All Wisconsin Republican challengers support term limits

The number of candidates for Congress who pledge to serve no more than a certain number of years in office is very high. The number of elected officials who uphold those pledges is very low. Hopefully there's a grad student out there researching the promise-keeping percentage.

Just look at Republicans challenging incumbent Democrats in Wisconsin (link to list of candidates and their sites). All three declared Senate candidates support restricting terms of office to 12 years. Although only one of them –– Leinenkugel –– explicitly promises not to stick around for more than 12 years himself, the implication is pretty clear. Continue reading at The Daily Page

LETTER: Term limits needed for federal legislators

Franklin D. Roosevelt served from 1933 to 1945, nearly four terms in office as president of the United States. It was on Feb. 27, 1951, that the 22nd Amendment was passed limiting the presidency to two terms of office. It is my opinion that an amendment is in order to limit the terms of office for our senators and members of the House — that they also be limited to two terms in office.

There is too much power given to our senators and congressman, and they become the tools of lobbyists and lose true contact with the people who vote them into office. Once in office, it is nearly impossible to vote an incumbent out of office. They build huge war chests for the next election. Continue reading at the Courier Life News website

Term limits

I have been dismayed with the performance of the U.S. House and Senate for some time, as have the majority of American citizens. I keep hoping they will put partisanship aside, listen to the people who elected them rather than the lobbyists and do what is best for this country and its people.

The senators and representatives have voted themselves lucrative medical and retirement plans, collected huge sums from individuals and corporations for their campaign funds and, after a short time in Washington, seem more focused on partisanship and the next election rather than the peoples' business.Continue reading at the Great Falls Tribune website

Boston City Charter reform is overdue

Boston’s City Charter needs an overhaul. Except for the switch from an elected to an appointed school committee in the 1990s, little has changed for 60 years. A few ambitious city councilors interested in mayoral term limits have begun a more comprehensive look at the Charter; and many neighborhood residents have been calling for reforms as well.

The first meeting of a new Council committee on Charter reform was held on April 12. Present were Councilors John Tobin, chair, Michael Ross, Council president, Maureen Feeney, Bill Linehan, Mark Ciommo, and among the observers, Sam Tyler of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau. This preliminary discussion was about the reform process (Commission? Legislation? Referendum? Public outreach?) and scope.Continue Reading at South End News

Enact bonded term limits

As the mid-term elections approach, there is growing talk of one of the oldest and most bipartisan issues in the country; Congressional term limits. There is little doubt that our current unlimited system encourages incumbency, and that it distributes undue power to career politicians. And in order to be competitive, even well-meaning legislators find themselves forced to make questionable compromises, not with those on the other side of the aisle, but rather with their own parties and the powerful interests that provide critical support for their re-elections. Term limits seek to break up that power structure and fundamentally change government itself.

Unfortunately, imposing term limits requires an amendment to the Constitution. And since that requires the support of two thirds of Congress, it is an unlikely prospect at best. Voters need to know that it will take much more than campaign promises to make it a reality.Continue Reading

Term-inate all incumbents

Too often at state and federal levels even good, right-minded people who are elected to office are lured to the dark side slowly by the longtime, already entrenched corrupted. It happens in part because the new people want to be accepted by their peers, and in this association to these rich and powerful are slowly lured sometimes even without them even knowing. Soon they play the part just like the party bosses want them to.

Our only hope to correct this is to get term limits enacted, but we will never get it from the established, entrenched politician because they know that it would mean the end to their power. So if it is to be, "we the People" must impose our own form of term limits by everyone, no matter what your political views, electing new people. Preferably ones not supported by the already corrupted political bosses.Continue Reading

McMahon Declares Support for Term Limits

In response to yesterday's article, Simmons, Alpert Support Term Limits, Linda McMahon's campaign responded in kind stating that she also supports term limits in the United Stated Senate. The issue of term limits has become a hot button issue for many on the right and the left in this election season resulting from some of the behaviors exhibited during the health care debate during this session of congress and because of Senator Chris Dodd's special VIP deal he received from Countrywide Home Loans.

Term Limits the Answer

I challenge a recent letter stating that term limits are a bad idea. The writer states we already have them, however his comments fail to reconcile theory with reality.. His concern is that it limits the ability of a “good politician” to continue to serve. However, that is a positive tradeoff since it also limits the ability of bad politicians to continue to serve. Given the current state of our country and Congress, which do you think we have more of today? We already have term limits for most executive branches of the government.

Did Time Run Out On Term Limit Expansion?

In his last year as a state representative and his third time trying, Rep. Baxter Troutman may have run out of time to get an expansion of term limits from eight years to 12 to the voters this year.

Time expired this morning for the Full Appropriations Council on General Government and Health Care before a vote could be taken on the Winter Haven Republican’s bill.

The council had heard other bills and placed Troutman’s last on the agenda because of expected debate. Members even extended the time of the meeting, but still couldn’t get through to a vote.

Both council members and members of the audience simply had too many questions about the bill.

Letter: Term limits for all members of Congress

While the Democratic leadership gloats over its victory with passage of the health care bill, angry Republican leaders predict the voters will remember in November. If the Republicans do gain House and Senate seats in this year's midterm election, then all in the same year, Democrats and Republicans can both claim victory!

Meanwhile, the American people struggle with high unemployment and will have to pay for the most expensive social program in history, which will move America from a limited welfare state to a full-blown one.

Term limits improve democracy

With gubernatorial, house and senate elections coming up in the fall, it is important to take a step back and look at a couple of areas where our electoral process falls short.

I feel most would think corruption is a major issue with today’s politicians and I am inclined to agree. These feelings put questions in voters’ heads about their importance in the political system and the legitimacy of their vote. It seems interest groups run rampant and few politicians actually represent their constituency.

Luckily, I think I have found two ways to improve this area. I say found because I believe I heard the first idea from someone else, but I can’t remember who and I’m not fan of taking credit when it isn’t truly mine.

Robert Gault: Time to think about term limits

Unless the American public wakes up and corrects the current political system, we have seen the demise of the Republic’s representative form of government. The current administration and Congress are ignoring our Constitution by disregarding the will of the people. Never have I seen the type of blatant vote selling than has permeated the health care bill. The Nebraska deal, the Florida deal, the Louisiana deal and who knows what else that we don’t know about. The crowning achievement was a promise to sign an executive order prohibiting abortion which is not worth the paper it’s written on. An Executive Order cannot trump law.