Time to set Term Limits by referendum!!!

[Gene Scarborough]

TERM LIMITS!!! I, for one, have had enough of the political bull and locked horns for 4 long years of The Great Recession. Republicans want it to last to 2012 so they have more of a chance to perpetuate the mess they created.

Democrats don't seem to know how to get together and get us out. Just spending more money is devinitely NOT A SOLUTION!!!

We all know big money has bought Congress and is getting richer by the day without paying their share of taxes.

------let's set the limit they won't do themselves through putting it on the ballot in every state: NO MORE THAN 3 TERMS FOR ANYONE!!! The President gets only 2 terms so let's make the rich buy off the Congress anew EVERY 3 TERMS!!!

They will certainly try, but just as in the military----making men move to another duty stops and slows down COLLUSION----to the benefit of the many!!!

Pass it on and let's get busy before the ballots are set for 2012!!!! Enough is enough and it's time to act NOW!!!!

[Gene Scarborough]

So----amidst all the angst and theoretical stuff on politics----does anyone see the value of us voters stopping the mess and making it necessary to buy a new Congress every 3 terms????

[KeithE]

Term limits could help. Limit the President to one 4 year term (so s/he does not spend time and make decisions based on campaigning for the next term). Limit Senators to one 6 year term (staggered every two years to keep some degree of continuity/knowledge of current actions) and limit Representatives to two 2 year terms (also staggered but over one year - half of states each year have elections). This will bring fresh ideas to the fore and prevent the "professional politician" syndrome.

But Campaign finance reform and a prohibition on moneyed lobbying are the real keys.

Campaign finance reform can be implemented by demanding media offering of debates (free to candidates) as their public duty (like we used to demand before the FCC was taken over by Big Media) and through internet campaigning. Don't allow the official campaigning to start until say 3 months before the election. Let's keep the Congress legislating and the President executing.

But the biggest issue is lobbying with hoards of industry-paid influencers hovering over each and every congressperson/executive branch lead. Money should not be allowed to buy votes or execution policy. And Citizens United must be overturned! But keep personal lobbying alive (in fact facilitate it via the internet); with the corporate clamouring denied, perhaps the public's voice can be heard.

And make all of these people take periodic lie detector tests (as those of us who have high level clearances have to do).

[Ed Pettibone]

Ed: Keith, I have mixed emotions about mandated term limits. I do think the limits you suggest are too short. And I do still believe the ballot box needs to be used more often to effect term limits. I admit, I am not however sure how to wake up the voters who tend to get stuck in a human resistance to change.

I agree that there needs to greater restriction on lobbying. I am not how ever sure what you mean by moneyed lobbying. Lobbying does take money, the real question is how much is fair and reasonable. A part of the greater restriction I would like to see would include a public accounting of ALL funds used for lobbying.

[Gene Scarborough]

The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc.

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.

I'm asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

1. Term Limits. 12 years only, one of the possible options below..
A. Two Six-year Senate terms
B. Six Two-year House terms
C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms

2. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.

4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

7. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 10-1-11

The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive the message. Maybe it is time..

[Jim]

[Gene Scarborough]

Are you kidding me????

Read the starting statement about allowing 18 year olds to vote!!!

The Constitution gives us the right to petition and the right to vote. Are you really forgetting the people are supposed to direct a Democracy and their Representatives are supposed to have the right to petition on ANYTHING!!!!

You have totally forgotten this is a government "of the people / for the people!!!" Man have you been had!!!! Voters control this nation the last time I checked with the Constitution.

Quit making excuses and get busy to make it a part of our next ballot, my friend!!!!!

[KeithE]

[Jim]

[Gene Scarborough]

Jim-----you forget a simple event: Franklin Delano Rosevelt!!!

Pre-Rosevelt there was no limit on a President's stay. It was just customary that a good one would serve a second term. With WWII the public voted to re-elect him for a 3rd term.

After it was all over the same public saw how we almost bacame a Dictatorship as a man stayed too long as the Head of State. We made the 2-term rule for the Office of President.

The Founding Fathers provided NOTHING for Congressmen in the way of money or staff in the beginning. It was about a man having a good reputation and honest enough to take off the time to go to Washington, D.C. He footed his own bill or kind constituents gave him money to sustain him while away from home.

Slowly but surely in the days after WWII, Congress has voted itself generous wages / large staffs / better retirement than SS / continued benefits after leaving with only one term served / etc. / etc......

Those who buy their political favors and tax loopholes love it. Us citizens are supposed to have a say in what Representatives do and vote. Now Lobbists get big bucks to represent wealth over citizens back home.

I'm open to other alternatives since you seem to know so much. Things done thus far to make it clear who is influencing whom have done NOTHING to stop it. NOTHING IS DISCLOSED ABOUT BEHIND-THE-SCENES ANTICS inside the Beltway.

TERM LIMITS would, at least, make it necessary to buy a new bunch of distorted representation more often than now!!!!

[Jim]

[Ed Pettibone]

KeithE wrote "It is cleansing sometimes to be idealistically democratic (small d)"

Ed: I would suggest such idealism with out ones feet on the ground is simply pipe dreams. But then perhaps we should push for term limits and realistic minimum qualifications for "news commentators". ?

[Gene Scarborough]

Jim---

Why should I be surprised at the above "Party LIne" BS!!!! You have been sucked up / sucked in / and now enjoy being sucked over by those pretending to be for the average working stiff----so why have all the tax breaks in the last 30 years gone to the rich and us working stiffs are still paying through the nose?????

The difference between a Democrat and a Republican: A Republican is just a Democrat who has made enough money he wants to keep it all!!!!!

Never forget the words of President Carter: "We want a government as good as the people who elected us!"

Has anyone since put it so clearly and with such inspiration?? If you lose your sense of the ideals on which this nation was founded, you return it to the political mess in England and Europe which inspired our ancestors to seek a New World of freedom and opportunity. We have no real new place to go so let's return this mess to its inspired origins of a volunteer who represented his community without pay and without expectations of "under-the-table" bribes to do the bidding of the wealthy over the poor man who made up the majority of his/her constituency. Government should protect those who have no strong voice or money to get their way with the weak and down-trodden.

I think that is one of the tenants of The Christ?????

[Jim]

[Gene Scarborough]

[Jim]

[Dave Roberts]

I personally would favor making the Presidency a one-term event but expand the term to six years. Then there would be no need to spend half of your first term running for re-election. For the House, I would favor a maximum of 7 two-year terms and for the Senate I would favor a maximum of 3 six-year terms. I never gave it much thought until the 1994 Republican Contract with America. I'm still waiting for the GOP to keep its promise and for the Democrats to buy in on a much-needed reform.

[KeithE]

[Gene Scarborough]

Some more good ideas on political leadership!!!

We all need to see this as a crunch time on the budget and representation. Much of what we have now sucking money was put in to help the Depression. Farm subsidies are no longer needed as they are no longer small and family run. Millions are given Agribusinessmen who can already borrow $1-5M to start their year---and they need a subsidy---NOT! Same with big oil. All the billions given corporations / banks / auto manufacturers haven't helped on bit for me trying to run a small business in a failed economy.

We are way over-spending on our foreign involvements with the military.

Our basic terms of office have been with us from the founding of the Country. It has become far too influenced by big money rather than the average citizen. All the attempts to change things for the better have been thwarted with the "what will this do to me" attitude.

What we need is a "how can we do it better and with less cost" mentality now. A President inherits the problems of his predecessor and is always thinking of the 2nd term and being PC with an eye on the polls.

I favor a more relistic approach to campaigns rather than the Madison Avenue commercials which never really tell us anything about the person and their ideas to improve my representation. Right now it's the appearance of a "perfectly religious and moral candidate" who does not exist in reality. Just tell me in person who you are and what you plan to do if elected. We have all noted the "least said the better so as not to offend anyone."

It wouldn't hurt to quit thinking the National Election is the most important when those closest to home in local government and school boards, etc. really affect us most! Just this week the NC Governor (Sarah Perdue) vetoed the great cuts in NC Education proposed by the Legislature and sent it back for revision. Tough decision-makers are needed more than ever without this constant waste of taxpayer money. Maybe we need to forbid the naming of roads for legislators too!!! Such an ego trip and failed desire for fame and honor---all attached to someone's ego!!!