we need term limits and if so what should be the limit?
No we don't need term limits.
We need term limits for two terms like the President.
We need term limits that total 12 years.
We need term limits that total 18 years.

I've always been against term limits for a number of reasons. First, if you are worried about Congresspeople being on the take from lobbyists, I believe that that would actually increase under term limits. If you know ahead of time that you are only going to be in office for four years (or whatever) it gives you more incentive to take as much as you can while you're there and before you're gone. Second, with all of the intelligence we need to keep up to date on, we don't need a brand new crop of rookies starting from square one all the time. It takes a while for people to know their jobs well so term limits would, in effect, never allow any of these people to really know their jobs well.

 

[SmartCat]

I see no value in term limits. When I go to a doctor, or if I need a lawyer, I want one with experience. I want to vote for politicians with experience too.

 

[Integrityrespec]

Our Congress is a political mess and term limits might change some of the do nothing mess we have. It's a shame that voters continue to reelect do nothing politicians that cause this type of logjam in Congress instead of working for the country.

 

[Mycroft]

Do we need term limits and if so what should be the limit?
No we don't need term limits.
We need term limits for two terms like the President.
We need term limits that total 12 years.
We need term limits that total 18 years.

I think we do need limits, but I don't have any firm total in mind.

For a Senator, 2-3 terms sounds about right.

For a Representative, 3-4 sounds good.

Bottom line, we need to get rid of the Congressional careerists because they end up working more for the power and money and less working for the people and the country.

 

[Integrityrespec]

"Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely". Our leaders are firmly entrenched in the Congress. Great example, if you watched Nancy Pelosi when she was sworn in for the Speaker of the House last month, she was as giddy as a school girl. Now what is she doing as speaker? Working to prevent Trump from being reelected instead of working to better the country.

 

[Cephus]

We need term limits for every public office everywhere, not just "you can serve 2 terms and you're out", but "you can serve 2 terms in ANY public capacity, then you must spend at least 2 terms worth of time outside of government service entirely to qualify to run again".

 

[TheRepublican]

Obviously but, I’m sorry but, who will enforce it! Nancy Pelosi is in there since 03 05? And you know no one on the democrats are going to stop anything because they want them to jam up the seats!

 

[TheRepublican]

We need term limits for every public office everywhere, not just "you can serve 2 terms and you're out", but "you can serve 2 terms in ANY public capacity, then you must spend at least 2 terms worth of time outside of government service entirely to qualify to run again".

Ya gooood luck

 

[btthegreat]

I see no value in term limits. When I go to a doctor, or if I need a lawyer, I want one with experience. I want to vote for politicians with experience too.

You will be happy to know there will always be people with 20 years of experience in the halls of Congress. Real institutional memories who know exactly why the definition of corporate property in Section 34-B subsection A of the 1972 income tax was deleted and replaced by the Hall-Prentiss language in 1997. The lobbyists for Exxon who convinced Speaker Gingrich to shove it through.

There is nothing more stupid than getting rid of the Congressmen that are most immune to special interest tactics and spending in any given election - the Congressmen with sufficient experience, name recognition and opposing special interest connections to withstand their attack ads. the power of incumbency means the power to piss off some monied donors because you know you have others that will come through.

When I as a voter think my representative is no longer capable of standing up for my views, out of cowardice or greed, I can vote him out. I don't need a term limit to drive both good and bad, jaded or sincere, competent and incompetent, out for me. That's my job.

 

[Lethargic Aptitude]

Do we need term limits and if so what should be the limit?
No we don't need term limits.
We need term limits for two terms like the President.
We need term limits that total 12 years.
We need term limits that total 18 years.

Tern limits, plus ban lobbyist outright. lobbying is no longer what it used to be. Now its just big money influencing our government for their own financial gain.

 

[Grand Mal]

I see no value in term limits. When I go to a doctor, or if I need a lawyer, I want one with experience. I want to vote for politicians with experience too.

You'd think so but if the Presidency is an entry-level position...

 

[Grand Mal]

Obviously but, I’m sorry but, who will enforce it! Nancy Pelosi is in there since 03 05? And you know no one on the democrats are going to stop anything because they want them to jam up the seats!

On the other hand the Republicans consider the Presidency an entry-level position.

 

[SmartCat]

There are no tangible benefits of term limits. They are advocated by those who dislike the government and want to make it less efficient.

 

[LouC]

Do we need term limits and if so what should be the limit?
No we don't need term limits.
We need term limits for two terms like the President.
We need term limits that total 12 years.
We need term limits that total 18 years.

We have Term Limits. They are called Elections. They happen every two years. Every two years "we the people" get the POWERFUL allowance aka right to go to the Polls and choose all 435 HOUSE members and approximately 1/3 Senate members.

It is "we the people" who decide who comes and goes from Congress.

That is NATURAL term limitations.

That said.

I have long opposed any sort of artificial term limits on Congress, but in the last five or six years I have been reconsidering my adamant stance against them.

More and more I see things in D.C. that have been nudging me towards wanting artificial term limits.

It was the Kavanaugh hearings that was the straw that broke this camels anti term limit back.

When those Senators sat there all puffed up in their self absorbed self though authority arguing who had the most gravitas because of how many previous Supreme Court confirmation hearing they had sat through it was as if a veil was lifted from my eyes. NO ONE IN CONGRESS SHOULD EVER BE ALLOWED TO FEEL THEY WERE AN INSTITUTION UNTO THEMSELVES IN CONGRESS.

The entitlement mentality on display was shocking, the partisan mentality in particular.

To the final point, I would not oppose term limiting legislation.

I think a maximum of 2 consecutive terms for Senators and 6 consecutive terms for Representatives would make me happy.

 

[haymarket]

We already have term limits. Two years for a member of the House and six years for a member of the Senate.

 

[Helix]

given the choice, i'd rather see political gerrymandering banned nationwide. another fantasy of mine is the elimination of political parties.

 

[btthegreat]

Tern limits, plus ban lobbyist outright. lobbying is no longer what it used to be. Now its just big money influencing our government for their own financial gain.

And that, sir will require you to amend the first Amendment of the US Constitution. I will let you figure out how you will define 'lobbying' without inhibiting the most valued kind of speech - political speech headed straight for our political leaders or our voters. We have had one hell of a time trying to structure a bill that would pass constitutional challenge. Then you get to cobble together the votes to get this amendment of yours passed .

 

[Cephus]

Ya gooood luck

There should be no such thing as career politicians. Our founding fathers spoke out against such things and they were right. So long as these idiots are not in touch with the common people, they have no business being in charge.

 

[antiquity]

Do we need term limits and if so what should be the limit?
No we don't need term limits.
We need term limits for two terms like the President.
We need term limits that total 12 years.
We need term limits that total 18 years.

Term limits was tried by Republicans in the 90's. It was in the Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich's 'Contract for American' and was voted down because it didn't have the support of democrats when a two-third majority was needed. A Line Item veto was passed and signed by Clinton and actually used but a law suit by the state of New York to restore money vetoed by Clinton, the Line Item bill was overturned.

Contract with America - Wikipedia

 

[TheRepublican]

There should be no such thing as career politicians. Our founding fathers spoke out against such things and they were right. So long as these idiots are not in touch with the common people, they have no business being in charge.

So let me ask you this why did we have term limits? It’s funny how the democrats postponed the vote because the speaker already knows that if this bill gets to the desk of her best friend. Then she is done! She doesn’t want the bill to be voted on. Honestly I would like to get the United States Supreme Court involve because this is a United States constitutional problem! What if it passes Nancy Pelosi will never respect it.

 

[Moderate Right]

"Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely". Our leaders are firmly entrenched in the Congress. Great example, if you watched Nancy Pelosi when she was sworn in for the Speaker of the House last month, she was as giddy as a school girl. Now what is she doing as speaker? Working to prevent Trump from being reelected instead of working to better the country.

The resistance is all that matters. In their minds, resisting Trump alone is good for the country. Trump was elected by voters because of their extreme hatred of the establishment of both sides.