damd straight. twelve years and out in either house... have to sit out one term before running again
Posted on 01/14/2010 2:32:10 PM PST by wrrock
The Ohio Valley Tea Party has announced its’ formation as a political action committee in time for the upcoming election year. This will enable the group to raise money and support candidates for office. Although it’s still in the development stage, the potential of becoming a political party is there. To grow this grassroots movement into a party with its stated ideals of a government of limited size and power, fiscal responsibility, adherence to the Constitution, and answerable to the citizens of the United States, the Tea Party’s platform should finally embrace the seminal idea necessary to reform government to accomplish its’ goals, that of term limits.
The founding fathers never envisioned the establishment of a ruling class where positions of legislative power would become a career rather than a sacred sacrifice. This would have smacked too much of monarchy in opposition to the form of government that they envisioned: a government that would unshackle their chains and promote freedom and liberty necessary for a citizen to realize their individual destiny. They fought a revolution to create that change, to rest control of their lives from a disinterested, self-indulgent class. To serve as an elected spokesman for their fellow citizens was uppermost in their minds. They would not recognize our current legislative leaders who view service as another rung in their ladder to success, or a lifelong position.
(Excerpt) Read more at butasforme.com ...
Term limits for members of Congress or the Senate would require a constitutional amendment. The first order of business should be something more easily achievable.
The movement needs to stay focused on stopping big government, big spending, and socialism and not get side tracked into issues that can be dealt with later.
I do not support term limits at any level of government.
***Sarcam On**Term limits have worked really well in California***Sarcasm Off***
Problem is, you would have 100% inexperienced congressmen and senators, relying for everything on 'expert', entrenched, and completely unaccountable staff.
They would be at the mercy of staffers . . . and the staffers are overwhelmingly liberal.
No, thanks. If we can hold re-election over our congressmen's heads, we have more control over them than over hundreds of nameless, faceless paper-pushers.
Once you set term limits, the parties will come to "own" the seats, and groom corrupt douchebags to auction the seats off to.
Once seated, those who purchased the seats will vote exactly as commanded to by the party leadership, with promises of high paying public and corporate positions once their term of service to the party is complete.
We'll simply replace permanent hacks with a rotating series of hacks.
On top of all that, it's unconstitutional.
BUT, HOUSTON, WE STILL HAVE A PROBLEM!
What is to be done about the HILL RATS? These are the allegedly “professional” staffers who are so named because after the election their current boss loses, they scurry like rats to a new member – ANY MEMBER (his politics frequently don’t matter) – just to remain close to the power. Most are flaming liberals and, after the “experienced” staffer shows the new guy where the john is, because they have been up there for decades, far too many of these new members rely on them for how to vote and get along in the thoroughly corrupt system of “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” that has caused the mess in which we now find ourselves.
IT GETS WORSE!
Let’s say the new guy needs an “expert” on tax policy. Well, son-of-a-gun, the professional staffer JUST HAPPENS to have a college chum who works at the IRS! Need an “expert” on education policy. Darned if that secretary he just hired doesn’t just have an old teacher friend who works over at the Department of Education!
NOW YOU KNOW WHY THE MORE THINGS CHANGE, THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME – ESPECIALLY IN MALFUNCTION JUNCTION.
Looks like we will also need TENURE LIMITS on the Hill Rats with stiff penalties for breaking the rules!
I recently heard Gingrich tell Hannity that—horrors — the alleged Health Care Bill was almost certainly written at 3 am by 25 year-old liberal staffers, groggy on beer and pizza. Not sure why that was so shocking. HELL, that’s how nearly ALL the so-called legislation has been done up there for decades. It’s why there are two things one should never watch being made: SAUSAGE AND LAWS.
One of the KEY THINGS we all need to do BEFORE we get behind a new candidate to replace the 8 term retread who has sold us out nearly every term up there is to INSIST THAT HE DRAW HIS KEY STAFFERS FROM LOCAL FOLKS WHO MAY STILL HAVE A GRASP ON REALITY OUT HERE IN FLYOVER COUNTRY — THEN HOLD HIS FEET TO THE FIRE ON THAT PLEDGE — OR REPLACE HIM NEXT TIME!
Sadly, it’s the ONLY WAY THINGS WILL CHANGE UP THERE!!
Make these “public servants” both civilly and criminally responsible for their actions and you will find that “term limits” will take care of itself.
Deliberate disregard of our Constitution and the laws of this land, should be actionable... Simply voting the crooks out does little good because they are just replaced with more of the same.
Lady Justice is supposed to be blind....
Agreed, terms limits are a must.
Term limits are catchy sounding, but the political machines and the special interest groups will simply line up a row of approved candidates.
Limits will change almost nothing. Tea party should concentrate itself to hounding the repubs into following the constitution and stopping it’s war on regular America.
A term limited congress would only allow the guys behind the curtain to let you vote in a new face every few years. But always a face they approve of.
For God’s sake, why not?
See my post 6. I think we agree on this one.
damd straight. twelve years and out in either house... have to sit out one term before running again
Informed voters who care enough to us their brains instead of being robots.
We agree but we MUST insist that new members bring in NEW staff.
Maybe insist that all new folks bring on at least x number of new staffers.
It seems too early for some sort of "platform" beyond the general principles of small government, low taxes and cutting spending. The rest will work out in individual races.
But we won't get anywhere without truly conservative candidates and right now our supply is very small. No candidates means no future representation.
I also want to say this about term limits as a cure all. I’m concerned that our ‘elected representatives’ will just spend even more of their time - if it’s limited - feathering their nests.
Unless - and this could happen - once being elected to congress is no longer a career path, a better class of citizen would then be interested in running.
That works for me. And, yes, there IS a thing called institutional memory.
The illegals flooding this place are killing OURS.
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