Presidential Term Limits???

[bersaguy]

Read this morning on line were some crazy professor of course from a New York University proposing that we do away with the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution and allow a President to run and remain President as long as he chooses to. I guess being from New York you can expect something like that. As far as I'm concerned I think every elected official in the Senate, House need term limits right along with keeping the Presidents at two and I think that there should also be limits put on how long the a Judge of the Supreme Court should be allow to have a seat on the Supreme Court Bench. I think in the past and even right now there are one or two that are well past age to possibly have Alzheimer's  and need to be gone....................jmho

[frankmako]

should have term limits on all of them.  one term would work, no more than two.  that way we would not be in such of a mess that we are in now.  should have term limits in the state too.  

[gun sane]

I'm in for term limits on Congress, too.  Even as wise as the founding fathers were, they didn't forsee a voter demographic as stupidly disengaged as the one we have now.

[MacGyver]

I think we ought to quit withholding payroll taxes. Make everyone write one check on April 15th and then immediately follow it with Election Day on April 16.

Term limits would be a self-correcting problem.

[DaveTN]

Term limits has nothing to do with the mess we are in now; if someone stays in office for a long time it’s because the voters want them there.

I’m okay with term limits on the office of the President; but not anyone else. It's hard enough to find good people that will run without further limiting the field. Multiple term politicians are there because the voters in their area want them there.

If you are a disgruntled voter; run someone that can win, but you don’t get to legislate them out.

[tnguy]

I hope someone goes back and checks with him again when there's a Republican president.

 

FWIW, I'm not a big fan of term limits for any position. They're just a band-aid for a bigger problem. Though possibly a necessary band aid.

 

If you've ever worked with someone who's given in their notice and just doesn't care... Imagine that's for four years.

Edited December 1, 2013 by tnguy

[Sam1]

I'm in for term limits on Congress, too.  Even as wise as the founding fathers were, they didn't forsee a voter demographic as stupidly disengaged as the one we have now.

 

 

We have term limits... they're called elections

[tnguy]

I'm in for term limits on Congress, too.  Even as wise as the founding fathers were, they didn't forsee a voter demographic as stupidly disengaged as the one we have now.

 

When the FF set things up, there was not universal suffrage.

 

I'd like to make "No taxation without representation" reciprocal. "No representation without taxation". If you're receiving money from the government, whether it be welfare, as a politician or working for a government contractor etc, no vote for you. That would sort things out quickly.

[Guest ThePunisher]

That professor is just testing the political climate to see responses of the people if Obama wants to run again or maybe even create a situation where he would postpone elections in 2016. I wouldn't be one bit surprised if the people start clamorIng for him to run again. Hard to imagine what could happen in three years after witnessing the last five years.

[MacGyver]

I'd be fine with a more discretionary model as well. 

 

Run as many terms as you like.  But, if after two terms you lose an election, you're to report directly to the nearest Federal penitentiary to begin serving your sentence for corruption.

[No_0ne]

When the FF set things up, there was not universal suffrage.

 

I'd like to make "No taxation without representation" reciprocal. "No representation without taxation". If you're receiving money from the government, whether it be welfare, as a politician or working for a government contractor etc, no vote for you. That would sort things out quickly.

True.  There were also no popular presidential elections, electors were chosen by the state houses.  US senators were not elected directly, but appointed by their respective state governments.  I'm told this was to insure that the states retained some modicum of control over who represented their interests at the federal level, and restrained the influence of the "unwashed masses" over national politics.  It seems our founding fathers were far more suspicious of democratic processes than we today, perhaps we should consider whether the changes we have made since that time have really been for the better...

[greenego]

Washington set the term limit to two terms. Nothing in writing, but every President until FDR followed it. Power corrupts. We MUST have term limits.

[jgradyc]

Once a politician gets elected, their focus changes to one overriding goal... getting reelected.  We have people who have been in office 30-40 years. They have completely lost touch with the common man. 

 

Two terms max for Congress, Senate, and President... plus they can't work as a lobbyist for at least 10 years.

Edited December 1, 2013 by jgradyc

[Ted S.]

I don't believe in mandated term limits. The problem is ('As I see it'), we have politicians who continually ignore the Constitution, who other political figures allow them to get away with carrying out violations of the Constitution while they hold office, and the voting public as well as the electoral college who mostly seem not to care of any  corruption so long as the person they like (who is more than likely defenestrating the Constitution) is elected into or remains in office.

 

If the voting majority as well as the electoral college really cared about the constitution as well as cared to reduce the amount of corruption in this country, (I believe) we wouldn't be having discussions about mandating or legislating term limits.

 

Just my two cents worth of observations......

Edited December 1, 2013 by Ted S.

[vontar]

I have been wanting term limits on any elected official including supreme court justices.

[Guest ThePunisher]

Two 4 yr. terms for President, four 2 yr. terms for congressmen, two 6 year terms for senators. No lifetime terms for judges.

[94user]

My take is that term limits are not the answer.  Making your livelihood being a career politician is the problem. Cut all the salaries by 75% or more and let's see what happens. The founders wanted common folk to serve because they wanted to, not to get rich in government.

[Ted S.]

My take is that term limits are not the answer.  Making your livelihood being a career politician is the problem. Cut all the salaries by 75% or more and let's see what happens. The founders wanted common folk to serve because they wanted to, not to get rich in government.

 

I like this idea, but I would like to see us go further; put public servants back in the seat of public service. No one working for the People should make more than the People. Compensation should not exceed the median income...

 

I would get into conflicts of interest, but then I will be going way off subject.

 

Of course, ideals ar just that; ideals...........

[Oh Shoot]

My take is that term limits are not the answer.  Making your livelihood being a career politician is the problem. Cut all the salaries by 75% or more and let's see what happens. The founders wanted common folk to serve because they wanted to, not to get rich in government.

 

They don't get rich in DC off their salaries.

 

- OS

[bvarnell]

They don't get rich in DC off their salaries.

 

- OS

 

Exactly.

Plus it does cost a lot to live in DC and maintain a home for their family in their home district/state.

Do we really want someone who would put with the election process crap for a $75k salary?

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I think we need a 1 term limit for the presidency. Most second terms in recent history have been disasters, and none of the presidential second terms have been so good that we couldn't have done just as good with some other warm body in there instead, screwing things up in a slightly different fashion, signing crap law with a different signature, etc.

[tnguy]

They shouldn't be living in DC. A month or two every couple of years should be sufficient. In fact, these days, they should be telecommuting.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

I think we ought to quit withholding payroll taxes. Make everyone write one check on April 15th and then immediately follow it with Election Day on April 16.

Term limits would be a self-correcting problem.

Yeh, if everyone tied their vote to what they paid in taxes, they might pay attention more. I'll bet that would get the vote out more than

anything else. It would also put a lot of pollsters out of business fast. The media couldn't be used as the kind of tool it is, also. We

also wouldn't have half the number of laws facing us, like we do. The voluntary income tax code would be getting a lot of push back.

something that is always needed.

[tnguy]

Considering that so many people are pleased because they get a rebate, that may not be as helpful as we'd hope.

[whitewolf001]

Term limits on all politicians federal and state level, limits on money that can be made in office, lobbyists get booted the F' outta Washington, and retirement funds are NOT 100% of your salary, if soldiers can't make that then neither can those bloodsuckers.