4 ms·
easy solution: term limits
by misiti3780 13y ago
easy solution: term limits
- mpyne 13y agoWhich itself leads to a permanent issue of elected public servants with no long-term experience on the very important function of leading the nation. That leaves the expertise in the hands of unelected bureaucrats, who could easily maneuver the constantly-inexperienced politicians in the direction they wish. Pick your poison...
- jivatmanx 13y agoAbsolute term limits would probably also worsen the trend of retiring congressman becoming lobbyists. But what if you only limited the number of consecutive terms? This is a solution more directly targeting the actual problem: the advantage of incumbency. This also creates more positive feedback between their lives in the public and private sector, congressmen hoping to be reelected will need to do something positive when out of office, and when in office they will have more understanding of the lives of working people than those who have spent the last 50 years in congress. It's important to note that limits on consecutive terms were used by the Greeks, Romans, and supported by many founding fathers (who admired the Romans especially).
- mpyne 13y agoThat might work indeed. At least no obvious problems come to mind, which is usually a good start.
- woodhull 13y agoterm limits do not address the problem of money in politics. They just create a bigger incentive for a revolving door between industry and legislative office.
- deelowe 13y agobetter solution: comprehensive campaign financing reform (e.g. all donations must be done by an individual, strict limits on the amount of financing, limits on the amount of advertising and type that candidates are allowed to do, public disclosure of donors, amounts, and campaign spending etc...)
- icebraining 13y agoIsn't that what lead to the creation of the SuperPACs?
- jivatmanx 13y agoThe fungibility of money and nature of speech makes this hard to do without limiting free speech in some way.
- anigbrowl 13y agoGod I'm so sick of this lame proposal. What's your evidence that this will improve things? Because we already have term limits in California and our legislature is a byword for dysfunction.
- greedo 13y agoThe only way I would support term limits for politicians is if there were a corresponding term limit provision for civil employees. No one should be spending a lifetime feeding off the public trough.