How can we impose Term Limits on Congress???

[Alaskan Rover]

I think it's become obvious to people on both sides of the political spectrum that our system ain't quite right anymore. Something's gone astray. The people we've chosen to drive the car are busying themselves with arguing semantics rather than DRIVING, plus they've been doing a REALLY lousy job of maintaining the car and haven't changed the oil or lubed the chassis in like a dozen years or more....and now the car is BROKEN. We need to fix it ourselves!

One viable solution: TERM LIMITS for Senate and House of Representatives. Presently there are NO term limits. A Senator could basically be there for "life". It is well-known that long-term incumbants almost always have the upper-hand during elections, no matter how old or feeble-minded they become. Even when they aren't there for 40 years, they still spend an inordinate amount of time "electioneering". I think lack of term limits just increases pork-barreling, as the politicians add pork to their local causes so that they can continue to get elected.

It's no secret that being a Senator is a sweet life. Limousine; two homes, one paid for by the government; fancy black-tie galas; lots of presumed power...who on earth would want to quit and go back to being Joe Smoe? But the reality is it's no good for getting things done, and lethargy eventually ensues, to OUR detriment.

We need term limits, AND aggregate term limits, at that.

But HOW???

I am not sure, but I think "terms" are written into the Constitution, and so any change would have to be by Amendment. The problem is who votes on Amendments? That's right....Congress.

I think the only solution would be a nation-wide ballot initiative about term limits.

But how does one INITIATE a ballot initiative??? I think such an initiative has to be first okayed by Congress before it is even put ON a nation-wide ballot. Or maybe (hopefully) I am wrong. If I am right, then that basically means we're screwed. Our hands our effectively tied.

I heard someone say that we should all get together next election and vote AGAINST every single incumbant, be they repubs or dems. But you know as well as I do, that we can never 100% as a populace agree on ANYTHING, let alone something as altogether substantially progressive as THAT. Besides, without term limits, the people voted in to replace the incumbants would soon grow to like the power and priviledge and want to stay as well...decade after decade after decade.

Any ideas on how to initiate a Term-Limit ballot initiative?`

[Justin A.]

You can start by GTFO.

[Petrol]

call a Convention for proposing Amendments to the Constitution

[Buell]

You can start by GTFO.

Funny, I had the same thought.

If you are going to start a bunch of political threads, you should probably have better standing than you have on BOL. The BOL Off Topic Forum is not the Political Asshattery Forum on TGR.

Edit: Yep, the same exact thread by AR is on TGRs Political Asshattery Forum. Nice political advocacy on snow sport forums.