Does anyone doubt that we desperately need term limits for our US congressmen/women and senators? As a nation we do not need a governing class, which is what we have with representatives continually re-elected for decades. Incumbents have many advantages when up for election and generally win. Barring a scandal, bad health or some other interruption, they will run for re-election indefinitely. They will never admit it but getting re-elected and preserving their power and perks are more important than the country they “serve.” Most are good men or at least were when initially elected. Being only human, they cannot avoid being seduced by the power and privilege they have.
Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) resigned yesterday over allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior. He was Congress’s longest-serving member, representing the Detroit area for 52 years. The 88-year-old congressman denied any wrongdoing and for purposes of this article, it doesn’t matter. 52 years as a congressman! Does your common sense tell you that’s way too long? I don’t care how great the person is, the nation needs more frequent turnover in its elected officials. If there weren’t entrenched politicians, maybe the political bickering would decline, party politics wouldn’t be all important and Congress would actually do what was best for the nation.
The only solution is to boot them out on a regular basis, bring in fresh ideas and new, enthusiastic public servants who know they can’t entrench themselves at the public trough. How about a 10 year limit for a congressman and 12 years for a senator? Any limit would be an improvement, but those limits seems reasonable. The public needs to demand term limits and only elect candidates who promise to impose term limits. No one can seriously expect the entrenched politicians to voluntarily relinquish their positions without external pressure.
On another note, Congressman Conyers endorsed his son John Conyers III to replace him. In NY since January 1, 2011 we have Governor Andrew Cuomo. His father, Mario Cuomo, was governor for three terms from 1983 to 1995. Hummm . . . 52 years of the Conyers dynasty and 20 years of Cuomo control, yet they believe more is reasonable. Does anyone believe political nepotism is good for the country?