Federal term limits

It is time to enact term limits for both the federal House of Representatives and Senate.  If our laws set forth a two-term limit for the highest elected office in the land, then it is appropriate and justifiable to change federal law to establish a two-term limit for the members of the House and Senate.

The Constitution should be amended to limit individuals to no more than two accumulative terms (elected and/or appointed) in either the House or Senate: a term in both chambers, one as representative and one as a senator, or two terms in either.

The dismal approval ratings for Congress irrefutably indicate “politics as usual” are not serving our nation and we the people.  From my perspective far from Capitol Hill, both major political parties emphasize not good government, but a perpetual state of campaigning serving the goal of wielding political power.  Two, three, and four years out, aided and abetted by the media, the discussion is not on good legislation, but dwells on who will run in the next cycle and how statements today will impact future elections and political party balance of power.  The incipient ramblings addressing future elections seem to offer promises of better government, though nothing could be farther from the truth.

Incumbents manipulate the federal legislative process for personal gain on Election Day, not for the good of the people they represent or the nation.  It’s all about getting reelected.  For example, instead of separate funding bills, taken to the floor for up or down votes based on merits, omnibus funding bills are pushed forward.  Why?  Because such monolithic bills contain just enough to enable incumbents to state they voted for a variety of pet projects, claiming thus to support their special interest groups, constituents, and (most importantly) donors.  By the time these onerous legislative maneuvers have fully metastasized, replete with countless amendments and pork barrel spending, forget about compromise or what is best for the nation.  Second to their personal reelection aspirations, remaining in office confers power, as longevity in the House or Senate provide for key so-called leadership positions within each chamber.  Term limits will favorably impact these leadership positions by forcing turnover, which will likely move incumbents toward increased deliberation, more compromise, better legislation, and more efficient processes.

Enacting term limits will not solve all of what currently ails our federal legislature.  But limiting the amount of time one can serve in these positions of enormous power and influence can diminish the impact of finding ourselves with what some describe as a permanent political class.  It was never intended for the nation to have politicians serve decades in either the House or Senate.  However, 26 members of the House served 40 years or more, with 25 Senators serving between 35 – 51 years.  That means a lot of time seeking reelection.  Term limits will go towards preventing repeats of these gross examples.

Looking at some of the most flagrant cases of abuse of power, criminal actions, and unacceptable behavior by members of the House and Senate reveals that said abuse, actions, and behavior usually occurs after members have been reelected multiple times.  Is it fair, then, to conclude that after multiple terms a representative or senator feels he/she is above the law?  Is it fair, on an equal basis, to conclude the continuous reelection mode requiring massive amounts of cash opens up the incumbents to perverse manipulation and corruption by outside forces and political party leaders?  Though not a guarantee, a two-term limit can work to control and mitigate these evils.  (Speaking of money, how is it that the longest serving members of Congress substantially increase their personal wealth while in office?)

Alternatively, if not a two term limit, then a single term of four years in the House and eight years in the Senate should be the objective.  A federal election would be held in each state every year, as one fourth of the House and one eighth of the Senate turn over.  This will bring a constant flow of individuals who may actually be seeking to serve our nation with honor and integrity, rather than person aggrandizement.  One term and out.  (As an aside, tough, comprehensive criminal statute legislation preventing the one-termer from accepting employment from donors and/or lobbyists for a period of 25 years after leaving office will be required.)

The prudence of a two-term limit for the presidency was seen clearly in the middle of the last century.  Our Constitution was then changed to make it law.  The same prudent stance should now be taken, as decades of congressional failure, individually, collectively, and institutionally; continuous campaigning for re-election, manipulation of the federal legislative process, and abuse, criminal actions, and unacceptable behavior; and creation of a permanent political class undeniably indicate the time is now to institute term limits.