Posted on 08/27/2009 6:27:24 AM PDT by cartervt2k
I'm really sick of these politicians gaming the system and exerting a lifetime of influence over us. Ted Kennedy was the poster-boy for nepotism and beltway corruption. If you can't do what you need to do in 2-3 terms, it's time for you to go. Let's force them to get real jobs and live under some of the policies they legislate. Perhaps it will refresh their perspective on how average Americans live.
Sue Myrick is my rep and I hope she stays.
AFFIRMATIVE!!!!!!!!!!
Dream on, term limits? Who in Congress would present a bill that kills their golden goose?
Good luck. The same bastards who treat it like a lifetime appointment are the ones that have to approve their loss of income.
That's why this is an issue that must be pressed. Fire every politician across the board that doesn't support this. If it is something the people want but every politician unilaterally opposes, it must be a good thing.
Hell freakin YES!!!!
Repeal the 17th Amendment and careerists will largely be washed out of the Senate.
And if that wasn't enough, Kit Bond is retiring after this term and is not voting with reelection in mind at all. Certainly not the way the party votes, either. He's been a massive disappointment all year.
Term limits sound great, but if this trend of last term voting is seen in more places, it won't happen.
Lets go back to the way it was originally intended to be.
You served your country, then you returned home. I think our founding fathers would be disappointed that politics had become a career.
Exactly; it would be like trying to go to the major league baseball players’ union and trying to propose a salary cap.
A couple pols—Marty Meehan of Mass. comes to mind—ran on a term limits promise and broke it. Meehan said he’d server no more than 4 two-year terms, IIRC, but then went back on it saying he was needed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marty_Meehan
>>Term limits
>>Meehan successfully ran for the House in 1992 on a platform of reform, including a commitment to pushing through term limits for members of the House. As part of that platform, Meehan made a pledge not to serve more than four terms. On the House floor in 1995 he scolded members who might go back on their promise to limit their tenure in office. “The best test of any politicians’ credibility on term limits,” he said, “is whether they are willing to put their careers where their mouths are and limit their own service.” Despite his pledge, Meehan again ran for Congress in the year 2000, exceeding four terms
(Meehan ultimately served till 2007, resigning to take the position of chancellor of UMass Lowell)
I will add here that while the Senate does not impose term limits, the death of Ted proves that God does.
There are other Sue Myrick’s out there give them a chance.
DC pols won’t support any limit on their power, influence, or money; it’s simply not gonna happen. Term limits is (was?) built into the Constitution, by allowing voters to elect new faces, but because of pork as well as total ignorance on the part of those voters, for the most part it won’t happen.
IMHO career reps and senators are the second worst thing that can happen to a Constitutional Republic, voter ignorance and apathy being the absolute worst. Witness the “conservatives” who sat out the 2008 presidential election and ultimately helped usher a socialist president into the white house and a socialist majority of dimlibs into congress.
2008 was the epitome of the choice between the lesser of two evils, that of the dedicated Marxist Obonzo and the ultimate RINO McCain. I voted not so much for the latter as against the former.
There’s a lot of talk about the 2010 and 2012 elections, but I fear that our having elected Hugo Chavez, Jr. means that if we ever have elections again, ACORN and other brownshirt groups will determine who wins, and with a democRat majority along with the president’s “Tammany Hall” outlaws staffing the cabinet and the white house, there’ll be no effort to constrain election fraud.
Please ... someone prove me wrong.
I see your point, but I don’t think the threat of losing your seat is enough to keep most politicians in check. To wit, I present the US Senate & House as exhibits A & B of this.
The more time you spend in Washington, the greater your chances of becoming one of the corrupt politicians you railed against while campaigning. Look at Barack Obama (exhibit C) - did he wait until his second and final term to put his corruption on display?
Term limits remove my ability/right to vote for the candidate of my choice and, thus, restrict freedom.
TERM LIMITS!!!
I just think that the rush to term limits hasn't been thought out well. It's worth a serious discussion weighing pros and cons and experiences in states where term limits have been in effect.
So then what safety net is left to your “term limits” when you have Acorn, Black Panthers and the ilk rigging elections while the DOJ looks the other way?
Term limits do not prevent election fraud. They are unrelated issues.
AND TORT REFORM
in MA 98 per cent of office holders are Dems. Maybe there’s hope for a comeback but the GOP is hardly breathing. How do you vote when the Dem candidate is...unopposed?
Hopefully it will change though. The Dem gov is really behind in the polls and voters may actually wake up and elect a Republican.
I like to point out to any friends I have who are libs,
“I support change (in Mass.)! I support new blood! Had enough?
Vote Republican! CHANGE!”
No provision for term limits is the one great mistake made by the founders. Of course they believed that the people would rise up and overthrow a corrupt, tyrannical government. The right of the people to keep and bear arms was made quite clear just for that purpose. If Hussein-the-front-man keeps going, it’s very possible that the founders will get their “wish!”
Term limits in Massachusetts will only mean replacing one Dem with another.
And that's because the majority of voters in your state prefer the Dems over any other party.
That's how representational democracy works & is supposed to work even if, many times, we don't like the outcome.
Sadly true though around 1990 there was a slight revolution, though in some ways the office holders were seen as RINOs. Bill Weld became governor. There were two (maybe more) US Congress seats for Republicans—Peter Blute in Worc. area and Peter Torkildsen on North Shore, IIRC. Treasurer, Joe Malone.
And many more Republicans in state Senate and state house than we have now.
RINOs though they were, MA actually had 16 yrs in a row of GOP governors (and MANY years ago believe it or not the GOP was the dominant party!). Bill Weld (left in unsuccessful attempt to become amb. to Mexico), Paul Cellucci (left to become Amb. to Canada), Jane Swift (a train wreck who never was elected in her own right and resigned due to very low poll numbers) and Mitt Romney (left after only one term to
seek Presidency.)
From early 1991 through early 2007, there was a Republican
(yeah, in name only) in the Corner office. Then Deval Patrick became the first Dem to be gov since Mike Dukakis
left in early 91. He now is getting poll numbers to
rival Jane Swift.
If by this you mean that you lose the right to vote for the one person that has been term limited, I suppose you are technically right. But there are many capable folks out there, undoubtedly some are better anyway.
give senators 2 terms and reps 4 terms. that is enough time to ‘make a difference’.
When I hear the name mentioned of pretty much any senator or rep that has been around for a while, dem or repub, the impression that comes to mind is “imbedded, special interest, party hack”. Its like tenure for teachers, and look at our educational system.
Power corrupts is a cliche, but our political system has proven that it is a cliche that rings too true.
The ancient Roman senate had a similar problem. It was pretty screwed up in later years, and they ended up in the toilet.
>>there was a Republican
(yeah, in name only) in the Corner office.
though reform was attempted and sometimes came through. For a time, Weld waived renewal fees at the MA registry of motor vehicles (”this registration will renew at no cost if in good standing”) and I think Weld and Romney attempted to take down Mass Pike tolls (not easy given power of turnpike authority)
i vote yes
Yes please. And by the way I dread the thought of the upcoming epic funeral / commie propaganda fest.
It's harder to use your power and influence to rig an election if the law says you're out.
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