Should Congress Have Term Limits?

2015-10-23T09:38:38-04:00

The Presidential position has a two term limit. Would it be helpful if members of Congress also had a two term limit? We see a large number of politicians making politics their careers. I wonder who they are serving when it is necessary for them to raise money repeatedly, election after election. Our members of Congress who have been reelected repeatedly into the same or higher positions mover further away from serving the interests of the people and closer to the interest of serving big money. I wonder if current gridlocks could be explained by the interests of large contributors and if the arguments we're seeing one party against the other can be compared to the analogy of big business competition say for example Verizon v. Sprint. Is this too simple of an analogy?

http://wichitaliberty.org/politics/arguments-term-limits/

Arguments for and against term limits

The arguments in favor of term limits are presented, along with rebuttals to common objections to term limits.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 23 at 2015 9:40 AM

2015-10-23T09:40:50-04:00

Yes, please don't vote for the incumbent. :-))

Response by SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL made Oct 23 at 2015 9:42 AM

2015-10-23T09:42:47-04:00

CPT Private RallyPoint Member I think Congress should have two term limits, to be transparent across the government.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 23 at 2015 9:44 AM

2015-10-23T09:44:28-04:00

If term limits are good enough for the goose then limits are good enough for the gander.

Response by SSG Audwin Scott made Oct 23 at 2015 9:47 AM

2015-10-23T09:47:53-04:00

Yes Cpt C, I think they should, you get some old traditionalist in office that refuse change and sometimes we know change is good.

Response by PO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 23 at 2015 9:48 AM

2015-10-23T09:48:49-04:00

no .... they already have term limit .... the election day.

Term limit can't solve low info voter. instead it limited the choice for the voter. Stupid voter vote for crazy senator. So term limit will only make more crazy senators, not solving problem. The crazy senator will be come crazier on their second term too, and that is not going to be good for the voters "stupid or not".

Response by 1LT Aaron Barr made Oct 23 at 2015 9:52 AM

2015-10-23T09:52:02-04:00

Much as I hate to admit it, as one Congressman remarked, Congress DOES have term limits; they're called elections.

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Oct 23 at 2015 9:53 AM

2015-10-23T09:53:59-04:00

I wish that all the energy being expended on gun control were shifted to government control and that term limits would be a good place to begin. Maybe we should mount a campaign. Let's assault them with a gale of laughter which, as Mark Twain espoused, would bring down any enemy. Think of all your favorite "lawyer jokes" and substitute "incumbent". For example...

What do you call a busload of incumbents trapped in a bus that's gone off the road and sunk in the ocean?

A good beginning.

Response by 1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 23 at 2015 10:05 AM

2015-10-23T10:05:17-04:00

I would absolutely support term limits for all state and federal congressman.

Response by MAJ David Wallace made Oct 23 at 2015 10:05 AM

2015-10-23T10:05:24-04:00

We have already seen how career politicians-criminals destroy our country and build their own empires within "the system." Look at the political hacks such as Boehner, Reid, Pelosi, McCain, McConnell and Graham......years in the system crafting rules, regulations, and beaurocrat red tape to impede the "work of We the People." Our government is killing American Exceptionalism. We have people in the Capitol city that love leading the life of the aristocracy, feeding on the fraud, waste, and abuse that many of these lifelong parasites have worked their entire lives to create..... Vote the bums out!!!!!

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 23 at 2015 10:23 AM

2015-10-23T10:23:36-04:00

I think it should be 4 terms for House and 2 terms for Senate. Incumbents have such an advantage in terms of fundraising and organization that "election day" is not a functional term limit.

Response by SGT Francis Wright made Oct 23 at 2015 10:33 AM

2015-10-23T10:33:22-04:00

Yes, if only there would be people willing to run against an incumbent.

Response by SSgt Terry P. made Oct 23 at 2015 10:50 AM

2015-10-23T10:50:16-04:00

CPT Private RallyPoint Member All elected officials should have term limits.There are too many politicians that are just that (politicians) if they were limited to 2 maybe 3 terms,maybe there would be some benefit for the citizens instead of just advancing there own personal fortunes.

Response by SSG Michael Hartsfield made Oct 23 at 2015 10:59 AM

2015-10-23T10:59:35-04:00

Yes and no. Term limits should be imposed but more often than not, we would constantly be reinventing the wheel. I would more be in favor of instituting an effectiveness rating system to cut away the "deadwood" as SMA Chandler would have put it.

Response by LTC Kevin B. made Oct 23 at 2015 11:00 AM

2015-10-23T11:00:49-04:00

I'm perfectly fine with term limits. One of our country's biggest problems is entrenched, career politicians who cater to special interests.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Oct 23 at 2015 12:21 PM

2015-10-23T12:21:12-04:00

30 years of Elected/Appointed Federal Service (combined), and that includes SCOTUS.

Response by PO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 23 at 2015 12:36 PM

2015-10-23T12:36:20-04:00

CPT Private RallyPoint Member I can see this also backfiring, should a good Congressman/woman be pushed out because of term limits? What happens when there is no one else who wants to run or the competition is a worse choice but now they are the only pick? If the people want them removed then they need to stop reelecting the same ones over and over. The ultimate control is in the people's hands but nothing will change because our society is too busy complaining about change instead of making it happen. Actions speak louder than words. It is our actions that define us.

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 23 at 2015 12:48 PM

2015-10-23T12:48:18-04:00

Yes. Twelve years, tops.

Response by SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 23 at 2015 12:50 PM

2015-10-23T12:50:33-04:00

Yes, Yes and Yes.

Some people like to say, that all a person has to do is vote out their incumbent if that is what they want. The problem with that, is that the incumbents rarely have a competitor from the same party running against them, because they know the incumbent has the name and fame to win. Which leads to a situation where say, as a conservative, you don't like your conservative senator, but your only other choice is a far-left liberal. Power corrupts, and the longer they're in, the worse it gets. Plus, if they weren't so focused on winning the next election, perhaps they would actually care about getting something accomplished.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 23 at 2015 1:43 PM

2015-10-23T13:43:19-04:00

I'm all for term limits at every level of State/National government office. Question is - what's a "fair" limit? Every time this topic gets proposed or mentioned in Congress - it get's thrown out quicker than it was brought up.

Response by SFC Dave Wynn made Oct 23 at 2015 2:50 PM

2015-10-23T14:50:56-04:00

Yes there should be term limits. How many time have we seen members vote along their party lines knowing darn well they no it's not right. But as soon as they announce their retirement their tune changes. Maybe with term limits we can get the clowns to vote what is right for the people and not themselves.

Response by SSG Jeff Binkiewicz made Oct 23 at 2015 9:31 PM

2015-10-23T21:31:23-04:00

Yes. They need to clean house every once and awhile.

Response by SSgt Alex Robinson made Oct 24 at 2015 5:08 AM

2015-10-24T05:08:56-04:00

They do have term limits it's called the voters of their constituency the sad part is too many people don't vote

Response by MCPO Roger Collins made Oct 24 at 2015 11:43 AM

2015-10-24T11:43:07-04:00

YES!

Response by PO1 John Miller made Oct 24 at 2015 4:57 PM

2015-10-24T16:57:51-04:00

I have been saying this for a while. I used to think "No, because it takes a while to learn what your constituents really want, so they need to be in office longer."

Now I've realized that the longer they serve the more disconnected they become and start working for Big Money rather than the people who put them in office.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Jun 22 at 2017 7:35 PM

2017-06-22T19:35:24-04:00

Two terms for a senator is 12 years while 2 terms for a Congressman is 4 years. I would have preferred an Other option - I would think that two terms per US Senator in sequence is reasonable as is say 5 terms fro a Congressman or woman.
Unlike the Presidency I think it is reasonable that after a Senator sat out for 6 years and a congressman sat out for say 4 years they could run for national office again SGT Private RallyPoint Member

Response by SGT James Colwell made Jun 23 at 2017 12:31 PM

2017-06-23T12:31:01-04:00

I think you are on to something here. I have thought for years that we are not electing representatives. We are electing fundraisers. What I believe needs to happen and never will is that during an election cycle, there needs to be a pool where all donations go, and the money is split evenly among declared candidates, so we can see how effective they all are at presenting themselves and their positions when the playing field is equal. This would require a MAJOR change in election law and fundraising oversight. It would also require a certain level of integrity among candidates, their staffs, and contributors. When that plan does not come about, I believe term limits are the only way to get rid of professional politicians. I think 12 years of combined federal elected office is plenty. So if a person runs for the House and wins, serves one term, and then serves in the senate for one term, and then runs for President and wins, he/she could only serve as POTUS for one four year term. I would not count time served at the state level. The framers of the Constitution had it right, but it was intended to be a temporary service to the country. They either did not foresee the need or did not find it necessary to limit government elected service, to prevent what we have now.