• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Should there be term limits on congress?

Should congress have term limits?

  • yes

    Votes: 19 48.7%

  • no

    Votes: 16 41.0%

  • house only

    Votes: 1 2.6%

  • senate only

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • not sure

    Votes: 3 7.7%
  • Total voters
    39
Masterhawk said:
The 22nd amendment of the constitution places a limit of two terms on the president. Should the same happen to congress.
Click to expand...

Absolutely there should be term limits on senators and congressmen.Heck maybe instead of term limits there should be a 5 year waiting periods between terms and elected and appointed offices so that way their buddies can't reward or bribe them and make it hard for there to be career politicians. If most voter were politically knowledgeable and the ones who were politically knowledgeable didn't play the lesser of two evils game then we wouldn't need term limits. So it is moronic to act as though elections are a form of term limits.
 
Van Basten said:
Agreed, Trump's victory was proof positive of that.
Click to expand...

Actually it was the first sign people are waking up in a long long time.

No public official should sit in office longer than 8 years in any position in the US. No good comes of these corrupt entrenched ticks living off the public for decades.

Apathy and an abdication of responsibility have little to do with intelligence and more to do with the many distractions available.

Democrats invented gerrymandering. They only complain about it when its used against them like so many other things.

Regardless of its origins gerrymandering should be abolished to a flat block system across the board. I doubt election results would be that much different but the blocks would be more aesthetically pleasing.

There are some really good algorithims out there for block redistricting.
 
NIMBY said:
The American people needing IQ tests that you deflect to would make sense for those in Virginia, where they have a ridiculous ONE-TERM limit for governor.

They also vote in an off-year, the year after the POTUS election, THIS year.

Both of these hold down voter turn-out, a Southern tradition.

Virginia currently has one of the most gerrymandered GOP remaps .
Click to expand...
If people can vote in a presidential election then they can vote in a non-presidential election.
 
Masterhawk said:
The 22nd amendment of the constitution places a limit of two terms on the president. Should the same happen to congress.
Click to expand...

My answer Masterhawk is yes, term limits on Congress critters is in order. And along with that a limited retirement upon their exit.

When our representatives head to Congress, they once may have been the Mr. Smith goes to Washington types but special interests and the old farts that have been there for eons seem to corrupt just about anyone who enters those bodies. Limiting their terms would be helpful. But hey don't stop there, politically appointed jurists who enjoy lifetime appointments need to be term limited too.

Article V Convention of the States is the only way to have a chance to change things. More and more states are currently signing on to such a thing.
 
Masterhawk said:
The 22nd amendment of the constitution places a limit of two terms on the president. Should the same happen to congress.
Click to expand...
No.

- The people get what they want, whether they realize it or not.

- The people SHOULD get what they want, whether they realize it or not.

- If people vote selfishly now, they'll continue to vote selfishly with term limits. Nothing will change, except the names. People will still vote for whoever promises them the biggest reward, whatever that may be.

- The 22nd Amendment should be repealed.
 
I dunno about Congress.

But for the POTUS? 120 days...until the next POTUS...then back to 4/8 years.
 
akyron said:
Actually it was the first sign people are waking up in a long long time.

No public official should sit in office longer than 8 years in any position in the US. No good comes of these corrupt entrenched ticks living off the public for decades.

Apathy and an abdication of responsibility have little to do with intelligence and more to do with the many distractions available.

Democrats invented gerrymandering. They only complain about it when its used against them like so many other things.

Regardless of its origins gerrymandering should be abolished to a flat block system across the board. I doubt election results would be that much different but the blocks would be more aesthetically pleasing.

There are some really good algorithims out there for block redistricting.
Click to expand...

Wait, so you think Senators should only serve one term?

You don't think the results would be much different after the reorganization of districts? Lol, okay.
 
Throw in an additional clause that effectively bans gerrymandering at all levels of government, and I'd be more than happy to support a constitutional amendment that places term limits on Congresspeople.
 
Phys251 said:
Throw in an additional clause that effectively bans gerrymandering at all levels of government, and I'd be more than happy to support a constitutional amendment that places term limits on Congresspeople.
Click to expand...

Come on, man, can't just go and kill the GOP game-plan.
 
Van Basten said:
Wait, so you think Senators should only serve one term?

You don't think the results would be much different after the reorganization of districts? Lol, okay.
Click to expand...

No. The strife and vying for power would remain regardless of who is in office as history has shown.
 
I agree with those who say gerrymandering is the bigger threat. Now, we do have to have gerrymandering in some form, but as long as it's the way it is now, it's a huge reason why we have career politicians to begin with.

Keep in mind, though, that even a perfect gerrymander system would not solve the whole issue of voter selfishness. Senators can't be gerrymandered and they still get re-elected at obscene rates, too.
 
The representative term is too short, it should be four years , minimum ..IMO, term limits are not the answer , we do need a better Congress .. There should be absolutely NO campaign ''contributions" from anyone .. and much more ..
 
earthworm said:
The representative term is too short, it should be four years , minimum ..IMO, term limits are not the answer , we do need a better Congress .. There should be absolutely NO campaign ''contributions" from anyone .. and much more ..
Click to expand...
There's merit to this point. Many Representatives complain that with 2 year terms they have to start fundraising and campaigning pretty much from Day One for the next election, whereas Senators get some leeway time-wise. I think that's a fair observation. It's just the way our system has evolved.
 
Masterhawk said:
The 22nd amendment of the constitution places a limit of two terms on the president. Should the same happen to congress.
Click to expand...

I'm against having term limits for a number of reasons. I think most of the arguments for having term limits actually argue for not having term limits. Mainly, if we are concerned about corruption and being susceptible to lobbyists, etc, one could argue that the situation would actually be worse if these people knew ahead of time that they would only be there for a few years and then gone. It would be like a retail chain hiring cashiers to work the holiday Christmas season and telling them ahead of time that they would be laid off right after Christmas. Of course not everyone would be dishonest, but there would be a whole lot more dishonest cashiers if they knew ahead of time that their job was going to end in a couple of months. There are actually a lot more arguments for not having term limits than there are for term limits. It's also kind of like gun control. Sounds good but doesn't work in reality. Just because you pass a bunch of gun laws doesn't mean the crooks aren't going to get guns.
 
I think they exist sufficiently in the form of elections, although voters don't always take advantage of that.
 
Masterhawk said:
The 22nd amendment of the constitution places a limit of two terms on the president. Should the same happen to congress.
Click to expand...

Stability in government is a good thing. There's no way anything useful would get done if you're constantly cleaning house.

The problem is non-competitive districts. It's amazing to watch how partisan hacks suddenly develop into thinking human beings when they have to run a real race in the general.
 
Term limits are easy as can be to establish. The People have the power. Vote the bastards out of office after two terms. The only problem is the relatively few Americans who do vote are partisans and most won't vote the bastards out, especially their own party bastards.

Ultimately, as someone said, we get the government we deserve.
 
Masterhawk said:
The 22nd amendment of the constitution places a limit of two terms on the president. Should the same happen to congress.
Click to expand...

I voted yes because the real solution will never happen.

Lower their pay, get rid of the platinum health care, and no retirement except social security. I say pay them the same as we are paid for jury duty. Then we will see how many truly want to serve the public and how many are in it for the money.
 
The whole "There are term limits - elections" thing just sounds a bit dopey to me, as you're comparing something fixed and absolute (hard-coded limits) with something variable (an election where you can keep someone in, or oust them). Seems like a potentially faulty comparison to me, just IMO of course.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom