Term limits would deal with the idiocy of having useless old bastards like Ted Kennedy, Robert Byrd and Thad Cochrane running the nation's affairs long after they've passed their expiration date. But the problem isn't just those jerks. It's a Federal bureaucracy that has turned into an entire self-perpetuating industry unto itself.
The biggest problem isn't an octogenarian in the U.S. Senate who can't even dress himself in the morning. The biggest problem is actually illustrated with a guy like Rick Santorum, who served two terms in the U.S. Senate, who was voted out of office even without any term limits ... and who probably hasn't worked a job in his life that didn't involve: (1) working at the expense of taxpayers, or (2) working for a lobbying firm or a "think tank" whose sole purpose is to soak taxpayers for one pet issue or another.
Implementing term limits would do nothing more than increase the speed of the revolving door for people like this. They'll spend less time in government, but they'll simply do more favors in that time before they walk out the door and land in a thoroughly unproductive, but personally lucrative, job doing favors for their benefactors.
You raise some very valid points. The issue of lobbyists and access to government is indeed a huge issue, probably larger than that of term limits.
But the lack of term limits is indeed a big part of the problem. What’s nice is that it is easily definable.
Lots of things need to be done, and they all weave together. We have to start unraveling Govco everywhere we can.