Are there any logical arguments against term limits for Congress (politicians, elections)
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It's not, but terms limits address the wrong problem. It doesn't work because of problems with the electorate and terms limits don't change that, they just make the same electorate pick more losers and you eventually get further toward the bottom of the barrel.
Because they typically remain in place (or somewhat) and the new person comes in without the knowledge of how things work. The newbie tends to lean on those that have been more of a constant. The other possibility is that all the staff gets replaced each term and spend time figuring out the job so they come in as ineffective, then govern for a while, then reach what would be some lame duck period where everyone knows they're on the way out soon.
It's not, but terms limits address the wrong problem. It doesn't work because of problems with the electorate and terms limits don't change that, they just make the same electorate pick more losers and you eventually get further toward the bottom of the barrel.
We are already at the bottom of the barrel. And if they didn't have to spend all their time running for reelection, maybe they wouldn't get in bed with their cronies in business.
Term limits wouldn't matter if these rules were to apply.
1) Lower their pay to 10k per year.
2) Allow no more than 100k max to be spent on campaigns.
3) No PAC's.
4) no lobbyist allowed to approach any elected official.
5) Require them to actually live (permanent and only residence) in their districts/states.
6) no perks. No retirement, health care, and paid for junkets.
That would force elected officials to return to their districts to stay in front of the people who elect them. The job then would only become attractive to folks who really want to make a difference, and truly represent their districts wishes. All voting could be done via a secure VPN via the internet.
This would end the Corporatism of government. But the crooks and liars would never agree to this. Hence we need a 'reset'.
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And that's a good thing because "the way things work" is part of the problem. It's what preserves Crony Capitalism.
While you have a point, we don't always need to do things the way they have always been done, at the same time being a Representative or a Senator is a job. And like any job, there has to be a structure that allows people to be effective, to get things done.
Someone who's never served in Congress before has to learn the job. Just like someone newly hired at McDonald's has to learn the job. If every week the local McDonald's had an entire new crew, they'd be hard put to actually serve food to the public. So, they figure out how to fire up the grill, how to get the fryers going, how to hook up the CO2 lines for pop, how to work the cash registers, how to work the drive-thru, where the cleaning supplies are, but all these things take time, and by time they figure these things out, the customers have all given up, and the new employees still haven't figured out all the regulations that have to be met to stay open, the OSHA requirements, the Health Department requirements, they haven't figured out how to do payroll, how to do the bank deposit, how to order supplies, etc.
Congress is a job. It's job is to pass laws for the nation. How do you know what laws need to be drafted? How do you draft a law? How do you form committees to review prospective legislation? How do you give the President advice? How do you conduct a hearing? What's the process that a bill must go through? How do you schedule a debate on the floor? Who moderates the debate? Who moderates hearings? How do you launch an investigation of executive branch activities? Is there a process for determining if a proposed law is Constitutional? Who researches proposals for legislation, what the actual problem is, who is affected, what impact a law will have? If you're a Representative from New York City, how do you find out about fracking in South Dakota, and it's impact on the economy, it's impact on the environment, it's long-term and short-term effects, how the people in South Dakota feel about it.
New people have to learn how to do their jobs, and do those jobs effectively. While we may all be less than satisfied with the job our current Congress has been doing, we also need to realize that the media focus is on the controversies and disconnects in Congress. But Congress hasn't just twiddled its thumbs. The 112th Congress originated, debated, and passed hundreds of laws. The current Congress has worked on several bills that have become law, with many more in the works. From finance to baseball to fishing to drug-testing.
We are already at the bottom of the barrel. And if they didn't have to spend all their time running for reelection, maybe they wouldn't get in bed with their cronies in business.
If you think we're at the bottom now, rule out these people and have the same electorate vote again - and again and again.
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