by John Lannefeld

Created on: April 29, 2009

The vast majority of the American public agrees with the concept of term limits for members of congress, however, in order to accomplish this goal, the current holders of public office are responsible for enacting this mandate. It's not going to happen. Unfortunately the majority of these lifelong office holders will do nothing to enact the will of the people. The founding fathers did not form our government for the elite to view public office as a career. A significant number of current members of congress have held office for years and they continue to hold all the cards in their quest to be re-elected. Many of these "public servants" have never held a position outside the realm of government employment and have no concept of the travails of the ordinary working man or woman in our country.

We hold the presidency to a limit of two terms because it's in our best interest to renew and refresh government policy. The same standard should be in place for those who choose to serve in congress. It is virtually impossible for new blood to enter the political arena when the requirement to hold public office is predicated upon the premise that incumbency has the power, money and influence to continually be re-elected. The tired argument that the electorate can determine how long an individual holds office at the ballot box is simply specious, incumbents and the nature of the beast insure that ninety percent are re-elected. A politician has to be convicted of a felony or an unpardonable sin to lose an election and even then there are countless examples of corrupt politicians regaining their coveted position. It is in the best interest of the country that we insist that public office holders leave office and return to gainful employment and allow new ideas and fresh approaches to emerge.

Career politicians no longer represent their constituents, they develop a sense of entitlement and take on an aura of superiority. Those few who manage to replace a current office holder bring a sense of commitment and appreciation to their office and generally serve the public interest to a far greater degree than the majority who have served several terms. It is outrageous that the majority view in our country is scoffed at by the elitist office holders and it is high time that the people insist that their will is enacted. Until the day comes when the people demand term limits the only recourse available is to vote against all incumbents and send a strong message that we no longer choose to have politicians die in office!

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