Term Limits For Senate.

[shannon]

I watched the 2nd presidential debate tonight and about wanted to throw up.
(Rich people trying to tell poor people what's best for them.) That's a joke. They have run the same line on us for years.

If the same people who are running our goverment now are the same people that was running it when Jimmy Carter was president. Are they not responsible for the mess that we are now in?

The goverment loves to regulate every aspect of our life, but they refuse to regulate themself. What if we boot their asses out after 8 years the same way we do the president. We have people who have been in office for 30+ years and have never done nothing except spend our tax money.

We have got to take back our goverment?

Does anybody besides myself think this is a good idea?
:thumbs up:

 

[brmstn69]

The only problem I see with that is currently, even after only one term, they get full pension and benefits...

So, either way, they are sucking off the tit of tax payers for the rest of their lives, while the rest of us have to work 20-40 years to get our full pension...

Instead, I say limit them to 5 terms and only give them 20% of their pension package for each term served...

 

[tonka]

There are some shady old timers around, but it seems to me that the newer people in the house and senate are worse. The old timers at least were interested in solving issues. The newer ones just want to spout off on tv, and do nothing substantial.

 

[taurus2904]

As a kid, I remember hearing my grandfather and a bunch of other old men talking politics -- complaining as we do today. I don't remember if it was state or federal. One of them said, "We ought to elect 'em, let 'em serve one term...then take 'em out the back of the Capitol 'n shoot 'em!"

One of the other old codgers replied, deadpan, "What good would that do? You'd just waste a lot of perfectly good bullets but still have a pretty building...only full of fresh assholes."

As to how to change the system: the state legislatures have the ability to propose a Constitutional amendment, a power that I don't know has ever been utilized. I'm not a constitutional scholar. My idea is that the States should propose an amendment that when Congress decides they need a pay raise, then it must be ratified by The People.

Let's include in that amendment term limits. Congress limited the presidency. [Amendment XXII states: No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.] The People should limit Congress -- three terms for the Senate (that's 18 years) and five terms for the House of Representatives (that's 10 years).

Most 'real' people rarely keep a single job that long anymore. They can receive 30% of their pension for Senate and 15% for Representative for each term served. (I realize that doesn't add up to 100% -- but none of us get 100% of our 401(k) either!) No more lifetime healthcare benefits -- you're covered when you're in office, after that it's welcome to the real world.

While we're at it, let's get rid of their franking privileges -- that's free postage -- which would get the postal service some much needed money and jobs. Just to protect ourselves some more, let's preclude them from any lobbying firm/position/consultancy/et cetera for 12 years after they leave office.

We should also have something in that amendment like an attendance policy. Ever tune into CSPAN? It's generally some gasbag talking to an empty room. We pay them to do a job, so we should require them to be there to do it.

 

[mrpiz]

They should also not be able to be elected if they are filthy rich. Maybe that would give the regular working class a chance to hold these positions, because the bunch we have now are so fuckin detached from reality.

 

[js324]

I'm against term limits for the most part, they're undemocratic. Sure unlimited is to long, but 8 years is too short. I also think that presidents should at least get 3 terms

 

[anarren]

I'm generally in favor of term limits, but the trouble I have is the potential for them to promote corruption - if you're in the House or Senate, and know you're not getting re-elected, you want to do favors for whatever company you think will hire you after...there must be a way to deal with this, but I've not thought of it.