Use term limits for real political change

 

Politicians are like diapers, they both need to be changed often and for the same reason!

That’s an old joke but fitting.

I’ve always been a strong proponent of term limits, especially for state and federal offices. Local offices, not so much. The problem with incumbency is it becomes entrenched and corrupt. The longer it goes the worse it gets. The ability to wield wealth and power overwhelms those whose purpose is to serve. Having term limits essentially eliminates career politicians, or at least forces them to move to different offices assuming that’s what the electorate wants them to do.

Just look at Congress where “leaders” have been holding office 30 or 40 years or more. If you study their actions closely, you will see they are more interested in backing their party line and lining their pockets than they are serving the people they supposedly represent. Even decent, well-intentioned people succumb to the trappings of office.

As an example, let’s look at Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. In 2023 he withheld funding for teacher raises unless the Legislature passed a school voucher bill. It didn’t happen, even after four special sessions dedicated to just that one topic. Last year Abbott aggressively campaigned against Republican incumbents who opposed vouchers and won most of those elections. This year, he got vouchers passed and approved teacher raises.

Some might call that good politics and strong leadership. I don’t. It’s an abuse of power to force a personal agenda. In that regard, he’s not listening to the people. He’s serving his own purpose. All that being said, I do like Abbott and I think he has been a good, strong governor for the state. If there were term limits in place, however, he never would have been in a position to play politics with the livelihoods of educators.

On the national level, term limits would have long ago pushed people out of office such as Senators Chuck Grassley, Ed Markey, Ron Wyden, Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin, and Mitch McConnell and Representatives Hal Rogers, Chris Smith, Steny Hoyer and Marcy Kaptur. All of them have more than 40 years in Washington and are more at home in the swamp than an alligator.

I’ve lived in Texas for 20 years. John Cornyn had been in the Senate three years prior to my arrival. Don’t you think that’s long enough?

Sen. Ted Cruz supported term limits. He introduced an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would limit members of the Senate to two six-year terms and members of the House to three two-year terms.

On his campaign page he says, “Term limits are critical to fixing what’s wrong with Washington, D.C. The Founding Fathers envisioned a government of citizen legislators who would serve for a few years and return home, not a government run by a small group of special interests and lifelong, permanently entrenched politicians who prey upon the brokenness of Washington to govern in a manner that is totally unaccountable to the American people. Term limits bring about long-overdue accountability. I urge my colleagues to advance this amendment to the states so that it may be quickly ratified and become a constitutional amendment.”

Yet he is in his third six-year term.

Another benefit to term limits is it reduces the power of lobbyists and political action committees. I’ve read that 97% of corporate PAC money goes to the incumbents. Term limits will break the hold PACs have on members of Congress and reduce the amount of money funneled to incumbents.

I understand the argument that terms can be limited by voters at the ballot box. That doesn’t happen very often when new challengers are forced to go up against well-funded and entrenched incumbents with huge war chests.

I mentioned earlier that I don’t strongly favor term limits at the local level. Let me clarify that. I don’t think you should limit terms for offices that require special training or degrees such as law enforcement, district attorneys, coroners, etc. It also doesn’t make sense to limit terms in small communities where it is difficult to find qualified and willing candidates.

One other related thing to term limits is redistricting. Incumbents draw political lines to favor themselves and their party. Some lines are drawn for racial reasons. I think the one and only consideration for political districts should be population. Forget political parties, race, and any other dividing factor.

Create districts that keep communities together. Don’t make districts that look like a Rorschach test or a spilled plate of spaghetti. Gerrymandered districts divide the attention of the representative and often alienate a large portion of the population. That is not how a representative government is supposed to work.

So, let’s put on our term-limit diapers and throw the bums out.