Term Limits

American citizens must do everything that we can to curb the excesses of political power with our elected officials, lobbyists, and those unelected officials who work in national government. Based on this belief, I believe that U.S. Senators, House members, and those unelected officials should be limited in the number of terms they serve (Senate and House) and/or reapply to their offices for those in unelected capacities.  

I do not believe for a second that our Founding Fathers would have ever imagined the corrupt power bases and alliances created in our current system of government. Many elected officials will do and say anything to hold and maintain power at the expense of our country’s well-being.

It is this selfish motivation towards public service that has created such an unfavorable view of Congress and the administrative state. What I do believe is that our Founders envisioned a system of government full of virtue and righteous decision-making that helps tamp down the baser instincts of mankind and flawed motivations of greedy politicians.

Right now, we have a system of government that encourages and incentivizes the wrong kind of behavior. We need an amendment to our Constitution that drives the right kind of behavior. I believe that term limits is the answer:

·      Senators – Maximum of two 6-year terms

·      House – Maximum of six 2-year terms

·      Unelected Administrative Positions – Must reapply every four years to the position or a similar impact

The love of power and money in Congress is at the root of the problem in our American experiment of governance. The continuous flow of money from lobbyists to Congressional delegations and back again is a self-sustaining money pit that has ruined our political process in many respects. The flow of money between members of Congress further exacerbates the corruption problem.

Dispensing capital and capital distribution (legalized corruption through quid pro quo arrangements between Congress and lobbyists) have become the norm. Term limits would greatly curtail this phenomenon and help minimize the corrupt intentions and attract a new breed of public servants. This new breed would be more inclined to serve the people and do what is in the best interests of their state and country. Let us return to the concept of “We the People.”