Finally, an issue both Democrats and Republicans agree on: term limits. Nearly 8 in 10 American voters like the idea of imposing fixed time limits in office for all members of Congress -- including their own senators and representatives.It would take a constitutional amendment to do it, but let's get started.
A Fox News poll released Friday found that 78 percent of voters favor establishing term limits for Congress. That’s nearly five times as many as oppose limiting the number of terms members can serve (16 percent).
Large majorities of Republicans (84 percent), Democrats (74 percent) and independents (74 percent) favor the idea.
When the idea of congress was first conceived by the Founders I doubt they ever considered it either a full-time job or a lifetime appointment. People were expected to leave their farms or businesses, go to Washington to represent their fellow citizens, and then go home. They weren't expected to make House or Senate membership a career. It's time we got back to that attitude.
A full-time legislature isn't needed. The longer they're in session the more likely they are to think they have to do something to justify their existence and we get stupid things like Obamacare. Have them show up for a total of six months during the year and get the stuff done that needs to be done and then go home.
As far as term limits go, 12 years in Congress is plenty. That's two Senate terms or six House terms. And that's 12 years TOTAL, not 12 years in each House. We shouldn't have representatives in Congress who are dying of old age while still in office.
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Term Limits alone allow too much time for mischief. Here's my thoughts:
AMENDMENT XXVIII
No candidate for the Presidency or either house of Congress shall accept contributions in cash or in kind from any organization or group of persons for expenses incurred in a campaign for that office. All such contributions shall be made by individuals who shall attest that the funds or other items of value are from their own resources and that they have not received, nor have they been promised, offsetting items of value from any other party in exchange for their contribution. The identity and extent of contributions to such campaigns shall be made public for a period of thirty days from receipt before being employed or used as collateral for a loan by such campaigns.
No person may be elected to either house of Congress more than two times.
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The intent of the above is to bring “transparency” to campaign financing by removing any group from the process whereby that group may conceal the identity of a contributor as well as limiting the influence of such groups or “special interests”. It further prevents an organization from making such contributions when an individual within that organization may oppose the candidate.
The term-limit is inserted to diminish the worth of an office holder to an individual or group who may wish to influence that office-holder by gift or other form of remuneration.
Count me in. That would be a wonderful legacy to leave to our kids!
I'm sorry but the cost of getting elected to too overwhelming to expect honest individual money to finance it. If you go to Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives at http://clerk.house.gov/: http://disclosures.house.gov/lc/lcsearch.aspx, a little research will reveal the billions that go into lobbying to buy congressional votes. Totaling the number on this site reveals the pharmaceutical industry used drug money to pay for the passage of Obamacare (to the tune of a minimum of $1.2 billion more likely $3 billion or more by the time it was over).
People with the ability to swim in this kind of sewage will find a way to cling to the power they have gotten. Just as the big O can purchase evidence for citizenship, any politician can purchase support in flagrant defiance of the laws. Laws do not change a society. Repentance changes society and God is the only source of repentance. Without repentance, there is no remission of sin.
You prove my point (in comment #1). Yes it costs a bundle to get elected, but that's over the other guy's bundle. No honest politician (not quite an oxymoron) could hope to renounce the big money you cite and get elected. That's why it will take the force of law, via an ammendment, to get honest persons elected.
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