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Plaintext
254 lines
18 KiB
Plaintext
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T h e G R E E N Y w o r l d D o m i n a t i o n T a s k F o r c e ,
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I n c o r p o r a t e d
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Presents:
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888888888 777
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"Send 'Em Packing: Reasoning for Congressional Term Limits" by Otis
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----- GwD: The American Dream with a Twist -- of Lime ***** Issue #87 -----
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----- release date: 01-03-01 ***** ISSN 1523-1585 -----
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The Founders of our nation wrote a brilliant Constitution establishing a
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federal government and separating powers between it and the governments of the
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states. The Constitution was intended to be and is a living document,
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addressing most issues in terms general enough to be relevant to any time,
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regardless of world events or politics of that time.
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However in the America of today, there are some situations in which the best
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interests of the citizens of the United States are not met by what is explicitly
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stated in the text of the Constitution. Among these situations are the conflict
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between the President and Congress over control of the armed forces, the
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inefficiency of the Electoral College in the modern world, and the lack of term
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limits for members of Congress. Of these conflicts, the lack of term limits for
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members of Congress seems to be the most important to many Americans. This
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conflict also seems to be one of the easiest of these conflicts to resolve, yet
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a proposed resolution (a two term maximum for Senators and a three term maximum
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for Representatives) was struck down by the Representatives and Senators who
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would have lost their jobs if it had passed. A constitutional amendment
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establishing term limits for members of Congress should be presented to limit
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the terms of their elected representatives, as it is in the best interest of the
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American people.
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Americans have long valued their voice in government; it is not everywhere
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that one can vote for whoever one wishes. However, much of the time, the
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choices are few or there is only one candidate on the ballot. The unopposed
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candidate is usually an incumbent. This even happens in congressional elections.
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Incumbent members of Congress are "aided by...electoral advantages...over
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challengers" (Dye 339). Incumbents enjoy more financial support from their
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parties, as well as more contributions from PACs and individuals. In some
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races, the incumbent is opposed by a candidate with views that do not appeal to
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a majority (or even a relatively moderate minority) of American voters. The
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result of these easy wins for incumbents is that in future races, other viable
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candidates often do not come forward due to the virtual impossibility of winning
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the race. Even if a viable candidate chooses to oppose the incumbent, he or she
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often loses (despite either candidate's policy positions) due to the name
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recognition of the incumbent.
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Term limits for members of Congress would create "'open-seat' races on a
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regular basis" and "encourage more people to seek public office" (Dye 342). If
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more people were to become involved in government, public policy would better
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reflect the views of the masses, as government would truly be representative of
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them. Since the United States government is based on popular representation of
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the people, it seems that term limits for members of Congress would help this
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great nation to live up to its foundations of public support for the actions of
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government.
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Imposing term limits on members of Congress is a popular proposal in the
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eyes of many Americans. Term limits are seen as a way for Representatives and
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Senators to be better connected to the people they represent. The vast majority
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of American registered voters support term limits, according to a Tarrance Group
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Poll. Of those polled, 77% favor term limits while only 17% oppose them ("ABIC
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- Demographic"). These numbers clearly show that a strong majority of Americans,
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at least American registered voters, support term limits for members of
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Congress. Such widespread support for term limits cannot be ignored forever by
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Congressmen.
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Also, "term limits have won by landslide margins almost everywhere they have
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appeared on referenda ballots." These referenda have little relevance to
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official policy, though. The Supreme Court ruled in 1995 that the states do not
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have the right to limit the terms of elected federal officials, as term
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limitations do not fall under the powers reserved to the states by the Tenth
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Amendment to the Constitution (Dye 343). However, many states have imposed
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strict term limits on statewide offices. This should be a message to U.S.
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Representatives and Senators that the American people are not going to tolerate
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rule by a relative few individuals for much longer. Term limits for Congress
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are supported by a large enough percentage of the people that eventually
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Congressmen will have to listen if they want to keep their seats long enough to
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have to worry about a limit on the number of terms they can serve.
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Though they are supported by most of their constituents, most members of
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Congress (as well as many other people) argue against the proposed term limits.
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Congressmen and other supporters of term limits state that "voters may
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reasonably want to be represented by members of Congress with knowledge and
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experience in public affairs" (Dye 342). This does seem to be the case, as an
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experienced legislator is more likely to spend less time adjusting to Congress
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and more time worrying about how policies and laws affect his or her
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constituents. However, even with term limits, experienced people could be
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elected. Former Representatives could become Senators (the opposite could
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happen as well, though it is less likely). Though the decisions made and the
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decision making process itself are slightly different from those of the U.S.
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Congress (or very different, depending on the state), State Legislators could
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seek election to national office (as many do now). Experienced people would
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still be elected to Congress. Those who do not support term limits also argue
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that "term limits would weaken the institution of Congress" as "inexperienced
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legislators would be forced to rely more on...bureaucrats, lobbyists, and
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staff" (Dye 342-3). This argument is flawed because it seems that people who
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have been in Congress longer would rely more on lobbyists and bureaucrats due to
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paybacks (financial or otherwise) for favors in the past. New members of
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Congress would rely on more experienced members of Congress (those who had not
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yet served their limit of terms), their own insight and intuition, and
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(hopefully) the views of their constituents to determine which policy proposals
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to support. Lobbyists would play a much smaller role in the policy-making
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process than they do now because Congressmen would not have to worry about
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having the long-term support of lobbyists.
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Members of Congress cannot be blamed for their lack of desire to limit their
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own terms: who would voluntarily limit the amount of time they can work in a
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specific position? Congress has done stranger things, though. For instance,
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Congress passed a law that governs pay increases for its members: pay increases
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do not go into effect until the next congressional session. Congressmen
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sometimes vote for laws that are not beneficial towards them. A majority of
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Representatives and Senators still oppose term limits, but a few do not.
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Despite the large number of Representatives and Senators opposed to term
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limits, at least one member of Congress vocally supports them. Senator John
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Ashcroft of Missouri has an "Online Petition Supporting Term Limits" on his web
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site. The Senator states that "term limits, at their core, are about increased
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participation in government..." (Smotkin). Fourteen U.S. Senators, as well as
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over 7,000 citizens signed Senator Ashcroft's petition before the Senate vote on
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congressional term limits held on April 23, 1996. Though the proposed term
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limits did not pass in the Senate, Senator Ashcroft and other term limit
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supporters could become a minority to be reckoned with in the Senate. Their
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numbers will grow as the American public continues to urge their elected
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representatives to support term limits. If members of Congress do not vote to
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reflect the views of their constituents, they will face the possibility of being
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limited to fewer terms than the maximum proposed limit. Senators like John
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Ashcroft seem to have realized that the Founders of the United States did not
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intend for congressional seats to be held by individuals for life.
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Congressional term limits, though inconsistent with the original text of the
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Constitution, would force Congress to be structured more like the Founders
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intended. Members of Congress (originally only members of the House of
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Representatives, until the adoption of the Twenty-second Amendment, which
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provided for direct popular election of U.S. Senators) were meant to be ordinary
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people who were elected to represent others like themselves. Roger Sherman, a
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delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, stated: "Congress should be
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'composed of 'citizen legislators' who would be expected to 'return home and mix
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with the people'" (Dye 342). Though Sherman's sentiment was excluded from the
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text of the Constitution, it seems only logical that the Framers wished to vest
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power in individuals for only a short period of time. They had just been
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through a war for independence from a nation with a ruler-for-life. The Framers
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not only wished to spread responsibility between the three branches of
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government to avoid centralization of power in one person; they intended for
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Congress (the branch most directly representative of the people) to be the
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dominant entity in national politics. It follows that they wished for this
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entity to renew itself on a regular basis to reflect the changing views of the
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populace. Thomas Jefferson stated that "The second feature I dislike [about the
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new U.S. Constitution] and greatly dislike, is the abandonment in every instance
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of the necessity of rotation in office..." on December 20, 1787 ("Americans Back
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In Charge Foundation"). Despite the misgivings of Jefferson and Sherman, all
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term limits were left out of the Constitution and it was not until this century
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that a term limit was enacted on the national level: the President was limited
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to serving two terms.
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The Framers did not plan a provision directly related to "professional"
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representatives of the people because they did not foresee the problem; people
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were not supposed to make careers as representatives. Longevity in office
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removes representatives from the people they represent. Some believe that this
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"system...has resulted, under modern conditions, in our being ruled year in and
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year out by a class of professional politicians. That situation is neither
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healthy nor right in a limited, constitutional democracy" (Pilon). The lack of
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term limits has led to inefficiency in government, as members of Congress often
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seem to spend more time campaigning for reelection than hearing the views of
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their constituents. The Constitution was intended to be a living document,
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which it is in many respects. Fortunately, the Founders included provisions for
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changing the Constitution in the event of unexpected situations, such as the
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current term limit problem. Unfortunately, a constitutional amendment would be
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required to impose congressional term limits. Article V provides for two
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processes to amend the Constitution, both of which must be initiated by Congress
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(Dye 86). The Amendment process worked to limit the number of terms that a
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chief executive can serve; it could also work to limit the number of terms that
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members of Congress can serve, but it is less likely to be initiated.
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The President of the United States is limited to two terms in office by the
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Twenty-second Amendment. This limitation is largely related to the desire to
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keep a single person from wielding power for too long, a concept going back to
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the intent of the Framers of the Constitution who had gained independence from
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just such a ruler. Franklin Delano Roosevelt's unprecedented election to four
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terms as President prompted this Amendment (Dye 244). Congress and the American
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people realized the problems that could arise from allowing one man to hold such
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a powerful office for more than a limited time. A similar amendment to the
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Constitution is necessary to prevent members of Congress from wielding power for
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too long.
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Representatives and Senators who are away from their constituents for a long
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period of time, often seem to vote for what they believe to be the views of
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their constituents rather than voting for the actual views of their electorate.
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This is the essence of the cliche: "power corrupts, absolute power corrupts
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absolutely." Congress and the American people realized the possibility of such
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a corruption in the President in 1951, so they proposed and ratified the Twenty-
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second Amendment. The American people have realized that this corruption can
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also occur in members of Congress, but they are still far from convincing
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Congress of the need for such an amendment.
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The number of terms that a member of Congress can serve should be limited by
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a constitutional amendment. The majority of the American people, as well as
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some Representatives and Senators, support such an amendment. Members of the
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House of Representatives should be limited to three terms, a total of six years.
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Senators should be limited to two terms, a total of twelve years. This is
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consistent with the intent of the Framers that members of the upper house
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represent the people for longer than members of the lower house. These time
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periods are long enough for to adequately represent the people of one's
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district.
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Limits such as these would allow members of Congress to focus on policy
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decisions the entire time they are in office, rather than shifting their focus
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to campaigning every few years. Term limits for Representatives and Senators
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would not allow the current trend of career legislators to continue. Senators
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like Strom Thurmond and Jesse Helms, who have been in the Senate for so long
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that they seem to have lost touch with their constituents on many issues, would
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have to return home and live under the laws that they have made.
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Representatives like Larry Combest would not have to worry about being denied
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the chairmanship of a committee on which he is a senior member. Senior
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committee members would not exist as they do now since the most senior
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Representatives would have served only two terms and the most senior Senators
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would have served only one. Term limits would drastically restructure Congress
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in this fashion, transforming it into the institution envisioned by Thomas
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Jefferson and the other Framers of the Constitution. Limiting the number of
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terms that Representatives and Senators can serve would not only be more true to
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the original intent of the nation's Founding Fathers, it would alter the
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structure of government of the United States today in a positive and beneficial
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manner.
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Works Cited
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"ABIC - Demographic Breakdown of American Support for TL"
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http://www.abic.org/abic/demograph.html.cgi.
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"Americans Back In Charge Foundation." http://www.abic.org/.
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Dye, Thomas R., L. Tucker Gibson, Jr., and Clay Robinson. _Politics in America_.
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Second edition. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 1997.
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Pilon, Roger. "Who's Afraid of a Constitutional Amendment on Term Limits?"
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_The Wall Street Journal_. 16 October 1996.
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http://www.termlimits.org/afraid.htm.
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Smotkin, Rick. "Online Petition Supporting Term Limits."
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http://www.senate.gov/~ashcroft/termlimits/. (27 November 1997)
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-----------------------------<GwD Command Centers>------------------------------
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GwDweb: http://www.GREENY.org/
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GwD Publications: http://gwd.mit.edu/
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ftp://ftp.GREENY.org/gwd/
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GwD BBSes: C.H.A.O.S. - http://chaos.GREENY.org/
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Snake's Den - http://www.snakeden.org/
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E-Mail: gwd@GREENY.org
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* GwD, Inc. - P.O. Box 16038 - Lubbock, Texas 79490 *
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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"The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious
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to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty
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gods, or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."
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- Thomas Jefferson
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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-+- F Y M -+-
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GR33NY LIK3S mash3d p0tat03s
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MORE THAN FIVE YEARS of ABSOLUTE CRAP! /---------------\
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copyright (c) MM Otis/GwD Publications :SHIT YOUR PANTS:
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copyright (c) MM GwD, Inc. : GwD :
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All rights reserved \---------------/
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GwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwDGwD87
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