What is your opinion of term limits for members of Congress?

[elperromagico]

[SlipperySlope]

1. How about a lottery instead

Sometimes I honestly feel we would have a more representative government if we just picked a new set of congressmen every two years in a random lottery. Wouldn't need term-limits then!

[ironman202]

2. that's a sure way to set congressions staffers in cement.

anyone who knew how to do anything would have the real power. Congressman Clitus McRedneck would just be a strawman...oh wait...

[SlipperySlope]

5. What staffers?

With a new congress every year, there would be no staffers left behind from the previous year. Every year would be starting fresh.

[ibegurpard]

8. You don't have a clue how it works.

I've worked in political staff offices. Staff often outlast the politicians.

[RoyGBiv]

13. This is not correct ...

People in Congress don't just run an ad in the paper to find staffers. They hire people with experience. The original point was correct. Eventually, with mandatory term limits on all elected representatives, the only people with any experience in government are the staffers, and then they run things.

[wli]

3. I wouldn't want to lose Ted Kennedy to stuff like this

[xray s]

4. Congressional terms are already limited

2 years.

It's the money, not the amount of time in office, that is the problem.

[Yupster]

14. Not with gerrymandering

Most congressmen have their seats for as long as they want them

That's not a good system.

[xray s]

20. agreed

gerrymandering should be declared unconstitutional. It distorts the will of the people.

Just another example of corruption.

[jaysunb]

6. Limits don't work

voters, must set the terms of service.

[mikeiddy]

7. Don't limit terms, limit campaign contributions . . .

to those able to breathe.

[elperromagico]

9. Yes, I agree with that.

I would favor a strict spending cap as well.

[mrdmk]

10. Want to limit money, here is a good one

Depending on what office you are running for whether is be local, state or national you only can raise money from your local constituents, i.e. House, you can only raise money from your district. Senate, you can only raise money from that state. City Mayor, you can only raise money from that city.

The same with initiatives that affect the local area, none of this law is going to affect state A and all of the money is coming from state B.

That will put the brakes on corporate money also!

[Yupster]

15. That was a Reagan proposal

all through the 80's.

The Democratic Party screamed foul as they pointed out that in very poor, very Democratic districts, the two or three rich businessmen could donate more than all the poor voters in the district.

[mrdmk]

18. I am finding that money crossing political boundaries is becoming

common place. I really do not think it helping the day to day Joe.

[Darranar]

11. Oppose. It gives representatives a free reign in their last term. n/t

[Robeson]

16. Bingo! And anyone who has dealt with this on a local level...

...as I have, knows exactly what you are talking about. In my city, we have councilmen taking graft - bribes - like there is no tomorrow when they get that second term, and know they can't run for the third.

[RoyGBiv]

12. Strongly oppose ...

I even have issues with the restriction of Presidents only being allowed to serve two terms. It's not that I really want the possibility of Shrub stealing a third term. It's that I very much would have enjoyed watching that dolt run against Clinton. Consider also that had FDR not had more than two terms, many, if not most, of the reforms of his administration would have been destroyed before they got a chance to become truly beneficial.

Fundamentally, the idea is anti-democratic. It is a plan with a genesis in an ideology opposed to progress and choice, as unintuitive as that may sound. Term limits in OK, for example, were originally pushed by Republicans who were tired of not being able to gain a foothold in local politics, despite the increasingly conservative leanings of the state.

The problem, as always, is money and the influence it has on re-election campaigns. Sitting congresspeople also get perks they should not have, and these perks allow them to campaign in ways that opponents cannot. Somehow we've come to a conclusion nationally that "money" is the same as speech as far as the freedom to express one's views to the government is concerned, but the freedom to elect the person I genuinely want to be elected is less important.

[GreenPartyVoter]

17. There are many things we can do to improve the calibre of

representatives we have. Our biggest issues, asside from verifiable votes, are that offices are being bought and that our COngress looks nothing like a cross-section of America.

More on that here: http://timeforachange.bluelemur.com/electionreform.htm

[yourout]

19. I was for them but have since changed my mind.

In my younger more nieve days I thought anyone could be a good Congressman but have since learned that good ones have certain
characteristicts that not every Joe has.

[KansDem]

21. I don't think the "Stop me before I vote again" solution will work

We have regularly scheduled elections to remove those unsuited to do the people's business and to place those who will. Just because we either don't vote, or keep voting for the wrong people doesn't discount that fact.