Politics Information |
A Workable Alternative to Term Limits
The end of another election once again brings into focus the problem of Washington politicians raising money and running for re-election as soon as they get into office. Many citizens and various government-accountability advocacy groups have done little more than complain from time to time. However, some of them, along with many members of the media, have been pushing for term limits as a solution. But is that really the solution we need? Even with term limits, we would still be left with the same old problems, only in smaller doses, i.e., politicians would still be playing the same old campa igning and fund raising games for whatever amount of subsequent terms they are allowed. Also, we would still be stuck with the situation in which sitting Senators and Representatives (even those with no remaining terms for the office they hold) spend their time running for higher office. I say forget about term limits in Washington as I have a better solution. I call it ''term interruptions.'' Here's how it would work: No President/Vice President, Senator, or Representative could serve two consecutive terms in the same office and would have to sit out at least two years before being eligible for a different federal office although he/she could be elected to an unlimited number of terms in any number of federal offices. For example, a U.S. Representative could not succeed himself/herself in that office and would have to wait until he/she has been out of office for at least two years before being eligible for President/Vice President, a Senate seat, or any seat in the House of Representatives. In other words, a sitting President/Vice President, Senator, or Representative could not run for re-election and he/she could not run for any elective seat in the legislative or executive branches of the federal government. That way, they could all focus on serving their constituents rather than getting re-elected. They could use the two off-years for campaigning and raising money. However, this proposal could be problematic for the U.S. House of Representatives, since its members currently serve only two-year terms. Under my plan, the House would see a complete turnover (all 435 members) every two years. Therefore, I would propose four-year terms for U.S. Representatives. Of course, we would still get a complete turnover in the House, only after every four years instead of every two years, so there would still be a problem. To prevent a complete turnover every four years, terms could be staggered so that half the members of the House are up for re-election every two years. However, in the first House election under my plan, half of the House would get four-year terms, with the other half getting two-year terms. A way to determine who gets the four-year terms in the initial election would be as follows: The House member in each state with widest margin of victory in that election would get a four-year term. The 168 remaining members (on an at-large basis) with the next highest victory margins would also get four-year terms, for a total of 218. The remaining 217 members would get only two-year terms for that election only. For the next election only, members who got two-year terms would be allowed to run for re-election, without sitting out two years. Then, beginning with that election, they would all get four-year terms and the term interruptions rules would fully take effect. Terry Mitchell is a software engineer, freelance writer, and trivia buff from Virginia, USA. He operates a website - http://www.commenterry.com - on which he posts commentaries on various subjects such as politics, technology, religion, health and well-being, personal finance, and sports. His commentaries offer a unique point of view that is not often found in meanstream media.
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open template $TEMPLATEfilename, exiting |
RELATED ARTICLES
Delta As you know Delta Airlines is close to bankruptcy. Their income is less than their outgo. Belly Full of the Clintons [Political View] As I read the papers and watch the news day after day after day, and listen to the debates on what we Americans should do with Iran and North Korea, as if we were the only ones involved, yet as always the world will put their two cents in, and to be quite honest, that is all financially they will give, but for advise, like my neighbors, they will give a tone of it away free. Anyhow, I should get to my clout in my throat. De-Population Judgment and detective work requires thinking about possibilities. One of the things I'd been thinking for a long time relates to the use of the Plague and other biologics against the North American people. The Civil War - FOGC Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to Lafayette in 1823 that went as follows: "I do not believe with the Rochefoucaults and Montaignes, that fourteen of fifteen men are rogue. I believe a great abatement from that proportion may be made in favor of general honesty. Emminent Domain May Hit Close to Home IN A DAY AND AGE where one voice screaming among thousands can have Christian monuments removed from public buildings and development projects shut down for the benefit of an endangered weed, we have the Supreme Court issuing a ruling in June to set the record straight for the majority. However, this ruling comes at the dismay of individual landowners across America, and threatens to further undermine the American privilege of individual ownership. 6 Steps to Destroy the American Infidels The United States has enemies, which call the country the land of infidels. They have been plotting ways to attack. Paper Industry The paper industry in the US is hurting. Due to supply and demand prices are way up. An Environmental Voting Guide for US State Elections In these times when states are suffering extreme downward pressure on budgets and spending, how is our environment making out? Did it suffer cuts right along with the Program to Assist Millionaires Become Billionaires? Are important environmental projects being dropped from the budget along with luxury items like the statehouse's new Gold-Plated Enforcement Gavel?And why is the issue of environmental protection relevant at the state level? Doesn't the US Environmental Protection Agency handle all that stuff? This article answers these questions and provides smart-voting tools for you to help ensure your surroundings remain green and healthful.ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION AT THE STATE LEVELWhile the US Environmental Protection Agency garners much of the media attention when it comes to environmental enforcement, it is actually the states that are carrying most of the load:75% of the federal programs that can be delegated to states have been delegated;90% of environmental enforcement actions are taken by the states;94% of the data in EPA databases came from the states. I am Not an African American I am not an African-American. Don't call me an African -American. Monsanto Terminator Seeds How do you feel about Terminator Seeds from Monsanto? I have determined that I am in favor of Terminator Seeds, having seen the complaints against it and the evidence for it. Also to curb the problem of GM seeds over taking the Natural Wild Seeds of rice, wheat, etc. Mass Transportation Efficiencies and Price Per Rider Theories Having redundancies and today's technologies in transportation we have protected the system for nearly any eventuality. Today in California, the BART train tram system is trying to figure out how to continue with mounting costs and California's financial debacle. Politicians Will Save Civilization Most politicians are completely out to lunch and totally Machiavellian by nature, they cannot be trusted. We tend to elect the most manipulative politicians to higher offices and condemn the one's who really care. The Cost of the COLD WAR Many people who are expert in the issue of the Oswald's rifle are able to clearly demonstrate that the best marksman in the world could not have done what that one rifle was supposed to have done. I suppose once the story was manufactured they had to stick with it before they knew about the ricochet and other evidence. Political Correctness got you down? I hear it all the time; you can't say that. But why not, I just did you see? Besides it's the truth isn't it? They say; "well yes, it is the truth, but you cannot say that!" Do you sometimes believe it is all a bunch of crap? We have the PC police running around telling you what you can and cannot say now? Wow, I know there is a law about how you are to do just about everything you do, but now we have unspoken laws about things you cannot speak of and it is all a big secret? And do not ask what these things are you cannot even mention it. Computer Cyber virus attack from hackers Recently the CIA staged a practice simulation of a cyber attack used to take down the Internet. The simulated attack was called "Silent Horizons" and they learned quite a bit about what could happen if we fail to protect the flow of information. NAFTA; What did we learn? A quick look back at NAFTA; how did we do?Stabilizing trade relations with your bordering neighbors is a smart move indeed. Did NAFTA live up to the objectives set forth? Two decades before we initiated NAFTA, there were issues which needed to be resolved to keep peace and help Mexico move up in the World to her full potential. Fact to Fiction: The Brutal Truth about the Practice of Stoning "Like humans void of soul or mind, they jeered and yelled as they went about selecting their most jagged stones." - David Hearne, excerpt from Hulagu's Web. Oil Pipelines and Rates of Flow How much oil can travel through a pipeline? It depends on the upon the pounds per square inch, dimensions of the pipeline, gravity, and dynamic pressure of the fluid behind the fluid you are measuring. In the Netherlands, they are using water pipelines to move data to a central point in then onto the Internet. Double Standards for Regulators? Elliot Spitzer, recently said he wanted to drive a stake through the heart of a founding member of the NY Stock Exchange. Since when is it okay for someone who is an Attorneys General to act out like this? We are seeing more and more abuse of power. Companies, Consumer and Cost of Fuel Which companies are most affected by fuel? Who really bears the increase in fuel costs? How much do they pass on? What companies are most prone to cost increases due to shear volumes of usage?How about companies like UPS and Fed Ex Air, talk about market power and vehicles. Fed Ex and Ups are approaching 35,000 vehicles each. |
home | site map | contact us |