The following excerpt was written by Larry Alton and originally published on The American Thinker.
Every few years, you’ll hear people discuss the idea of term limits, but the rumblings never amount to much. However, with the rise of Donald Trump -- a political outsider -- many on both sides of the party line are more interested than ever in sacking career politicians and introducing fresh faces to Washington.
The Sad State of Washington
John Adams once famously said, “Without [term limits] every man in power becomes a ravenous beast of prey.” Little did he know just how true these words would ring even centuries later.
At one point, just a couple of years ago, there were 36 senators who had been in elected office for more than 30 years. Of the 100 senators in Washington at the time, only 10 had a business background. Of these 10 senators, most had been in office longer than they were in business. Perhaps this could explain why Congress’ approval rating has hovered between 10 and 20 percent for so long.
Currently, there are no term limits for vice presidents, representatives, senators, and Supreme Court justices. On the state level, there are still 14 states that don’t have strict term limits for their governors. [...]
How Do We Fix the Mess?
Clearly, we have a mess on our hands. It’s a mess that a lot of people talk about, but one that never gains enough momentum to actually produce change.
The biggest problem is that term limits would actually have to be passed by Congress. Do you really think they’re going to vote themselves out of power? In 2012, the Senate rejected term limits in a 24-75 vote.
Ironically, 75 percent of voters have historically supported limiting congressional terms. How is it, then, that a government for the people and by the people is allowing career politicians to stay in office for decades on end, when millions of people believe it’s a bad idea?
Thankfully, there are options. And while any attempt to impose term limits faces an uphill battle, the good news is that our Constitution does allow for the American people to step up and take action in situations where the system appears to be breaking down.
As outlined in Article V, a Convention of States permits individual states to propose amendments outside of Congress. State representatives can propose amendments in the Convention, which are then ratified by the states. If, as the polls suggest, three out of four voters support term limits, these amendments would have no trouble passing.
