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 Seventy percent of voters in both political parties
support term limits. All candidates are likely missing a bet if they fail to
support them before the November midterms. American voters, having wonderful
common sense, know that many incumbents who increase their power year by year
become more and more disconnected from their voters. In Lord John Dalberg-Acton's
well-worn assessment: "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
Look at the benefits which would accrue from term limits.
Many experienced candidates would become available for each level of higher
office. If a U.S. House member were limited to a maximum of three two-year
terms, an average of at least 145 experienced U.S. House members would be
available to run for U.S. Senator or governor every two years.
If a U.S. Senator was limited to a maximum of two six-year terms, a minimum of
thirty-three experienced U.S. senators would be available to run for governor or
president every six years.
Today voters are understandably hesitant to lose the considerable clout of their
long-time congressman developed over many years. But if all were short-timers,
that would not be important. Voters would be more likely to elect candidates
having great ability rather than seniority, as seniority would not matter.
Without the advantages held by long-time incumbents, elections would be more
competitive. Voters would likely be more interested and more likely to be active
in the election process.
Many more capable candidates would decide to run. Those entertaining running
today realize they must wait decades to obtain enough seniority to contribute.
So those with ability desiring to make a difference rapidly will do something
else. However, those who are more passive and only want a career in government
do not mind waiting, which is why Congress today has more caretakers than doers.
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Members of Congress would be seasoned, having more years of experience. As an
uninterrupted career in public office would be more difficult, candidates would
likely be much older. There would probably be many who were successful in
various fields and wanted "to give something back." This greater wisdom would
benefit us all.
Yet some argue that term limits deprive citizens of the right to vote for their
chosen candidates while at the same time not allowing them the right to retain
experienced and greatly loved officeholders. But we are already deprived of this
right because we cannot vote for a president or most governors after the two
terms they have served. To overcome this objection, an incumbent could be
allowed to run, but only as a write-in candidate. A truly loved and respected
incumbent should be able to win anyway.
Still, others say that under term limits the inexperienced officeholders would
be captive to their own more experienced staff and lobbyists. Not true. Any
successful leader shortly after taking a position hires and trains a team that
will deliver their objectives. And being effective in doing that will take less
effort today as the recent Supreme Court decision has reduced the administrative
state's power. That decision alone will allow those in Congress to have more
control of legislation.
The Articles of Confederation which preceded our Constitution included term
limits. However, our founders at the time did not believe that any member of
Congress would want to spend much time in fetid, swampy Washington D.C. so they
did not include term limits. Candidates could help themselves and America today
by supporting them.
Vern Wuensche’s opinion pieces have appeared in USA Today and
other newspapers. He is a small town Texas farm boy with an MBA and CPA who
founded and continuously ran Houston's oldest residential construction company
for 43 years. He is a lifelong active Republican, a Christian, a veteran, and an
early marathoner who ran for president in 2008 and 2012, visiting 6,000 small
businesses in 242 towns in Iowa and New Hampshire.
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