DeMint’s Term Limits
DeMint Introduces “Term Limits for All” Constitutional Amendment: 11/10/09 - U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) introduced an amendment to the United States Constitution that would apply term limits to all members of Congress, limiting U.S. Representatives to three terms and U.S. Senators to two terms in office. The amendment is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), and Sam Brownback (R-Kansas). As an amendment to the Constitution, it would require a two-thirds majority vote approval in the House and Senate and must be ratified by three-fourths of the states.
"Americans know real change in Washington will never happen until we end the era of permanent politicians," said Senator DeMint. "As long as members have the chance to spend their lives in Washington, their interests will always skew toward spending taxpayer dollars to buyoff special interests, covering over corruption in the bureaucracy, fundraising, relationship building among lobbyists, and trading favors for pork – in short, amassing their own power. I have come to realize that if we want to change the policies coming out of Congress, we must change the process itself. Over the last 20 years, Washington politicians have been reelected about 90% of the time because the system is heavily tilted in favor of incumbents. If we really want to put an end to business as usual, we’ve got to have new leaders coming to Washington instead of rearranging the deck chairs as the ship goes down.”
Senator Coburn added, “The best way to ensure we are truly a government of the people, for the people, and by the people, is to replace the career politicians in Washington with citizen legislators who care more about the next generation than their next election. The power of incumbency has created an almost insurmountable advantage for Washington politicians. Incumbency allows politicians to raise millions of dollars in campaign funds in exchange for earmarks. Incumbency gives Congress the power to raise money for itself – Congress just approved itself an increase of nearly $250 million from the U.S. Treasury that members will spend to promote themselves. Finally, with redistricting incumbents can choose their voters rather than voters choosing their representatives. Term limits is the best way to break this cycle.”
“Some say only long-serving, seasoned elites have the skills to lead the people, but that’s exactly what we have today and how do you think it’s working out for us?” said Senator DeMint. “It wasn’t the ‘people’ who gave us a $12 trillion debt, an IRS tax code seven times longer than the Bible, over 1,700 departments of the federal government, trillion dollar deficits as far as the eye can see, $100 trillion long-term shortfall in Social Security and Medicare, the Wall Street and auto bailouts, and the pending health care takeover.
“This nation can no longer afford these entrenched men and women who enjoy lives of luxury wholly insulated from the consequences of their major policy failures.
“I want to be clear: demanding that reformers adopt self-imposed term limits is a recipe for self-defeat on this issue. We lost the battle for term limits after the 1994 Republican Contract with America because we forced our best advocates for reform to go home, while the big-spending career politicians waited them out. We must have term limits for all or term limits will never succeed. Only when we apply the same rules to all will we be able to enact vital bipartisan reforms.
“Term limits will increase legislative turnover, expand the field of candidates who run for office, and instill transparency and accountability in our public officials. By ratifying this amendment, we can end the tremendous advantage enjoyed by incumbents in Washington, break long-lasting ties to special interests and lobbyists, and transform Congress from the body of career politicians that it has become, to a chamber of true citizen legislators,” said Senator DeMint.
Tags: Jim DeMint, political cartoon, term limits, William Warren To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
Posted by Bill Smith at 4:30 PM - Post Link
11 Comments:
what could go wrong. it worked for Honduras. um... didn't it?
It does work fine, Noah. Thanks for asking.
TERM LIMIT, TERM LIMIT, TERM LIMIT, TERM LIMIT...YES
Unless it includes (which it doesn't) ending the life time paycheck, insurance, etc. they receive when they leave office, it doesn't go far enough. and if this is brought back when Repubs have control of Congress, then I will believe he is serious.
worked fine... sure. that is why it was overturned in Honduras due to outside sovereign interests? specifically US. term limits might sound like a good idea... but if powers that be want to over turn something out of will. they will... they will... they will
When was it overturned in Honduras?
I like the idea but what can be done about the unelected bureaucrats that that run gov't policy. Yes, term limits might quell the number of laws passed but leaves intact the very bureaucracies that 'run' the show.
you need to specify the mechanics of it. it was specified in Honduras, but then the mechanism for prosecution of it left some loopholes. there needs to be details as to foreign influences... everything. term limits sound great... but just saying it causes automatic rejection of a leader isn't enough
I totally agree Joni.....We need to DEMAND they stop receiving a lifetime paycheck, retroactive, and NOW
It wasn't overturned. where are you getting your news?
"I like Jim Dement's idea of term limits though I don't believe it is the province of the Constitution to require it but the prerogative of the states from where the representatives are elected. ALL politicians should be limited to specific terms by law emanating from their districts. None should be allowed indefinite terms, regardless of who they are or their positions, national, state, or local. Never vote for an incumbent, throw all the Bums out in this current congress and elect a new body. Reformation must be the goal."
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