This blog allows students of Mr. Chazen's AP US Government classes to continue discussions, debates and conversations concerning issues and topics introduced in class.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
BLOG #4_ Should Congress have Term Limits
What are your views on term limits for Congress?
79 comments:
Anonymous
said...
there should be term limits in congress because there will be no progress in trying to get more diverse representation if the same people stay in office. however, if people really want to stop the endless amount of terms they have, the only thing they have to do is stop voting for them. it's very simple if people want a change voting is the best way to do it.
I believe that there should be a limit on term limits in congress. This is due to the fact that endless terms could result in the abuse of power, with lack of new ideas. Diversity should be represented more and this will only occur if there are term limits.
There should be term limits on Congress terms. Some representatives are in congress for 20, 30, 40 years so we keep seeing these same people that all hold the same beliefs year in and year out. We need to have new political ideas that can evolve with the times and if we keep seeing these same people, new ideas won't occur. I do agree that people could vote them out, but with gerrymandering and all, it makes it very hard for people to challenge the incumbents because there's never enough people to topple the majority. So i do think we need term limits for Congress.
There should be term limits on Congress. With limits on how long a person can serve, new persespectives can come in. Since it is easier for someone to be re-elected after they run, it is harder for new people to take their place. Term limits also prevent too much power of a person and is a check. Some opponents of term limits might say that it is the people's right to vote and the best man should be in Congress. I disagree because I think that experience is not always better than fresh perspectives. Term limits prevent too much power.
I believe that Congress should have a limit on terms because that would force the new candidates to stay on their toes. This would make Congress constantly change if there were limits on terms. This could help the country in deciding on new legislation at a quicker rate because more people would want to make something happen since they would now have a limit on how long they serve. These limits would impose competition and would help find American trends faster and more accurately.
Term limits are very essential to be placed on Congressmen. Once a representative has been in office for more than 10-20 years, their hackneyed ideas will not only lead to gridlock, they will also incorrectly represent the opinions of the American public. New political ideas will be presented by they youthful and fresh Congressmen, satisfying the needs of American citizens. Through the extensive and flexible powers of gerrymandering, the election of new Congressmen is extremely challenging and unlikely to happen. For this reason, term limits should be placed on how long Congressmen can serve in a lifetime or consecutively.
There should be term limits on congress to ensure more diversity of thought in our lawmaking process. Simply voting for another candidate often doesn't work because of gerrymandering and uncompetitive elections.
Getting new people into congress is something that will only make the government improve. Approval ratings are at an all time low, so more minorities and people with different ideas are vital to the success of the government. There is a reason that most citizens want term limits.
I don't think that Congress should have term limits because the citizens haven't really complained. There has been a few people that have wanted to change the terms of Congress but if there isn't a majority trying to change it, then it's ok and leave it alone. That becomes a big problem with government, when one person complains they think the world is ending. I think if we have come this far with the Congress the way it is, well then it's fine. Also, the states elect who they have in the Congress, so if they choose to keep reelecting them, well then they want them representing them. So let the people do what they want and leave it where it is until it becomes a problem. We don't need to fix something the=at isn't broken.
I think there should be term limits. Government is currently chock full of people who care not about the people but about their paycheck and benefits. By limiting terms (also by making politicians not get paid) we can effectively stem this trend of "career" politicians.
I believe that Congress should have limits on terms because even though people may have voted the representatives into Congress, the public may not agree with the votes due to gerrymandering, as Helen stated above. I think that representatives need limitations because the public may not want the representatives in the House, but cannot have their voice heard because of gerrymandering and term limitations would prevent the person from running and being elected again.
I think there should be a term limit because of the fact that the president does. Congress has the same amount of power (possibly more) than the president so we should put a limit on how long that power is used. There is a limit on the president so it does not create a tyranny. Why would we not think that Congress can do the same thing? Their power with the United States can make them all powerful and if we don't cycle people out every once in a while then the people's vote goes away.
Yes, there should be congressional term limits. Congress regularly needs fresh perspective so that the true wishes of the people are most adequately reflected as they would be in a race for an open seat. When deciding between two non-incumbents, voters are forced to think more about what the candidates believe in because they can't simply vote for the incumbent, feeling that they do a good enough job. Voters need to think more critically about politics and Congress needs fresh thoughts that reflect the peoples' wishes, so that our republic runs more as it was intended to.
Placing term limits on elected members of Congress would be beneficial as it would make for the most accurate representation of the people. Without limits, these positions are essentially secured for life, with the help of gerrymandering and other corrupt practices. While having some experience under your belt can allow you to better handle political dilemmas, you do not need decades of experience, which is what members of Congress are currently allowed. With term limits in place, there would be a wider variety of people getting the opportunity to participate in government, as seats would be open more often, which would allow for these representatives to have a more in-touch understanding of citizens' concerns, and would, in turn, make for a more approving public.
Congress should have term limits because without them, the ignorant majority of Americans will vote for the incumbent every election without looking into the policies or ideas of new challengers. Congress' approval rating is low because many people don't even know what their representatives stand for; they just vote for them because they were most likely an incumbent. By putting limits on congressional terms, Americans will actually have to pay attention to new ideas and policies, and experimenting with new ideas could possibly lead to a higher approval rating for congress.
I believe there should be consecutive term limits for congress. That way new perspectives can be introduced to congress. By having consecutive term limits, the best person can still be elected for office but there is a check to the power.
I believe that there should be term limits in congress because it is so hard for someone to win an election against an incumbent. As we discussed in class, the incumbents have a large advantage over competitors. For example, incumbents are recognizable and they are often never out spent when it comes to campaign spending (especially in the House) which greatly effects votes. If term limits in congress were enforced, it would allow real competition, like we see whenever there are open seats. This competition would hopefully, because it would more accurately portray voters opinions, raise the acceptance rating which is at an all time low. Also, because term limits would allow new people to enter congress, there would be new perspectives and ideas.
There should be term limits for Congress because it was never intended for people to be in Congress for a long amount of time. The Framers did not expect it to be a permanent job when they decided to not have term limits. Now it is harder for citizen challengers to be effective because the incumbents always win office. We need new people in Congress because it is important to change people out so we get new voices and opinions. The President has term limits so I believe that Congress should too.
I think that there should be terms limits in Congress because like stated in the video, the framers wanted the average citizen to be able to challenge the incumbents and be able to change Congress to better represent the area at the time. If we allow politicians to remain in office for as long as they can be elected, our government could potentially have senators and representatives gaining too much power and having too much influence in the government. The idea of our government now is to get a fresh perspective on whatever state or district is being represented and that can be done by imposing term limits.
I believe there should be a limit on term power. Having a limit would help congress change with our economy and society, for if we have the same representatives all the time stuck on old ideas, then our government can never improve as a whole. Also, having new representatives with fresh minds and ideas will help our government grow.
We absolutely need term limits in Congress! Our collective opinions on congress as a whole are extremely low with a Congress that has not been not at all productive. We need to install the consequence of a term limit in order to keep a higher turnover rate in Congress. We need a higher turnover to promote productivity and help make congress to be more like the framers intended with a less prevalent idea of politicians as professionals
The issue of term limits lies at a very difficult point to which a decision can be made. On one hand, the record for house and senate terms are both over 50 years with its conclusion in 2010, both ludicrous numbers during which approval ratings call for a term limit. On the other hand, history has pointed out that a strong leader should receive longer terms in order to maximize the potential of the country. In this sense, term limits should not be imposed. Instead, I agree with Sydney's movement that awareness should be brought to voters on the effectiveness of their senators and representatives. Such awareness can be brought upon by increased education in political workings for the general public. Achieving this will ensure the election of citizen-approved legislation.
There should be a limit on Congressmen's terms because, as we have learned, incumbents almost always get re-elected. This means that mostly the same people are in charge of Congress year after year. While experience is undoubtedly helpful, unlimited terms can lead to a lack of new ideas and voices. Our Congress can easily improve by adding term limits.
A term limit of 12 years in both the senate and house is very reasonable. Statistically, a large majority of American citizens are in favor of term limits, no matter what their political beliefs are. With term limits, there's more of an opportunity to get a larger range of representatives. Incumbents keep winning because no one wants to run against them. If we shorten the terms, there will be opportunities for a new perspective in office. Endless terms could result in the abuse of power.
I do not believe you should place term limits on congress members. The constitution specifically did not place limits on ANY elected position due to the fact that those who hold office are chosen by the people. therefore, if the people want a president for 16 years (i.e. FDR), then they have the right to do so - it was only Washington's two term thing he did that set that precedence until an actual amendment changed that. The people have the right to choose and therefore if the people want repetitive elections than they should have it.
I believe that term limits in congress is a step in the right direction for the United States. First, it will accomplish people in congress not abusing the amount of power. Second, I think it will also help create new ideas within the national government.Third, I think staying in congress for 30 plus years is too long because there will never be good cycle of ideas.
I agree that Congress should have term limits, however they should e longer, extended term limits like Gallup presented. This allows for some political stability and consistency, as well as experience, along with innovation and new ideas that I believe can strongly benefit the people.
I think that Congress should have term limits because I feel no one should be able to be in Congress that long as a incumbent, who most likely wont lose their seat. I do not however believe that short terms are the way to success. In one of the articles it talked about changing it to a limit of 24 consecutive years in office. That seems reasonable enough. This number satisfies the people who say no to unlimited but is enough time to rule for a long period of time to establish seniority to create a difference in the government.
Congress should have term limits on it because having the same people re elected over and over and over again until they're old enough to retire is ludicrous. There will never be a change in the overall opinion of Congress that way. Yes, a few new seats open every few years or so but, there are always going to be too many of the same people in Congress,and they will most likely still have the same views and goals. It seems that with the same general team of people in Congress, all there will be is even more government shutdowns and more gridlock.
I don't think term limits are necessary as long as the representative or senator is doing their job well which ideally would be necessary for election. Seeing as though we do not live in a world without corruption a term limit should be put in place to help stop senators and representatives who run unopposed with little ambition and drive to make a difference and help their community and country.
I think there should be a term limit for Congress. An unlimited amount of terms a representative or Senator can be elected, to me, seems like a bad idea. We have seen throughout the world with presidents with no term limit become corrupt, along with other branches of their governments. Granted, a Congressman could get booted out of office if they were found to be corrupt, but that's only if we knew. Usually with corrupt government officials, they try to hide the fact that they are working for their own gain. It's not something they want to boast about. This would not be an issue if all American citizens are looking to do what's best for the nation, but this is not the case. I believe as years progress that the chances of an official becoming corrupt increase. I understand that most movies are fictional, but when you watch a movie with a corrupt official that keeps getting reelected and then look at real elections, it makes me think about how many Congressmen are working solely for personal gains, and cares nothing about the liberty of the people.
I believe that there should be term limits in congress because America is constantly changing. New ideas and innovations are good for our society, and to stick to the same values of one person is to hinder the initial ideals of U.S. completely. The same person running for the same position will likely give the same policies being sent and not a lot of diversity in subject matter can come across one who could be very adamant on a particular policy. I agree with Cassie's comment about how requiring these limits will allow more competition in congress. This competition is good and diverse for voters to decide which candidate is best. I also believe the voter rates will increase when others see new people running with new ideas and policies.
In my opinion, there should be term limits in congress. A big reason for that is because if we don't have limits, then we wont' become more diverse in congress which is something I think we should strive for. Also, without term limits there will not be any new ideas that will be brought to the table.
I think that there should be a term limit for Congress, however I think it should be a longer term limit. It takes our representatives some time to figure out how Congress works and how they can be the best representative possible. If they were only aloud to serve 2 terms, then they probably would not have made any impact in American policies. Representatives need time to figure out Congress and need a long enough time to do so, however they do not need so much that they would be able to abuse their powers. America is a changing nation and our representatives need to reflect that. Therefore, our nation needs to put limits on terms in congress, but they need to allow the representatives to have time to make a change.
there should be a very short term for congress and senate, and a term limit. that's because the house has to stay updated to what the people want, i also think that there should be no age limit on both. the longer the terms are, the less it is about the poeple and the more it's about the representatives themselves.
There definitely should be a check for the term limits that representatives can serve in Congress. Incumbents oftentimes can serve in Congress for life and thus they become more conserved with preserving their jobs and securing reelection than they are with representing their state and their people. I agree that the framers didn't intend for representatives to serve for life in Congress and I think think that it would be more effective if people weren't able to stick around for so long. I think that because the president has his terms limited, Congress also should have its terms limited. This would certainly lead to higher Congress approval rates and I believe also higher efficiency and representation.
I believe there should be term limits on congress because, without term limits, congress is full of incumbents that are abusing their powers and making it so that it is nearly impossible to kick them out of their position. The purpose of gerrymandering is to put one group of people at an advantage in voting, this includes giving the party in control an advantage. According to the articles we read, congress currently only has about a 13% approval rating, yet according to last night's reading, about 85% of incumbents are re-elected. This has to do with the media heavily influencing the public and the effects of gerrymandering that people are unable to kick people out of office. With term limits, there wouldn't be as many incumbents holding a monopoly over the vote, giving the voters more freedoms.
I disagree with term limits for Congress. With a term limit, Congressmen serving their last term are no longer concerned about being reelected, so they are not held accountable to the people's will. In other words, they can do whatever they want without fear of being penalized by voters because they can't run again. Although low turnover rates are a serious problem, the best way to solve it is to limit gerrymandering.
Instead of putting term limits on Congresspeople, we should look at the root of why there is such a resounding call for these amendments. What most of the people on this blog post have said, although maybe not explicitly, is that power would be abused if term limits were not to be placed. But where does the power of the Congressmen lie? It lies with the people. Therefore, I do not support term limits, and propose an alternate solution promoting fair and transparent elections. Instead of outright limiting the number of incumbents allowed to run for reelection, we should instead put restrictions on campaigns, promoting or even forcing easy access to records, limiting money spent on campaigns, and overall getting the people more involved and informed about who they are voting for. Without the smoke and mirrors placed by incumbents hell-bent on another 2/6 years in Congress, the people voting would be more easily able to choose candidates based on their merits and viewpoints rather than their advertisements. This would also allow us to keep those representatives in power who are doing excellent work, and who have many more successful years left to give. Using this alternate solution we would be one step closer to an ideal Congress, without any of the unwanted setbacks of term limits on those successful Congressmen adequately representing their districts.
Congress should have term limits. Senators should be able to serve 2 terms, and House members should be able to serve six terms. This gives a possible twelve years for a Congressmen to represent his or her voters. The approval rate of Congress is at an all time low, and that could be because the same people stay in office year after year arguing about the same topics over and over. If younger, more connected people to the voters were in office then potentially more could be passed in Congress.
I believe term limits in Congress is necessary in order to keep our ideas diverse. We should have be exposed to different ideas and beliefs because the approval ratings are so low. I agree with Joe, because I feel like most people vote for the incumbent because that is just the person that they are used to, and most people probably have a small understanding of what the incumbent actually believes. The term limit would greatly help Congress by potentially increasing the approval rate and bringing in fresh new ideas.
I believe that Congress should have term limits because as the third article say, term limits will "ensure a wider range of perspectives in government". This is important because if the same representative is in Congress for an extended amount of time, no newer representatives with different viewpoints will be able to vote on legislation in a different way. Newer representatives could reflect the changing ideas of the present, unlike representatives who have resided in Congress for decades. Also, I think that term limits are necessary because they make sure that a large amount of power is not vested in a single individual. Without term limits, minority parties that do not support the same representative that has been in Congress for years will not have a fair say in government.
I completely agree with Joe. Although at first I thought that their shouldn't be because if people really wanted to change their representative then they would just vote for a new candidate. But Joe is right when saying that Americans will just vote for the incumbent because they were already in office and obviously not many Americans care about congress all that much because the ratings are low but the people haven't done anything to change it. If we set a number of terms a representative can have them it would cause people to become more involved and vote for someone who has the same beliefs that they do and not just be lazy and vote for the incumbent already in office.
I think that there should be a term limit for Congress, however it should be fairly long. Once elected to office, it takes the representatives time to figure how everything works and how they want to approach certain situations. If the term limit is made too short, most members would not make any impact on government policies. But if the term limit is made too long, representatives could abuse their powers.
Term limits should be imposed on congress because it would make it harder for our government to be run by the elite. It would bring in new ideas and keep congress more in touch with the people because there will be less incumbents.
Term limits are needed to restrain members of congress because if the limits aren't set then people will keep voting for who's already there. The current problems Congress is facing like gridlock will keep happening and nothing will ever get done.
We should impose term limits on congress for many of the same reasons we did so to the presidency, because it keeps certain individuals from gaining too much power and it weakens the elite political class. Removing term limits might also add pressure for them to actually compromise and get things done because they would only have so much time to do it before they're out of office.
There should be term limits in congress, because now we have one of the most unproductive Congress that we have ever had because we keep bringing back the same people, and they keep on butting head the same way. We need to get new ideas into Congress and having the incumbents keep on coming back isn't making that happen.
Congressional term limits should be added. People in Congress are getting re-elected over and over again, without major shifts. Congressmen currently aren't doing much and aren't able to accomplish much. With this Congress getting re-elected over and over again, the current Congress isn't representing the people (it isn't representing anything, actually). Congressmen don't care about the people right now, they care about the money - and with term limits, this will be discouraged. To get the $$$, Congressmen will actually have to actually earn the $$$.
I think that there should be term limits placed on congress because without them people who never look into the elections and always continue to keep the incumbents in congress. Then causing are new political ideas to be expressed from new representatives. I do agree that people could vote them out if they wanted to but with the difficulty for a challenger to defeat an incumbent it is not very likely.
I think there needs to be a limit on the number of terms that candidates can run for. If the same people continue to run and get reelected, then there is no diversity or change. Although change can sometimes be bad, it is important for our government to not stay the same for many years. I think a fresh mind, new perspective, and a person with passion should be put into our government over someone who is worn out, but still running for reelection.
There should be limits on how many terms a Congressman can serve because, based on past results incumbents have a very high rate of winning reelections making it almost impossible for new candidates to bring in new ideas and keeps any one Congress member from gaining too much power and abusing their position. And even if it is limited to two terms totaling 12 years that is still a lot of time for someone to be in Congress and make the changes they want to make.
I believe that there needs to be term limits in order to control power and keep new ideas running throughout the members of Congress. Without term limits, one or many may eventually gain too much power, and may keep the same ideas running through our government forever. I believe that new candidates throughout the years will bring different perspectives and new ideas that someone who has been running for so long may not think of or have. New leaders bring new and fresh ideas, which is what our government needs, especially if the ideas of those who are elected are not working.
Ideally, I think that members of Congress should be able to stay in Congress as long as people will vote for them. However, the U.S. government's practices are not always ideal. Because of things like gerrymandering, which twists people's votes, Congress members can stay in Congress longer than people actually want them to. This creates a current need for term limits.
Despite Congressmen being up for reelection every few years, and despite them being reelected into their positions practically every single time, it is essential that a Congressional term limit be implemented. In the past, the United States has encountered issues regarding the constant reelection of the same person; for example, Franklin D. Roosevelt. Fortunately for the US, Roosevelt brought about a significant amount of positive change to the nation, but after his four terms, the country decided that there needed to be a stopping point. One could say that this is no different with the situation in Congress, however the reality is that Congress is making very little, if any, progress at all: let it be positive or negative. Additionally, unlike in Presidential elections where members of the electoral college are assigned to states, these smaller districts used to elect Congressmen are far smaller, and less concrete with being subject to gerrymandering. If the United States wishes to remain as the hegemonic nation, it must evolve and constantly improve itself and this is one logical step that is necessary in achieving such.
I think that government should establish term limits because otherwise congress would not be connected to the people of the US. If restrictions are not placed on how long a member of the congress is allowed to stay, it is likely that the incumbents will be constantly reelected. As the views of Americans change, the members of congress won't be able to represent the ideas and opinions of the citizens.
There shouldn't be a total term limit, but instead consecutive term limits. Congress members should be able to serve 6 consecutive years in the house or senate, but then not be allowed to hold office the consecutive year. However, after waiting a term, they should be allowed to run again. This ensures diversity of congressmen and new ideas, but also allows the most qualified representatives to serve for a majority of their lives, if they choose.
Life long term limits are over the top and an infringement on the public's ability to choose the people that represent them. That being said I feel like there is something to be said in regards to consecutive term limits. If the publics opinion of congressmen is so low, they can stop voting for them. I think that people should vote for who they think can best represent them. Just like my argument with Congress looking like America, the various districts should be allowed to elect their own representative, whether for one term or five terms. I personally would like to see more change in the representatives, I do think it gets stagnant, with the same people that have the same beliefs being elected each time. Because of this I can understand the arguments for consecutive term limits, it would be nice to have a little change and see who really wants to simply have their power, and who actually wants to help out country,but I cannot see how we can remove the peoples right to vote for the candidate they feel will represent them best.
I believe that Congress should have term limits. The terms should be longer that a presidents term though. For example, a good term limit could be about 12 years. That may sound like a lot, but it would allow representatives to become experts in what they do and then give them time to use their expertise. A short term of maybe 6 years would only allow a representative time to become an expert, but by the time they become that, their term would be up. I definitely think there should be a term limit because it prevents representatives from becoming too powerful and dominating the House/Senate. Term limits would serve as a checks and balances type system within Congress. If a representative was in the House too long, they could become the most popular and most vaulable, therefore resulting in that representative dominating the House. Term limits would help keep Congress fresh with new people and ideas.
I agree that term limits should be set for Congress. It was mentioned in the Blend Space video from Fox News that the framers of our country did not intend for there to be such a lack of fair competition in congress, and we all witnessed the result of this with the government shut-down. Today's Congress is the most gridlocked in history, and I strongly believe that this is due to the fact that incumbents have 80% and higher reelection rates, and there are few new or diverse perspectives.
I agree with Matt Peterson's idea, but mine is slightly different. In this plan, there wouldn't be term limits, but a politician would be able to serve one terms in the senate, followed by a one term break. In the House of Representatives, a candidate could serve two terms, followed by a two term break. I think that this would solve many problems caused by professional politicians that can earn upwards of $200,000 a year. I do not think that this would cause instability in government, parties will provide a sense of stability. This will make it easier for common people to participate in government, and have people be more involved in government, and maybe put a stop to the senate being a millionaire's club. What we tell our kids about being the president one day will more closely resemble the truth.
I believe there should be a little to terms. Drew Bonnett eloquently stated why this a term should be set. We can't have people dinking around in congress and wasting time, set a time limit will motivate them to move forward. Further, the people in our government appear to always changing, so surely the representation of the people should reflect that in some way. Congress doesn't need to change every term, but things need to be done to limit the set number of terms. The funny thing is though, that we can sit here and talk about this all day, but this will never (at least for now) get passed in Congress because it would limit the powers of the individuals in office currently.
Yes having certain term limits in congress would be a good thing, the power of these people keeping their positions in office resides in the votes of the people so if the people feel that change is needed then they could just not vote for the same person. So the solution to congress having limited terms, is in what the voters want.
I believe Congress should have term limits because the nation and the World are constantly changing and developing new political and social ideologies. This would help to hinder incumbents from so easily being reelected, and allow the seats to be turned over quicker which would bring different ideas and new perspectives to Congress. Also, this would help prevent incumbents from becoming too powerful.
I believe that Congress should have term limits. The term limits now are too short and need to be longer in order for representatives to be or perform their best. Also, there should be term limits because our society is constantly changing and new ideas could always come in from different representatives. I also agree with Melany where that there should be limitations on Congress so that the voters actually have a say in who they are voting for.
There should be a term limit on Congress. Most Americans would say that they are not happy with the current state of Congress, with the approval rating at an all time low of 5%. This is because we have the same members arguing the same ideas and issues year after year. Putting term limits on Congress allows for more diversity and better representation of Americans, increasing the approval rating of Congress. Term limits also should be put in place to prevent any one person from gaining too much power. We have them on the president for this reason, why not Congress also?
Term limits will not help solve problems within Congress. Having frequent elections gives the people the power to change government. It is essential to the core beliefs of the United States. Unfortunately, many issues arise form this. One of the biggest issues with the effectiveness of Congress arises from their constant need to raise campaign funds for reelection. Another issue is that most constituents barely know their representatives, much less know their values or achievements. The problem lies not with the representatives, but with the people. These issues are only there because the voters are not holding representatives accountable. Even if term limits are proposed, legislation will never be passed, because lawmakers know they will not be blamed for it. Proponents of term limits who want to resolve the core issues should push to educate voters.
I believe that there should be a term limit placed on the House and Senate. Without one, there will be people that spend their whole careers in either. America would never have fresh ideas or opinions to be added to the debates being held. In my opinion, if we don't set a limit now, the current senators and representative will continue to fight as they are now and nothing will get done until they decide to retire. Why in America, where we were set up to be the opposite of a monarchy with no one person being in constant control, would it be aloud for people to hold an office of this caliber for how ever long they want? One person out of 100 or 435 might not seem a lot. But if there continues to be an 80% reelection rate for incumbents, then there will be issues. In my opinion, new people equals new ideas. New ideas bring change and change brings results which is something we are not seeing with our current situation.
I think that there should be a term limit for Congress. Today, it seems that incumbents have a very large advantage over competitors. However, they are not incumbents necessarily because the people like them. They can do an average job in office and still get reelected just because their name is familiar and they have steady access to voters. Because incumbents can stay as long as they can, this prevents new ideas or views from coming into Congress. As the terms pass, incumbents may gain more power and sort of rule over the other congresspeople. This is an issue because if there is a problem that needs to be fixed in legislature but incumbents feel it's not that important, it may be ignored. If we keep the same people in power, the system may not be as flexible as it could be and will stay, for the most part, traditional.
I believe that there should be term limits in congress. This is because power can be abused if representatives stay for too long. Also the longer the representatives stay, and the fact that they will keep getting reelected, makes it obvious that representatives will have less ideas leading to less options, which is why I believe there should be a diversity of ideas in congress. Levin mentioned in the video that there is an 80% reelection rated of incumbents, meaning we are not really getting any different from the past years and if it continues to stay the same there going to be problems that will not be solved because the members just give out the same ideas over and over again and nothing is changing, and there is big chance that if we have newer members we will have newer ideas, and options to solve our problems.
I believe that it is necessary to limit congressional terms. Limits should be put into so that the same representatives are not always in congress, so that new ideas can be instilled into the policy agenda. This would increase congresses problem solving abilities and create a more active government. Now experience has proven it’s self unapt, which means that fresh perspectives are needed. It also makes sense to have term limits for congress because there are limits for the President.
I believe things should stay the same. One bad disapproval rating shouldn't mean that we should have a complete re-overhaul of the system. Congress hasn't been abusing it's power, its actually been executing it's power as expected with checks and balances. People say this congress hasn't accomplished anything, however this congress has been trying and going through the process of getting bills passed, unfortunately, the majority can't come to together and agree on a bill.Term limits are unnecessary. We shouldn't call for change every time something doesn't work. We just have to stick with it, and trust that this system will pan out.
I am a state of the times believer, and the times are pretty meh right now, and I think that's because the whole congress is full of boring codgers. Wouldn't it be more exciting if we had some change? I think more things would actually be DONE, instead of "meh""remove obamacare" "meh" that congress is today. Also, it opens the door to more diversity, for variety is the spice of life. Finally, people abuse incumbent power and we need to stop that. Thanks for reading bye.
Without term limits, incumbents will be voted back to congress time and time again. There won't be able source of check on these representative's powers as they will continue to impede on the rights that citizens have. Without a term limits, things like gridlocks will become even more common, as there "the right people" for the job will not even have an opportunity to run. In the end, with term limits, we're rooting out the bad politicians until the good ones can actually run.
I believe that there should definitely be term limits in Congress. Currently, incumbents are winning elections time after time, and they likely will have the same ideas each and every time. However, if there are set term limits, then there is a much greater possibility of diversity within Congress. Furthermore, this will limit Congressional power because then representatives can't be in congress for longer than say, 12 years.
I believe that there should be term limits in order to reduce the amount of power a congressperson has during his/her lifetime. I agree with Sydney in that it is harder to change old-fashioned ways of thinking. Currently, Incumbents are not challenged to adapt to current situations because of the advantages of being an incumbent in an election.
79 comments:
there should be term limits in congress because there will be no progress in trying to get more diverse representation if the same people stay in office. however, if people really want to stop the endless amount of terms they have, the only thing they have to do is stop voting for them. it's very simple if people want a change voting is the best way to do it.
I believe that there should be a limit on term limits in congress. This is due to the fact that endless terms could result in the abuse of power, with lack of new ideas. Diversity should be represented more and this will only occur if there are term limits.
There should be term limits on Congress terms. Some representatives are in congress for 20, 30, 40 years so we keep seeing these same people that all hold the same beliefs year in and year out. We need to have new political ideas that can evolve with the times and if we keep seeing these same people, new ideas won't occur. I do agree that people could vote them out, but with gerrymandering and all, it makes it very hard for people to challenge the incumbents because there's never enough people to topple the majority. So i do think we need term limits for Congress.
There should be term limits on Congress. With limits on how long a person can serve, new persespectives can come in. Since it is easier for someone to be re-elected after they run, it is harder for new people to take their place. Term limits also prevent too much power of a person and is a check. Some opponents of term limits might say that it is the people's right to vote and the best man should be in Congress. I disagree because I think that experience is not always better than fresh perspectives. Term limits prevent too much power.
I believe that Congress should have a limit on terms because that would force the new candidates to stay on their toes. This would make Congress constantly change if there were limits on terms. This could help the country in deciding on new legislation at a quicker rate because more people would want to make something happen since they would now have a limit on how long they serve. These limits would impose competition and would help find American trends faster and more accurately.
Term limits are very essential to be placed on Congressmen. Once a representative has been in office for more than 10-20 years, their hackneyed ideas will not only lead to gridlock, they will also incorrectly represent the opinions of the American public. New political ideas will be presented by they youthful and fresh Congressmen, satisfying the needs of American citizens. Through the extensive and flexible powers of gerrymandering, the election of new Congressmen is extremely challenging and unlikely to happen. For this reason, term limits should be placed on how long Congressmen can serve in a lifetime or consecutively.
There should be term limits on congress to ensure more diversity of thought in our lawmaking process. Simply voting for another candidate often doesn't work because of gerrymandering and uncompetitive elections.
Getting new people into congress is something that will only make the government improve. Approval ratings are at an all time low, so more minorities and people with different ideas are vital to the success of the government. There is a reason that most citizens want term limits.
I don't think that Congress should have term limits because the citizens haven't really complained. There has been a few people that have wanted to change the terms of Congress but if there isn't a majority trying to change it, then it's ok and leave it alone. That becomes a big problem with government, when one person complains they think the world is ending. I think if we have come this far with the Congress the way it is, well then it's fine. Also, the states elect who they have in the Congress, so if they choose to keep reelecting them, well then they want them representing them. So let the people do what they want and leave it where it is until it becomes a problem. We don't need to fix something the=at isn't broken.
I think there should be term limits. Government is currently chock full of people who care not about the people but about their paycheck and benefits. By limiting terms (also by making politicians not get paid) we can effectively stem this trend of "career" politicians.
I believe that Congress should have limits on terms because even though people may have voted the representatives into Congress, the public may not agree with the votes due to gerrymandering, as Helen stated above. I think that representatives need limitations because the public may not want the representatives in the House, but cannot have their voice heard because of gerrymandering and term limitations would prevent the person from running and being elected again.
I think there should be a term limit because of the fact that the president does. Congress has the same amount of power (possibly more) than the president so we should put a limit on how long that power is used. There is a limit on the president so it does not create a tyranny. Why would we not think that Congress can do the same thing? Their power with the United States can make them all powerful and if we don't cycle people out every once in a while then the people's vote goes away.
Yes, there should be congressional term limits. Congress regularly needs fresh perspective so that the true wishes of the people are most adequately reflected as they would be in a race for an open seat. When deciding between two non-incumbents, voters are forced to think more about what the candidates believe in because they can't simply vote for the incumbent, feeling that they do a good enough job. Voters need to think more critically about politics and Congress needs fresh thoughts that reflect the peoples' wishes, so that our republic runs more as it was intended to.
Placing term limits on elected members of Congress would be beneficial as it would make for the most accurate representation of the people. Without limits, these positions are essentially secured for life, with the help of gerrymandering and other corrupt practices. While having some experience under your belt can allow you to better handle political dilemmas, you do not need decades of experience, which is what members of Congress are currently allowed. With term limits in place, there would be a wider variety of people getting the opportunity to participate in government, as seats would be open more often, which would allow for these representatives to have a more in-touch understanding of citizens' concerns, and would, in turn, make for a more approving public.
Congress should have term limits because without them, the ignorant majority of Americans will vote for the incumbent every election without looking into the policies or ideas of new challengers. Congress' approval rating is low because many people don't even know what their representatives stand for; they just vote for them because they were most likely an incumbent. By putting limits on congressional terms, Americans will actually have to pay attention to new ideas and policies, and experimenting with new ideas could possibly lead to a higher approval rating for congress.
I believe there should be consecutive term limits for congress. That way new perspectives can be introduced to congress. By having consecutive term limits, the best person can still be elected for office but there is a check to the power.
I believe that there should be term limits in congress because it is so hard for someone to win an election against an incumbent. As we discussed in class, the incumbents have a large advantage over competitors. For example, incumbents are recognizable and they are often never out spent when it comes to campaign spending (especially in the House) which greatly effects votes. If term limits in congress were enforced, it would allow real competition, like we see whenever there are open seats. This competition would hopefully, because it would more accurately portray voters opinions, raise the acceptance rating which is at an all time low. Also, because term limits would allow new people to enter congress, there would be new perspectives and ideas.
There should be term limits for Congress because it was never intended for people to be in Congress for a long amount of time. The Framers did not expect it to be a permanent job when they decided to not have term limits. Now it is harder for citizen challengers to be effective because the incumbents always win office. We need new people in Congress because it is important to change people out so we get new voices and opinions. The President has term limits so I believe that Congress should too.
I think that there should be terms limits in Congress because like stated in the video, the framers wanted the average citizen to be able to challenge the incumbents and be able to change Congress to better represent the area at the time. If we allow politicians to remain in office for as long as they can be elected, our government could potentially have senators and representatives gaining too much power and having too much influence in the government. The idea of our government now is to get a fresh perspective on whatever state or district is being represented and that can be done by imposing term limits.
I believe there should be a limit on term power. Having a limit would help congress change with our economy and society, for if we have the same representatives all the time stuck on old ideas, then our government can never improve as a whole. Also, having new representatives with fresh minds and ideas will help our government grow.
We absolutely need term limits in Congress! Our collective opinions on congress as a whole are extremely low with a Congress that has not been not at all productive. We need to install the consequence of a term limit in order to keep a higher turnover rate in Congress. We need a higher turnover to promote productivity and help make congress to be more like the framers intended with a less prevalent idea of politicians as professionals
The issue of term limits lies at a very difficult point to which a decision can be made. On one hand, the record for house and senate terms are both over 50 years with its conclusion in 2010, both ludicrous numbers during which approval ratings call for a term limit. On the other hand, history has pointed out that a strong leader should receive longer terms in order to maximize the potential of the country. In this sense, term limits should not be imposed. Instead, I agree with Sydney's movement that awareness should be brought to voters on the effectiveness of their senators and representatives. Such awareness can be brought upon by increased education in political workings for the general public. Achieving this will ensure the election of citizen-approved legislation.
There should be a limit on Congressmen's terms because, as we have learned, incumbents almost always get re-elected. This means that mostly the same people are in charge of Congress year after year. While experience is undoubtedly helpful, unlimited terms can lead to a lack of new ideas and voices. Our Congress can easily improve by adding term limits.
A term limit of 12 years in both the senate and house is very reasonable. Statistically, a large majority of American citizens are in favor of term limits, no matter what their political beliefs are. With term limits, there's more of an opportunity to get a larger range of representatives. Incumbents keep winning because no one wants to run against them. If we shorten the terms, there will be opportunities for a new perspective in office. Endless terms could result in the abuse of power.
I do not believe you should place term limits on congress members. The constitution specifically did not place limits on ANY elected position due to the fact that those who hold office are chosen by the people. therefore, if the people want a president for 16 years (i.e. FDR), then they have the right to do so - it was only Washington's two term thing he did that set that precedence until an actual amendment changed that. The people have the right to choose and therefore if the people want repetitive elections than they should have it.
I believe that term limits in congress is a step in the right direction for the United States. First, it will accomplish people in congress not abusing the amount of power. Second, I think it will also help create new ideas within the national government.Third, I think staying in congress for 30 plus years is too long because there will never be good cycle of ideas.
I agree that Congress should have term limits, however they should e longer, extended term limits like Gallup presented. This allows for some political stability and consistency, as well as experience, along with innovation and new ideas that I believe can strongly benefit the people.
I think that Congress should have term limits because I feel no one should be able to be in Congress that long as a incumbent, who most likely wont lose their seat. I do not however believe that short terms are the way to success. In one of the articles it talked about changing it to a limit of 24 consecutive years in office. That seems reasonable enough. This number satisfies the people who say no to unlimited but is enough time to rule for a long period of time to establish seniority to create a difference in the government.
Congress should have term limits on it because having the same people re elected over and over and over again until they're old enough to retire is ludicrous. There will never be a change in the overall opinion of Congress that way. Yes, a few new seats open every few years or so but, there are always going to be too many of the same people in Congress,and they will most likely still have the same views and goals. It seems that with the same general team of people in Congress, all there will be is even more government shutdowns and more gridlock.
I don't think term limits are necessary as long as the representative or senator is doing their job well which ideally would be necessary for election. Seeing as though we do not live in a world without corruption a term limit should be put in place to help stop senators and representatives who run unopposed with little ambition and drive to make a difference and help their community and country.
I think there should be a term limit for Congress. An unlimited amount of terms a representative or Senator can be elected, to me, seems like a bad idea. We have seen throughout the world with presidents with no term limit become corrupt, along with other branches of their governments. Granted, a Congressman could get booted out of office if they were found to be corrupt, but that's only if we knew. Usually with corrupt government officials, they try to hide the fact that they are working for their own gain. It's not something they want to boast about. This would not be an issue if all American citizens are looking to do what's best for the nation, but this is not the case. I believe as years progress that the chances of an official becoming corrupt increase. I understand that most movies are fictional, but when you watch a movie with a corrupt official that keeps getting reelected and then look at real elections, it makes me think about how many Congressmen are working solely for personal gains, and cares nothing about the liberty of the people.
I believe that there should be term limits in congress because America is constantly changing. New ideas and innovations are good for our society, and to stick to the same values of one person is to hinder the initial ideals of U.S. completely. The same person running for the same position will likely give the same policies being sent and not a lot of diversity in subject matter can come across one who could be very adamant on a particular policy. I agree with Cassie's comment about how requiring these limits will allow more competition in congress. This competition is good and diverse for voters to decide which candidate is best. I also believe the voter rates will increase when others see new people running with new ideas and policies.
In my opinion, there should be term limits in congress. A big reason for that is because if we don't have limits, then we wont' become more diverse in congress which is something I think we should strive for. Also, without term limits there will not be any new ideas that will be brought to the table.
I think that there should be a term limit for Congress, however I think it should be a longer term limit. It takes our representatives some time to figure out how Congress works and how they can be the best representative possible. If they were only aloud to serve 2 terms, then they probably would not have made any impact in American policies. Representatives need time to figure out Congress and need a long enough time to do so, however they do not need so much that they would be able to abuse their powers. America is a changing nation and our representatives need to reflect that. Therefore, our nation needs to put limits on terms in congress, but they need to allow the representatives to have time to make a change.
there should be a very short term for congress and senate, and a term limit. that's because the house has to stay updated to what the people want, i also think that there should be no age limit on both. the longer the terms are, the less it is about the poeple and the more it's about the representatives themselves.
There definitely should be a check for the term limits that representatives can serve in Congress. Incumbents oftentimes can serve in Congress for life and thus they become more conserved with preserving their jobs and securing reelection than they are with representing their state and their people. I agree that the framers didn't intend for representatives to serve for life in Congress and I think think that it would be more effective if people weren't able to stick around for so long. I think that because the president has his terms limited, Congress also should have its terms limited. This would certainly lead to higher Congress approval rates and I believe also higher efficiency and representation.
I believe there should be term limits on congress because, without term limits, congress is full of incumbents that are abusing their powers and making it so that it is nearly impossible to kick them out of their position. The purpose of gerrymandering is to put one group of people at an advantage in voting, this includes giving the party in control an advantage. According to the articles we read, congress currently only has about a 13% approval rating, yet according to last night's reading, about 85% of incumbents are re-elected. This has to do with the media heavily influencing the public and the effects of gerrymandering that people are unable to kick people out of office. With term limits, there wouldn't be as many incumbents holding a monopoly over the vote, giving the voters more freedoms.
I disagree with term limits for Congress. With a term limit, Congressmen serving their last term are no longer concerned about being reelected, so they are not held accountable to the people's will. In other words, they can do whatever they want without fear of being penalized by voters because they can't run again. Although low turnover rates are a serious problem, the best way to solve it is to limit gerrymandering.
Instead of putting term limits on Congresspeople, we should look at the root of why there is such a resounding call for these amendments. What most of the people on this blog post have said, although maybe not explicitly, is that power would be abused if term limits were not to be placed. But where does the power of the Congressmen lie? It lies with the people. Therefore, I do not support term limits, and propose an alternate solution promoting fair and transparent elections. Instead of outright limiting the number of incumbents allowed to run for reelection, we should instead put restrictions on campaigns, promoting or even forcing easy access to records, limiting money spent on campaigns, and overall getting the people more involved and informed about who they are voting for. Without the smoke and mirrors placed by incumbents hell-bent on another 2/6 years in Congress, the people voting would be more easily able to choose candidates based on their merits and viewpoints rather than their advertisements. This would also allow us to keep those representatives in power who are doing excellent work, and who have many more successful years left to give. Using this alternate solution we would be one step closer to an ideal Congress, without any of the unwanted setbacks of term limits on those successful Congressmen adequately representing their districts.
Congress should have term limits. Senators should be able to serve 2 terms, and House members should be able to serve six terms. This gives a possible twelve years for a Congressmen to represent his or her voters. The approval rate of Congress is at an all time low, and that could be because the same people stay in office year after year arguing about the same topics over and over. If younger, more connected people to the voters were in office then potentially more could be passed in Congress.
I believe term limits in Congress is necessary in order to keep our ideas diverse. We should have be exposed to different ideas and beliefs because the approval ratings are so low. I agree with Joe, because I feel like most people vote for the incumbent because that is just the person that they are used to, and most people probably have a small understanding of what the incumbent actually believes. The term limit would greatly help Congress by potentially increasing the approval rate and bringing in fresh new ideas.
I believe that Congress should have term limits because as the third article say, term limits will "ensure a wider range of perspectives in government". This is important because if the same representative is in Congress for an extended amount of time, no newer representatives with different viewpoints will be able to vote on legislation in a different way. Newer representatives could reflect the changing ideas of the present, unlike representatives who have resided in Congress for decades. Also, I think that term limits are necessary because they make sure that a large amount of power is not vested in a single individual. Without term limits, minority parties that do not support the same representative that has been in Congress for years will not have a fair say in government.
I completely agree with Joe. Although at first I thought that their shouldn't be because if people really wanted to change their representative then they would just vote for a new candidate. But Joe is right when saying that Americans will just vote for the incumbent because they were already in office and obviously not many Americans care about congress all that much because the ratings are low but the people haven't done anything to change it. If we set a number of terms a representative can have them it would cause people to become more involved and vote for someone who has the same beliefs that they do and not just be lazy and vote for the incumbent already in office.
I think that there should be a term limit for Congress, however it should be fairly long. Once elected to office, it takes the representatives time to figure how everything works and how they want to approach certain situations. If the term limit is made too short, most members would not make any impact on government policies. But if the term limit is made too long, representatives could abuse their powers.
Term limits should be imposed on congress because it would make it harder for our government to be run by the elite. It would bring in new ideas and keep congress more in touch with the people because there will be less incumbents.
Term limits are needed to restrain members of congress because if the limits aren't set then people will keep voting for who's already there. The current problems Congress is facing like gridlock will keep happening and nothing will ever get done.
We should impose term limits on congress for many of the same reasons we did so to the presidency, because it keeps certain individuals from gaining too much power and it weakens the elite political class. Removing term limits might also add pressure for them to actually compromise and get things done because they would only have so much time to do it before they're out of office.
There should be term limits in congress, because now we have one of the most unproductive Congress that we have ever had because we keep bringing back the same people, and they keep on butting head the same way. We need to get new ideas into Congress and having the incumbents keep on coming back isn't making that happen.
Congressional term limits should be added. People in Congress are getting re-elected over and over again, without major shifts. Congressmen currently aren't doing much and aren't able to accomplish much. With this Congress getting re-elected over and over again, the current Congress isn't representing the people (it isn't representing anything, actually). Congressmen don't care about the people right now, they care about the money - and with term limits, this will be discouraged. To get the $$$, Congressmen will actually have to actually earn the $$$.
I think that there should be term limits placed on congress because without them people who never look into the elections and always continue to keep the incumbents in congress. Then causing are new political ideas to be expressed from new representatives. I do agree that people could vote them out if they wanted to but with the difficulty for a challenger to defeat an incumbent it is not very likely.
I think there needs to be a limit on the number of terms that candidates can run for. If the same people continue to run and get reelected, then there is no diversity or change. Although change can sometimes be bad, it is important for our government to not stay the same for many years. I think a fresh mind, new perspective, and a person with passion should be put into our government over someone who is worn out, but still running for reelection.
There should be limits on how many terms a Congressman can serve because, based on past results incumbents have a very high rate of winning reelections making it almost impossible for new candidates to bring in new ideas and keeps any one Congress member from gaining too much power and abusing their position. And even if it is limited to two terms totaling 12 years that is still a lot of time for someone to be in Congress and make the changes they want to make.
I believe that there needs to be term limits in order to control power and keep new ideas running throughout the members of Congress. Without term limits, one or many may eventually gain too much power, and may keep the same ideas running through our government forever. I believe that new candidates throughout the years will bring different perspectives and new ideas that someone who has been running for so long may not think of or have. New leaders bring new and fresh ideas, which is what our government needs, especially if the ideas of those who are elected are not working.
Ideally, I think that members of Congress should be able to stay in Congress as long as people will vote for them. However, the U.S. government's practices are not always ideal. Because of things like gerrymandering, which twists people's votes, Congress members can stay in Congress longer than people actually want them to. This creates a current need for term limits.
Despite Congressmen being up for reelection every few years, and despite them being reelected into their positions practically every single time, it is essential that a Congressional term limit be implemented. In the past, the United States has encountered issues regarding the constant reelection of the same person; for example, Franklin D. Roosevelt. Fortunately for the US, Roosevelt brought about a significant amount of positive change to the nation, but after his four terms, the country decided that there needed to be a stopping point. One could say that this is no different with the situation in Congress, however the reality is that Congress is making very little, if any, progress at all: let it be positive or negative. Additionally, unlike in Presidential elections where members of the electoral college are assigned to states, these smaller districts used to elect Congressmen are far smaller, and less concrete with being subject to gerrymandering. If the United States wishes to remain as the hegemonic nation, it must evolve and constantly improve itself and this is one logical step that is necessary in achieving such.
I think that government should establish term limits because otherwise congress would not be connected to the people of the US. If restrictions are not placed on how long a member of the congress is allowed to stay, it is likely that the incumbents will be constantly reelected. As the views of Americans change, the members of congress won't be able to represent the ideas and opinions of the citizens.
There shouldn't be a total term limit, but instead consecutive term limits. Congress members should be able to serve 6 consecutive years in the house or senate, but then not be allowed to hold office the consecutive year. However, after waiting a term, they should be allowed to run again. This ensures diversity of congressmen and new ideas, but also allows the most qualified representatives to serve for a majority of their lives, if they choose.
Life long term limits are over the top and an infringement on the public's ability to choose the people that represent them. That being said I feel like there is something to be said in regards to consecutive term limits. If the publics opinion of congressmen is so low, they can stop voting for them. I think that people should vote for who they think can best represent them. Just like my argument with Congress looking like America, the various districts should be allowed to elect their own representative, whether for one term or five terms. I personally would like to see more change in the representatives, I do think it gets stagnant, with the same people that have the same beliefs being elected each time. Because of this I can understand the arguments for consecutive term limits, it would be nice to have a little change and see who really wants to simply have their power, and who actually wants to help out country,but I cannot see how we can remove the peoples right to vote for the candidate they feel will represent them best.
I believe that Congress should have term limits. The terms should be longer that a presidents term though. For example, a good term limit could be about 12 years. That may sound like a lot, but it would allow representatives to become experts in what they do and then give them time to use their expertise. A short term of maybe 6 years would only allow a representative time to become an expert, but by the time they become that, their term would be up. I definitely think there should be a term limit because it prevents representatives from becoming too powerful and dominating the House/Senate. Term limits would serve as a checks and balances type system within Congress. If a representative was in the House too long, they could become the most popular and most vaulable, therefore resulting in that representative dominating the House. Term limits would help keep Congress fresh with new people and ideas.
I agree that term limits should be set for Congress. It was mentioned in the Blend Space video from Fox News that the framers of our country did not intend for there to be such a lack of fair competition in congress, and we all witnessed the result of this with the government shut-down. Today's Congress is the most gridlocked in history, and I strongly believe that this is due to the fact that incumbents have 80% and higher reelection rates, and there are few new or diverse perspectives.
I agree with Matt Peterson's idea, but mine is slightly different. In this plan, there wouldn't be term limits, but a politician would be able to serve one terms in the senate, followed by a one term break. In the House of Representatives, a candidate could serve two terms, followed by a two term break. I think that this would solve many problems caused by professional politicians that can earn upwards of $200,000 a year. I do not think that this would cause instability in government, parties will provide a sense of stability. This will make it easier for common people to participate in government, and have people be more involved in government, and maybe put a stop to the senate being a millionaire's club. What we tell our kids about being the president one day will more closely resemble the truth.
I believe there should be a little to terms. Drew Bonnett eloquently stated why this a term should be set. We can't have people dinking around in congress and wasting time, set a time limit will motivate them to move forward. Further, the people in our government appear to always changing, so surely the representation of the people should reflect that in some way. Congress doesn't need to change every term, but things need to be done to limit the set number of terms. The funny thing is though, that we can sit here and talk about this all day, but this will never (at least for now) get passed in Congress because it would limit the powers of the individuals in office currently.
Yes having certain term limits in congress would be a good thing, the power of these people keeping their positions in office resides in the votes of the people so if the people feel that change is needed then they could just not vote for the same person. So the solution to congress having limited terms, is in what the voters want.
I believe Congress should have term limits because the nation and the World are constantly changing and developing new political and social ideologies. This would help to hinder incumbents from so easily being reelected, and allow the seats to be turned over quicker which would bring different ideas and new perspectives to Congress. Also, this would help prevent incumbents from becoming too powerful.
I believe that Congress should have term limits. The term limits now are too short and need to be longer in order for representatives to be or perform their best. Also, there should be term limits because our society is constantly changing and new ideas could always come in from different representatives. I also agree with Melany where that there should be limitations on Congress so that the voters actually have a say in who they are voting for.
There should be a term limit on Congress. Most Americans would say that they are not happy with the current state of Congress, with the approval rating at an all time low of 5%. This is because we have the same members arguing the same ideas and issues year after year. Putting term limits on Congress allows for more diversity and better representation of Americans, increasing the approval rating of Congress. Term limits also should be put in place to prevent any one person from gaining too much power. We have them on the president for this reason, why not Congress also?
Term limits will not help solve problems within Congress. Having frequent elections gives the people the power to change government. It is essential to the core beliefs of the United States. Unfortunately, many issues arise form this. One of the biggest issues with the effectiveness of Congress arises from their constant need to raise campaign funds for reelection. Another issue is that most constituents barely know their representatives, much less know their values or achievements. The problem lies not with the representatives, but with the people. These issues are only there because the voters are not holding representatives accountable. Even if term limits are proposed, legislation will never be passed, because lawmakers know they will not be blamed for it. Proponents of term limits who want to resolve the core issues should push to educate voters.
I believe that there should be a term limit placed on the House and Senate. Without one, there will be people that spend their whole careers in either. America would never have fresh ideas or opinions to be added to the debates being held. In my opinion, if we don't set a limit now, the current senators and representative will continue to fight as they are now and nothing will get done until they decide to retire. Why in America, where we were set up to be the opposite of a monarchy with no one person being in constant control, would it be aloud for people to hold an office of this caliber for how ever long they want? One person out of 100 or 435 might not seem a lot. But if there continues to be an 80% reelection rate for incumbents, then there will be issues. In my opinion, new people equals new ideas. New ideas bring change and change brings results which is something we are not seeing with our current situation.
I think that there should be a term limit for Congress. Today, it seems that incumbents have a very large advantage over competitors. However, they are not incumbents necessarily because the people like them. They can do an average job in office and still get reelected just because their name is familiar and they have steady access to voters. Because incumbents can stay as long as they can, this prevents new ideas or views from coming into Congress. As the terms pass, incumbents may gain more power and sort of rule over the other congresspeople. This is an issue because if there is a problem that needs to be fixed in legislature but incumbents feel it's not that important, it may be ignored. If we keep the same people in power, the system may not be as flexible as it could be and will stay, for the most part, traditional.
I believe that there should be term limits in congress. This is because power can be abused if representatives stay for too long. Also the longer the representatives stay, and the fact that they will keep getting reelected, makes it obvious that representatives will have less ideas leading to less options, which is why I believe there should be a diversity of ideas in congress. Levin mentioned in the video that there is an 80% reelection rated of incumbents, meaning we are not really getting any different from the past years and if it continues to stay the same there going to be problems that will not be solved because the members just give out the same ideas over and over again and nothing is changing, and there is big chance that if we have newer members we will have newer ideas, and options to solve our problems.
I believe that it is necessary to limit congressional terms. Limits should be put into so that the same representatives are not always in congress, so that new ideas can be instilled into the policy agenda. This would increase congresses problem solving abilities and create a more active government. Now experience has proven it’s self unapt, which means that fresh perspectives are needed. It also makes sense to have term limits for congress because there are limits for the President.
I believe things should stay the same. One bad disapproval rating shouldn't mean that we should have a complete re-overhaul of the system. Congress hasn't been abusing it's power, its actually been executing it's power as expected with checks and balances. People say this congress hasn't accomplished anything, however this congress has been trying and going through the process of getting bills passed, unfortunately, the majority can't come to together and agree on a bill.Term limits are unnecessary. We shouldn't call for change every time something doesn't work. We just have to stick with it, and trust that this system will pan out.
I am a state of the times believer, and the times are pretty meh right now, and I think that's because the whole congress is full of boring codgers. Wouldn't it be more exciting if we had some change? I think more things would actually be DONE, instead of "meh""remove obamacare" "meh" that congress is today. Also, it opens the door to more diversity, for variety is the spice of life. Finally, people abuse incumbent power and we need to stop that. Thanks for reading bye.
Without term limits, incumbents will be voted back to congress time and time again. There won't be able source of check on these representative's powers as they will continue to impede on the rights that citizens have. Without a term limits, things like gridlocks will become even more common, as there "the right people" for the job will not even have an opportunity to run. In the end, with term limits, we're rooting out the bad politicians until the good ones can actually run.
I believe that there should definitely be term limits in Congress. Currently, incumbents are winning elections time after time, and they likely will have the same ideas each and every time. However, if there are set term limits, then there is a much greater possibility of diversity within Congress. Furthermore, this will limit Congressional power because then representatives can't be in congress for longer than say, 12 years.
I believe that there should be term limits in order to reduce the amount of power a congressperson has during his/her lifetime. I agree with Sydney in that it is harder to change old-fashioned ways of thinking. Currently, Incumbents are not challenged to adapt to current situations because of the advantages of being an incumbent in an election.
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