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Could Term Limits Fix Congress?

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Congress has maintained one of the lowest approval ratings in recent memory. So many people seem to enjoy complaining about all of the problems in government, yet no one seems to have any idea how to go about fixing the issues. However, is it possible that if the voters were to take actions, some of the problems could be resolved?

One of the hot button issues when it comes to our congressional representatives is term limits. The vast majority of voters talk about how this would help reduce some of the problems but they still seem to gravitate to the familiar names when they enter the voting booths. This in one of the human nature aspects that these lawmakers count on – name recognition generates more effort on their part than actually representing the voters’ best interest.

When congressional members are re-elected repeatedly, they tend to start focusing on the favors they can garner and also on the favors they owe. Over time, they work harder to please the special interests groups as these hold the majority of power in Washington through their money and favors. The Founding Fathers knew this about human nature intuitively and that is why they originally limited the amount of time that an individual could serve.

Even though there are limits written into the laws, there was no provision on limiting the number of times someone can be re-elected. Lawmakers seem to make that the focus of their campaigns. The whole goal for so many of them is trying to figure out how to win the next election. For members of the House, they may spend their entire two years trying to figure out how to structure their next bid for office.

Lawmakers are elected on the premise that they will work to protect the citizens that placed their trust in them. However, they have often been caught up in countless scandals that involve illegal or immoral actions. Bills that the constituents have shown support for may not even be brought up for voting if the special interest groups are against the issue.

Years ago, the public rose up and protested that idea that a president could be elected more than twice. This created more of a monocracy than the public ever intended. The fear of repeating English rule lead to congress setting a limit of two consecutive terms for any president. Unfortunately, the same limits have not been applied to members of congress themselves. In fact, lawmakers have gone to great lengths to exempt themselves from many of the same rules and laws that they have passed for the rest of the citizens.

The mandate to acquire insurance was not applied to congress nor has other laws that have recently passed. The average citizen is prevented from drawing certain benefits while lawmakers are given leeway in many ways.

While there are many problems with the way government works, it may be a good start to limit how long an elected official can hold an office.

Writer Bio:  Angela Mose

I am a mom of 7 who has successfully homeschooled for 20 years.  I was married for more than 25 years and have recently started my life over. I have a passion for writing and music and when the two can be combined, it is utopia.  A Maryland native, I am planning to relocate north in the near future and will continue to strive to learn and experience new things on a regular basis. I am fortunate enough to be able to work from home while exploring new ways to increase my knowledge and skills and help improve the lives of those around me.

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