Posted on 02/12/2013 8:51:43 AM PST by goodnesswins
“They would become the “brains” behind a politician who could never become as expert in their limited time.”
A politician doesn’t have to be an expert. Someone submits a bill, you either vote for it or against it. The only expertise a politician needs is to know how to read. Unless you are a democrat.
The only way to slow down the Leviathon is to take away its ability to spend, by connecting it to reality.
How do you do that? Eliminate the Federal Reserve. If we did not have the Fed printing money, we would have no $1.3 Trillion deficits, no one could even raise the issue of Obamacare, because paying for it would be impossible, we would not have "too big to fail," we would not have $16 Trillion in Gov't debt.
But long term staffers do. And when their current Congressman is term limited out, do they go looking for new work? No, they start soliciting incoming Congressmen. And because these staffers know how to operate in Washington, new Congressmen snatch them up to be on their staff.
These staffers set up the new Congressman in his apartment, his office, show him where to park, where to eat, even where the restrooms are. They counsel on committee assignments, lobby groups to get to know, lobby groups to avoid, journalists who are sympathetic to their views, journalists to avoid.
The new Congressman isn't “in charge” of anything but his votes in his first term. And often he is heavily advised on how to vote by senior members of his caucus. If those senior members (elected officials) are not there, who will advise him when he hasn't had time to read the bill completely, or he has read it, but doesn't understand some of the nuances?
His staff. His long time, unelected, been in Washington for thirty years members of his staff.
The noobies would be more likely to let the power behind the power call the shots because it is a confusing, complicated, stressful, intricate business and the first term Congressman is just trying to figure out the best route to the Capitol from his apartment for the first six months.
Give him six years and he starts knowing who to trust, how to get things done, and what he needs to pay attention to. But at that point, he is term limited and his professional staff will be there to “help” his successor learn the ropes all over again.
Ethics violations: Ethics investigations are carried out under the supervision of citizens having no financial or political links to the suspect. No one is eligible for elective or appointed office who is found to be in arrears on taxes, has been found guilty of any felony, to have surrendered or been denied a license to practice their profession (excluding both Clinton's and both Obama’s), or who is unable to prove they are a U.S. citizen. Any candidate for elective or appointed office must undergo and pass a security screen (eliminating a substantial number of Obama’s appointees, especially Homeland security forces). Again, hard to write fairly, and hard to enforce, but we really need some protection from the crooks in office! I know, good luck passing these, much less enforcing them.
HA, Next you will want to decide how much they get paid.
Technically we have a say when voting, but I am a realist living in a uber-liberal state so I know I have no say.
I’d go even further and split the electoral votes of a state by county, to then take away the big-city control of the electoral votes of a given state.
You’re right in a general sense but i can tell you it hurts me every time i see the whole ruling class garner just a little more power.
thanks for the ping, interesting thread...but I am an Australian and don’t feel qualified to comment. Politics as a whole, anywhere, just doesn’t attract the most desirable candidates, does it?
Those whom we wish would represent us, are usually engaged in something more meaningful, like plumbing.
I don't believe our founding fathers ever envisioned that federally elected politicians would ever make a lifetime career out of politics......
And I site the now senile John Dingell as a classic example........over 50 F'n years in office AFTER replacing his father. Add to this his old lady being a high paid lobbyist for the UAW.............
Bad move, you’re essentially transferring even more power to the Executive. How about term limits for the entire government? Say, six years to work for government.
The people whose terms would be limited (though possibly they could grandfather themselves out and let the term limits apply to their successors).
Do you really see that happening?
If it didn't happen after the 1994 and the massive shift in Congress it probably won't ever happen.
Would I support it?
I don't know. I have a lot of that old high school civics respect for Congressional traditions, the history, the grand old men (and women by now, too).
Though heaven knows they haven't done much to deserve it lately ...
Oh, I Agree TOTALLY with what you say, (limits of gov’t) unfortunately we have to deal with the reality...my point is 70+% of the public agrees on term limits...and, it may be our ONLY way to start getting some control. As for the bureaucrats, as others have mentioned then having more control....I am not sure that would be true. With new blood, we’d have new bureaucrats...supposedly...
Not a snowball’s chance in Hades. Yes, I would.
I agree
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