061006    THE CULTURAL DEMISE OF CONGRESS
                                 by Dan Abbett In Opinion Editorials

 061004    WHY DID THE FOUNDERS OMIT TERM LIMITS ?

Our Founding Fathers visualized Congress made up of ordinary citizens, elected by their peers, to serve one, two, or three terms, then returning to their ordinary previous pusuits, such as being farmers, artisans, merchants, or other private activities. They certainly did not think of Congress as a permanent career opportunity for a class of professional politicians. In those days, Congressmen were paid only a token salary, had very poor accommodations, no perks, and very little press. The Founders knew from their English history, that tenure corrupts. They expected that elected representatives, whether good or bad, had best serve for only a brief period, and then leave office in favor of fresh faces, and fresh ideas (and be glad to go home).

The Founders did not believe legislators would or could serve forever. Voters wouldn’t allow that !

Some people think that the Founders left term limits out of the Constitution because they didn’t think it would be a good idea. Quite the contrary!. Rotation in office was a very important issue for them. It was an unfortunate incident which caused them, in 1787, to postpone deciding the issue.

During the Founders’ time under the Articles of Confederation, which did include term limits for legislators, an ugly debate occurred when the Rhode Island delegation refused to vacate their seats when their terms expired. It was the residual effects of the very bad feelings from that incident which caused the Convention to omit any reference to term limits in the new Constitution. Rather than risk undoing all their hard work with a 'failed' Convention, they opted to leave that issue for another day.

We can see that term limits was as divisive an issue then as it is today.

Apparently, for all their intellectual brilliance, the Founders never suspected that Congress would learn how to ‘beat the system’, make their jobs very rewarding, and fix it so that they could stay in their jobs indefinitely. They assumed that the voters would not let that happen, and that future voters would use Article V to amend the Constitution to include term limits in some form.

However, they made one mistake. When they composed Article V in the new Constitution, they left the ‘real power' of amendment almost completely in the hands of Congress. Thus, it is difficult for voters to get a Term Limits Amendment directly out of a very reluctant Congress, and it is difficult for voters to indirectly get Congress to call a Convention for Proposing Amendments.

It is past time for the voters to re-enter this debate, and to finish the job. Many of the Founders wanted ‘rotation in office’, but could not win it at the time. Now we can see that they were right. Congress is virtually a permanent ruling class (99% reelected in 3 of the last 4 elections!).

Voters must fight for a Congressional Term Limits Amendment.

Nelson Lee Walker
tenurecorrupts.com Comment

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060904    WHY THE SILENCE OF PUNDITS, EDITORS, AND BLOGGERS ?

It is a mystery to me that, in all the new ‘good government’ websites that I come across, I never find any that stress the fact that, in order to effect REAL reform, it is necessary to have a Congress made up of ‘citizen’ legislators, rather than the current crop of careerist professional politicians who grimly hang on to their jobs and the status quo. [1]

Additionally, in all the ‘sound and fury’ in editorials and blogs on all the issues on both sides of the political spectrum, nowhere does one see any suggestion that the overriding problems of good governance lie with the professional politicians, who are more interested in holding their seats permanently, than in constructively addressing the country's issues.

Why is there no recognition in the political media that we need Congressional Term Limits ? Why does no one recognize that Congressional service is not a legitimate permanent livelihood or career? Why do they not recognize that we need to churn the occupants of Congress to get fresh blood to keep our democracy healthy ? [6]

To eliminate professional politicians, it is necessary to change politics from being a livelihood or career, to merely a civic duty, where persons will try to change government for the better during a short stay, then return to private pursuits. That’s the way it was for the first 150 years of our history, before the enticements of politics became too good to give up. [2]

Politics as a livelihood, or a career, is a fundamental conflict of interest. When one is supposed to be a representative of the people, putting the people’s interest, or the country’s interest, before his own, he should not be in a position to be concerned about his job, or his reelection. [3]

In an attempt to correct this flaw in our country’s political framework, we should be stressing the idea that, to improve our government, we must change the character of our Congress, and the most direct way to do that is to enact a Congressional Term Limits Amendment. We must end the idea that Congressional service is a career, or that it is permissible to be reelected forever, even if you have the votes.

The voting public should be made aware that ever longer terms in Congress is dangerous to their freedom. Experience has shown that tenure corrupts ! And it is the duty of the editorial media and the blogosphere to end their silence, and to remind the voting public that entrenched power is dangerous.

It is toward this objective that the tenurecorrupts.com website [4] is dedicated. The site contains arguments (pro and con) for Congressional Term Limits, optional amendment wordings, links to similar sites, suggested actions people can take to help, etc. The site blog list has accumulated over two dozen articles on this one subject. (Boring perhaps, but focussed!). Recently, we have begun offering free Term Limits bumperstickers to all requesters. [5]

We would very much like to have you join us in discussions to exercise and expand on this idea, and to help spread the word !

Nelson Lee Walker
tenurecorrupts.com Comment

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060813    READY TO VOTE OUT YOUR INCUMBENT?

If you REALLY want to get Congressional Term Limits enacted, you have got to commit to a plan of action, even if you have to hold-your-nose while doing it!

Are you ready to vote out YOUR incumbent ?

Many voters agree that Congress is made up of a bunch of sleazy professional politicians who have been in power much too long. And voters want them OUT!

But when it comes election time, voters can’t make up their mind to VOTE OUT THEIR OWN incumbent Senator or Congressman, because that might let the challenger from the OTHER party win!

Because of that kind of thinking, the career professional politicians get reelected 99% of the time, and stay in office forever.

But there is a way out of that box. It’s called the next-best-choice method.

Democrats should vote for Green Party (or equiv) candidates, instead of their incumbent Democrat candidate. Republicans should vote for Libertarian Party (or equiv) candidates, instead of their incumbent Republican candidate. And Independents should vote for anybody but the incumbent.

In the last few years, Senate incumbents have been reelected over 90% of the time! And House incumbents have been reelected 99% of the time! If enough voters use the next-best-choice method of voting, those high reelection rates will come down. If we do it for two or three elections in a row, we will get their attention. And the attention of the media. Even the challengers who got elected will know that the voters want Term Limits.

When voters get into the habit of voting out incumbents, then we will see a bill for a Term Limit Amendment in the Congress. And by that time, voters ‘will have the bit in their teeth’, and demand that it passes, and is sent to the states for ratification.

So voters, are you ready to vote out YOUR party’s incumbent ?

NELSON LEE WALKER
tenurecorrupts.com Comment

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060809    A THIRD PARTY STRATEGY FOR TERM LIMITS?

I have been noticing that, in lots of elections lately, the race as been very, very tight.

This should be looked on, by voters who want to shake up the system, (such as us term limiters), as a golden opportunity to evict the incumbent.

Do you realize that, in close races, it only takes a ‘few’ voters to swing the results?

For example, when 100,000 or 1,000,000 voters are almost tied on each side, it could be a difference of 10, 100, or 1000 votes which make the difference.

When a challenger is in a reasonably close race with an incumbent, a concerted effort by voters who want to vote out incumbents, even if they don’t like to vote against their party, can defeat the incumbent by voting for a ‘next-best-thing’ challenger. (Even if they have to hold their nose while doing so!)

For example, a Democrat voter could vote for a Green Party challenger. A Republican voter could vote for a Libertarian challenger. An Independent voter could vote for either of those 3rd party challengers.

Besides helping to defeat incumbents, this also serves to raise the profiles of the 3rd parties, which would also get the attention of the dominant parties. If we do this to a noticeable degree, it will be analyzed and remarked upon by all the media, the pundits, the bloggers, and even the general public. If so, the battle is half-won. We got their attention!

And if we continue it for two or three more elections, we will get more and more voters doing the same. By that time, all hell will be breaking loose! And finally, the major media will be addressing Congressional Term Limits in their editorial columns.

Nelson Lee Walker
tenurecorrupts.com Comment

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060729    CONGRESSIONAL TERM LIMITS, ANYONE? APPARENTLY NOT !

But why not ? It appears that there is too much news activity going on around the world, to get anyone interested in Congressional Term Limits. Despite the fact that local and statewide term limits are sweeping our country by 75% ballot victories, it's going to require some kind of ‘bombshell’ to get Congressional Term Limits any kind of respect from the national editorial media, or the blogs. Nobody writes about it. Why so?

The absence of Congressional Term Limits is a festering sore, a cancer, a disease that apparently dare not speak its name. Why the absence of commentary on this vital subject?

During the past 50 years, Congress has managed to improve its ability to get reelected close to 100% of the time, as compared to less than 60% in the previous 180 years. As a result, getting elected to Congress has practically become a lifetime ‘appointment’, just like the Supreme Court! Doesn't anyone consider a permanently 'elected' Congress a danger to our republic? Everyone 'knows' that tenure corrupts.

The growing success of state and local term limits nationwide is a testimony to the native commonsense of the American people. But they need the help of their so-called 'free press' to shame Congress into voting for a Term Limits Amendment.

Why doesn't our vaunted 'free press' pick up the baton?
Are they intimidated? How? Or why?

Nelson Lee Walker
tenurecorrupts.com comment