Congressional term limits legislation introduced

keenobserver

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Senators would be limited to two terms and representatives to three. How about it? I think it's very much needed and would profoundly and positively impact our lives.

GOP Sens. Cruz, Rooney introduce Constitutional amendment to impose term limits on Congress - CNNPolitics

Not needed, bad, bad idea. We already have term limits. They are called elections. You get to choose every two years for Congress and every 6 for the Senate. Only an idiot votes out people who are doing a good job. Cruz is an idiot who had a close call and sees the writing on the wall. Rooney is just an idiot. Why would I want to throw out Congressman Lewis? Why throw out Nancy Pelosi? They lasted because they do their jobs well. Mitch McConnell, hate his guts, but Kentucky likes him well enough, but they like him because he does his job. In 6 years a representative barely can find his own parking place, let alone know his way through the rules of Congress, leaving short times looking for work with the folks they are supposed to regulate. Goo people will not run, there no future. Move a family to DC for 6 years MAX? No way. DC and the area are expensive, and keeping an address in the home district or close to it? Can't afford that for a short time job. It will only attract billionaires and mid level scum bags and opportunist.

Term limits ease the mind of lazy, disengaged voters who somehow think it improved the heard. It won't happen. If any voter is too lazy to get involved and stay involved, I don't need his input. Fuck him.

I would favor tougher financial disclosure laws, including spouses employment and all investments, tighter ethical standards and transparency about misconduct complaints so voters have more information to work with, but term limits are, in my opinion a very short sighted solution that will kill the institutional memory of Congress and by extension the nation.
 

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We already have term limits. They are called elections.

While I understand the sentiment, the reality is that big, BIG money backs a lot of these career politicians who become entrenched in their seats for ten, twenty, thirty years...or more! With all the big money behind them along with name recognition, it's really hard to beat them in an election. Then you see them turning into multi-millionaires on an annual salary of $175K. Something stinks.

Besides, we are a nation of citizens. Citizens should go into politics to serve their communities for a few years and then return to the private world that they helped form. I believe we would get better governance.
 
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keenobserver

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While I understand the sentiment, the reality is that big, BIG money backs a lot of these career politicians who become entrenched in their seats for ten, twenty, thirty years...or more! With all the big money behind them along with name recognition, it's really hard to beat them in an election. Then you see them turning into multi-millionaires on an annual salary of $175K. Something stinks.

Besides, we are a nation of citizens. Citizens should go into politics to serve their communities for a few years and then return to the private world that they helped form. I believe we would get better governance.

I respect the point you make but I feel you are relying on assumptions that are either never were true or are not true now, or are simply fine ideals. Yes big money flock to incumbents. All attempts to limit that have been killed by the courts - mostly GOP picked judges, but not all, so fair is fair. Voter keep them in office, not big money. That little bartender from New York that right not is so terrified ran an old fashioned campaign with less money against a popular (well, no so much now!) incumbent that was never considered at rick by anyone. Surprise. Yet the GOP mocked her for stressing over housing costs in DC. Why would that deter working people from running for office? Winning at most 6 years is not worth it.

You're right citizens should go into politics for the good of the nation, but we need to do better than term limits to make that happen. What's happening here is this, Ted has had 6 years to introduce his little publicity stunt. Until today he had two houses of Congress to pass it. He doing it now because he sees the GOP swirling around the toilet and the cord has been pulled. The term limits can only affect newly elected reps and senators. It cannot be made retroactive. Even with an amendment. It's a con that some idiots politicians will vote for it window dressing knowing they are safe from its affects.

It is fools gold. It looks valuable but it is fake.
 

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AOC is the rare exception to the rule.

Do you not share the view that congressional representatives should have to share in what they create for us? For that matter, how many things is Congress exempt from for which we are not?
 
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AOC is the rare exception to the rule.

Do you not share the view that congressional representatives should have to share in what they create for us? For that matter, how many things is Congress exempt from for which we are not?

Congress should not be exempt from any laws they pass - ever, but term limits does not change that.

AOC does not have to be the rare exception, terms limits makes sure that she is. Term limits are like participation trophies. Nice and shiny but empty and meaningless of achievement.
 
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If long term career politicians get bought and sold by "big, BIG money" then why would someone who is not a career politician not be susceptible to the same thing. In fact, a lot of them could probably be bought more easily and for less money. $500,000 means a hell of a lot more to the average person than it does to the career politicians, most of whom are already millionaires. This doesn't seem like a solution to anything.
 

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If long term career politicians get bought and sold by "big, BIG money" then why would someone who is not a career politician not be susceptible to the same thing. In fact, a lot of them could probably be bought more easily and for less money. $500,000 means a hell of a lot more to the average person than it does to the career politicians, most of whom are already millionaires. This doesn't seem like a solution to anything.

Pretty much.

The real problem is money in politics. Any solution that doesn't directly address that problem isn't going to fix anything.
 
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wallyj84

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Not needed, bad, bad idea. We already have term limits. They are called elections. You get to choose every two years for Congress and every 6 for the Senate. Only an idiot votes out people who are doing a good job. Cruz is an idiot who had a close call and sees the writing on the wall. Rooney is just an idiot. Why would I want to throw out Congressman Lewis? Why throw out Nancy Pelosi? They lasted because they do their jobs well. Mitch McConnell, hate his guts, but Kentucky likes him well enough, but they like him because he does his job. In 6 years a representative barely can find his own parking place, let alone know his way through the rules of Congress, leaving short times looking for work with the folks they are supposed to regulate. Goo people will not run, there no future. Move a family to DC for 6 years MAX? No way. DC and the area are expensive, and keeping an address in the home district or close to it? Can't afford that for a short time job. It will only attract billionaires and mid level scum bags and opportunist.

Term limits ease the mind of lazy, disengaged voters who somehow think it improved the heard. It won't happen. If any voter is too lazy to get involved and stay involved, I don't need his input. Fuck him.

I would favor tougher financial disclosure laws, including spouses employment and all investments, tighter ethical standards and transparency about misconduct complaints so voters have more information to work with, but term limits are, in my opinion a very short sighted solution that will kill the institutional memory of Congress and by extension the nation.

I don't think people who support term limits are lazy or unengaged from politics. I think they have a fundamentally different view of the problem with government. They seem to view politicians, or maybe just politics in general, as the problem and think that if we only got rid of them everything would work itself out. To me that seems a bit naive, but I wouldn't call it lazy.
 

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I don't think people who support term limits are lazy or unengaged from politics. I think they have a fundamentally different view of the problem with government. They seem to view politicians, or maybe just politics in general, as the problem and think that if we only got rid of them everything would work itself out. To me that seems a bit naive, but I wouldn't call it lazy.

Well, intellectually they are lazy. They don't involve themselves daily, they want it to work on auto pilot and reality to defer to their fantasy life. They may work hard at their job, try to be good citizens, but at the core I see them as negligent to keep informed and act on the viability of the nation they "defend" when a black man kneels at a football game.
 
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Fred90

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In my view, the problem with career politicians and many who work in government is that they're often times out of touch with or don't care about average Americans. Many congressional men and women, on a salary of $175K, somehow become multi-millionaires. I think it's highly likely that they're getting help in getting rich and selling out the interests of the American people.
 
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Fred90

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We already have term limits. It's called voting. If you want to limit someone's term, don't vote for them.

Like I said, it's often tough to beat an incumbent, particularly when funds from all over the nation are pouring in to keep them in office. I think we deserve better.
 
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Klingsor

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In my view, the problem with career politicians and many who work in government is that they're often times out of touch with or don't care about average Americans. Many congressional men and women, on a salary of $175K, somehow become multi-millionaires. I think it's highly likely that they're getting help in getting rich and selling out the interests of the American people.

It always sounds good to throw out the career politicians. But I've seen some of the morons who replace them. I'm looking at *you*, Tea Party.
 

Fred90

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LOL. Nancy Pelosi just said Congress is going to be "transparent". Where did we hear that before? That's the same Nancy that recently told Trump that they shouldn't be discussing the topic of "the wall" in public and that it should be done in private. Nancy, the one who famously said "We have to pass it to find out what's in it". And the Tea Party folks are "morons"? Nancy is the epitome of the uber-rich, limousine-liberal that is totally out of touch with ordinary Americans and who is about as smart as a box of rocks. Yea, we need term limits.
 
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Klingsor

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LOL. Nancy Pelosi just said Congress is going to be "transparent". Where did we hear that before? That's the same Nancy that recently told Trump that they shouldn't be discussing the topic of "the wall" in public and that it should be done in private. Nancy, the one who famously said "We have to pass it to find out what's in it". And the Tea Party folks are "morons"? Nancy is the epitome of the uber-rich, limousine-liberal that is totally out of touch with ordinary Americans and who is about as smart as a box of rocks. Yea, we need term limits.

We could compare Pelosi's effectiveness as Speaker with that of Boehner and Ryan. But what would that make *them* a box of?
 

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We could compare Pelosi's effectiveness as Speaker with that of Boehner and Ryan. But what would that make *them* a box of?

Effectiveness at what? Bad governance? I didn't Boehner nor Ryan, but they're far superior to wacky Nancy. But, yea, we need term limits to limit the damage these folks inflict.
 
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