Term Limits for Congress

Currently, the only term limits within the Federal government rest with the President. Neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate has term limits. A term in the House is two years and in the Senate is six, but at the end of a term congressmen and congresswomen can be re-elected and re-elected indefinitely.

It is a proven fact that it is harder to win a seat when running against an incumbent. Does that mean that the incumbent is doing such a good job that the voters want them to stay? Not necessarily. The longer a politician stays in office, the more of a voice they have in Congress. Special interest groups and lobbyist know this; these are the groups that help re-elect members of Congress. They throw money towards the campaign in return for money coming back to them in the form of special interest projects (earmarks) or other forms of legislation being passed when the incumbent is re-elected.

So, if you are wondering why these groups don't throw the same amount of money at a candidate running against the incumbent, it's simple. A "rookie" politician will not have as strong a voice with other members of Congress therefore, would not have the same ease to pass a bill or squeeze in an earmark. If you are wondering why money matters in a campaign anyway - it should be the opinions and politics of a candidate that you're voting on, that's also simple. You cannot vote for a candidate based on their message if they can't afford to get their message to you. The following totals from the 2008 election demonstrate the finances of incumbent members vs. challengers:

• Average raised for incumbent House members $1,356,311.
• Average raised for challenging House members $336,585.
• Average raised for incumbent Senators $8.804,631.
• Average raised for challenging Senators $1,155,599.

So, not only are we stuck with the same politicians year after year, we also get stuck with the bill from whatever special interest project bought them the votes. Without a turnover among members, we get no new ideas, no competition among candidates, no one that is truly interested in the good of the people. Instead we get career politicians that overtime get out of touch with what it's even like to be "in the real world."

Obviously, someone that comes to mind first is Senator Robert Byrd. To be honest, I have no idea what his political views are, but even if they match mine exactly, I still believe he has no business being in the Senate. He has served for 50 years as a Senator and he is 92 years old. Enough already, let's bring in some new ideas!