Term limits, which essentially is the concept of placing limits on the time holders of political office are allowed to serve, is not a new idea. The philosophy of cycling individuals in and out of public office can be found as far back as the fourth century B.C. Aristotle, Greek philosopher and tutor of Alexander the Great, expressed his view on the subject when he wrote; “. . . that a man should not hold the same office twice, or not often, or in the case of few except military offices; that the tenure of all offices, or of as many as possible, should be brief . . .” (qtd. in Lopez 4). This indicates Aristotle believed term limits, absent from the current political process, were beneficial. Implementing term limits, rather than allowing unlimited tenure, could be an effective step to improving the legislative process; an end result most citizens should prefer. Introduction of fresh insight and visionary solutions to national issues into the political arena is an important aspect to the success of American democracy. While there are those who advocate term limits are not a necessary component, the fact remains improvement in the governing process should be a continuing national objective. According to Edward J. Lopez, Professor of Economics at Western Carolina University, preference for term limits is a view held by many of nation’s framers. Notables such as James Madison and George Mason actually included term limits in personally authored political documents; Madison in his Virginia Plan and Mason in the Virginia Declaration of Rights (Lopez 5). One view of those opposing term limits is that limits weaken the legislative branch’s position as a co-equal partner in government. Representative Michael V. Saxl, Speaker of the 95th M... ... middle of paper ... ...m limit legislation. His article provides a unique perspective from a state’s executive office, on how term limits were beneficial to the legislative process and citizens of Arkansas. Saxl, Michael V. "Term Limits and Diminished Returns." Spectrum: Journal of State Government 74.4 (2001): 1. Business Source Complete. Web. 22 Dec. 2013. Speaker Saxl served a full tenure of four terms in the Maine House of Representatives. First elected in 1995, he became Majority Leader in his third term and Speaker of the House in his fourth. Speaker Saxl has first-hand experience with the effects of term limits. Like Representative Adair from Oklahoma, Speaker Saxl’s position is one not in favor of term limit provisions. His experience with the effects of term limits being both beneficial and, in his view detrimental, adds an interesting perspective as a source for this essay.
Throughout the second chapter Levin states that there is a very small turnover in Congress and each time that election time comes into play, most of the same people are elected for position (Levin 19-32). He believes that while term limits are not enough to balance the power of the governing systems it is a step in the right direction and are necessary and a critical building block (Levin 22). In his next chapter Levin proposes an amendment that is to restore the Senate (Levin 33). This amendment would repeal the seventeenth amendment and make it to where all Senators are chosen by their state legislatures as prescribed by Article I (Levin 33). Prior to the seventeenth amendment the Senate had been chosen by legislators of each state (Levin 34). Throughout the chapter he goes on to talk about how the Framers of our nation intended the Senate to be chosen and also how we have branched away from that. He discusses several different people’s opinions on how it should be ran and also how it should be managed. He states that John Dickinson made a notion that the Senate should be chosen by the state legislatures (Levin
Running for a position of power is a tough thing to do. There are many things to worry about: your image, your policies, and, especially, your voters. While running for Congress is not as stressful as running for president, it has it own set of obstacles: making a “home style,” representing the people well, and making useful public policy. Listening to the words of Richard Fenno, John Ellwood, and Eric Patashnik can make doing these things a whole lot easier.
In fact, most new Senators would have relied on the opinions of the older and more experienced Senators to help them make their voting decisions. This was e...
Larry Sabato author of “A More Perfect Constitution” implies the United States Constitution could use some revision. Written over two hundred years ago, I do not think this concept is astonishing. I believe the founding father were aware of potential flaws, allowing for amendments or changes. Sabato book proposes some changes and the “calling for a twenty-first-century constitutional convention.” This book review will look at four of Sabato suggestions; reforming the Senate, balancing the budget, a six-year presidential term, and the Electoral College. These four recommendations were of greatest interest and intrigue. Although I do agree with all his ideas, I do feel there is more to improvement in our constitution and commend his efforts is awakening the American people to a need for reform.
Davidson, Roger H., Walter J. Oleszek, and Frances E. Lee. Congress and Its Members. Washington, D.C.: CQ, 2009. Print.
In this essay I will explore whether or not members of congress are still doing their job or just trying to keep their good reputation with their constituents for re-election time. The question of whether or not members of congress are doing their job effectively has been a great topic of controversy. Being a member of congress has turned into a long term struggle of constantly working towards reelection and trying to balance keeping their districts happy and still being a part of major legislature. Is there a way for members of congress to keep their district happy and still manage the bigger issues they are expected to deal with? Most Americans will complain that they are not happy and that their representatives are not doing their job in
Light, Paul C., and Christine L. Nemacheck. "Chapter 7 Congress." Government by the People, Brief 2012 Election Edition, Books a La Carte New Mypoliscilab With Etext Access Card Package. By David B. Magleby. 2012 Election Edition ed. N.p.: Pearson College Div, 2013. N. pag. Print.
"Elections, especially of representatives and counselors, should be annual, there not being in the whole circle of the sciences a maxim more infallible than this, 'where annual elections end, there slavery begins.' These great men . . . should be [chosen] once a year — Like bubbles on the sea of matter bourn, they rise, they break, and to the sea return. This will teach them the great political virtues of humility, patience, and moderation, without which every man in power becomes a ravenous beast of prey." —John Adams
Mike Lee, The Forth Worth Star-Telegram. Texas Governor should have term limit. Fort Worth, 01 September 2010.
Term limits could increase the quality of the Supreme Court nominees. One of the driving factors behind a Supreme Court nominee is their age (Ringhand np). Individuals over 60 years of age are less likely to be appointed. This means presidents intentionally exclude a large number of highly qualified individuals from serving on our nation’s highest court (Ringhand np). Term limits resolve this problem. Furthermore, the threat of a justice’s cognitive decline may be reduced, since there would no longer be a temptation to hold out for a strategically timed retirement.
Though, it would be refreshing to elect an official who remained focused on the best interest of their constituent, the reality is, special interest groups hold the purse. We must set term limits to prevent corruption and give the new comer on the block a fighting
One important reason Americans want to limit terms of their elected representatives is because they are likely to blame what they observe as professional and almost permanent ruling elect of career politicians for a majority of the country’s ill. Supporters of term limits claim the advantages of incumbency are so overpowering that they instead decrease representative democracy and diminish the effectiveness of the government. “Since 1950, about 90% of all incumbents in the House have won the reelection. The 10% who do not return includes both retiring members and those defeated in reelection attempts.” (Term Limits) “Proponents term limits argue that elected officials in Washington eventually become estrang...
This past summer, when I lived and worked in Washington, DC—first as a U.S. Senate Page and then as a Congressional Intern—I gained invaluable experience and insight to the American political system. It is amazing how much one can learn from simply overhearing the conversations of Members of Congress on a daily basis. Working on the floor of the Senate and then in the back rooms of a Congressional office were two entirely different experiences, each teaching me in a distinctive way about how our political system functions. While I most definitely became aware of how bureaucratic and slow our democratic system can be, I also discovered that with a commitment to unity and prosperity for the common good, great feats are attainable through government.
The 22nd Amendment creates a lame duck and which stops abuse of power3. Presidents in their second term have been seen to usually suffer diminished power, particularly after the second midterm elections. This diminish of power creates a lame duck. The president becoming a lame duck, stops him from being able abuse of power. The 22nd Amendment also stops the country from being a monarchy. US. Senators and Congressmen don’t have term limits because their voices are balanced by opposing parties in their chambers, the presidency is different. The president has no similar
Congressional terms have no limits. Controversy exists between those who think the terms should be limited and those who believe that terms should remain unlimited. The group that wants to limit the terms argues that the change will promote fresh ideas and reduce the possibility of decisions being made for self-interest. Those who oppose term limits believe that we would sacrifice both the stability and experience held by veteran politicians. They also point out that our election process allows the voter to limit terms, at their discretion. While experience and stability are important considerations, congressional terms should be limited to a maximum of two.