1. Term limits could encourage politicians to have courage.

One of the primary reasons why legislation happens at a snail’s pace in the United States is because most elected officials start concerning themselves about their next election once they start in office. President Trump began his re-election campaign the moment after his inauguration in 2016, and similar examples of behavior exist all the way down the ladder in Washington. If our Representatives and Senators know that they can make a meaningful change

2. It would limit the potential for corruption in the government.

Politicians have less time to get “dirty” when there are term limits in place. Although someone could be elected while under the influence of special interests, most would start from the very beginning, not knowing how to influence the governing body for their personal gain. Most newly elected officials are skeptical of lobbying groups and undue pressure for specific legislation, which would give American society an extra level of resilience against unwanted rules and regulations.

3. Everyone could have influence in the government.

Congress currently functions more like a union than they do a legislative body when handing out specific assignments. It works on a system of seniority that benefits the leadership group with powerful posts, leaving the rest of the newly elected officials to scramble for positions on desired committees instead. That structure encourages specific districts or states to keep voting the same person into office because their power equates to local economic influences. By instituting term limits on Senators and Representatives, we would have these politicians spending less time trying to get their foot in the door, allowing them to govern like they were elected to do by their state or district.

4. Term limits could limit the influence of corporate lobbying.

Anyone can lobby the government at any time. If you are dissatisfied with the way that your elected officials are behaving, then you can write a letter to them which conveys your feelings. The problem with our current system of lobbying is that the people and businesses which have the most money get to have the highest levels of influence in the government.

When lobbying actions take place, then there is a specific goal to that behavior. The effort is to create an outcome which is favorable to the business or the individual that wouldn’t be available to them otherwise. It is not unusual for these requests to be contrary to what the rest of the American people want, which is why their influence can be so harmful. Term limits could help to stop this behavior.

5. It would stop the various political games that people play.

 

Congress passes a lot of bills that include stipulations for various actions, activities, or funding requests that have nothing to do with what the actual legislation is supposed to cover. The Credit CARD (Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure) Act of 2009 is one of many examples of this issue. The legislation implemented new rules that govern credit card companies which sought to reduce fraud, seek help with mortgages, and improve the clarity of information given to consumers.

This legislation also contained an unrelated provision which allows visitors to national parks and wildlife refuges to carry loaded weapons if they are otherwise allowed to possess a firearm. By implementing term limits on Congress, the goal would be to stop these bills that aren’t “clean” by encouraging ethical behavior.

6. Having term limits in place could encourage people to vote more often.

When you live in a district where you know what the outcome of a vote will be before you cast a ballot, then any opposition is largely symbolic. Although there are local elections where voters can have influence on both sides of the aisle, that is not always the case for Congressional elections. Fewer seats are up-for-grabs each year than ever before according to data gathered by Rasmussen Reports. People are moving toward communities where there are like-minded people as their neighbors, which helps to polarize the national election map. Term limits would create circumstances where voting would be necessary because you wouldn’t know the status of the election.

7. Term limits could help to bring new ideas into Congress.

 

The relationship dynamic between Nancy Pelosi and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a prime example as to why the inclusion of term limits would be a great idea for the United States. You have a young person with big ideas trying to take on the establish old guard who wants to have the structure of the legislative body to follow a specific course of action.

Even though it can make us feel uncomfortable at times, the harshest critics of the United States are often the best arguments for our government system. We need fresh ideas to reach Congress every so often to ensure that we aren’t being blinded by our comfort. Term limits would help to make that happen.

8. It changes the perspective of what it means to be a politician.

 

There are elected officials in our country who have served in Congress for over 50 years. Names like John Dingell and Robert Byrd fill the halls of this legislative body because they made a career out of being an elected official. Carl Hayden, Daniel Inouye, Jamie Whitten, John Conyers, and Carl Vinson all had uninterrupted tenures of more than 50 years as well. What is even more notable about this list is that with the exception of Strom Thurmond, Joseph Cannon, and Thad Cochran, the top 20 longest-serving politicians in the history of the United States were all Democrats.

By implementing term limits, we would change the idea of what it means to be a politician. Instead of turning this work into a career of its own, the service would become more like it was intended to be under the original Articles of Confederation – an act of civic duty.

9. This structure could help to bring centrism back to the government.

Term limits would naturally shift politicians on both sides of the aisle toward a perspective that is closer to centrism than extremism. Ever since the 2016 election, the rhetoric, insults, and lack of productivity on all sides has seen a dramatic increase. People are less civil toward each other because of what they see in Washington. When there are restrictions on the length of time that people can serve, then it encourages elected officials to ignore the extremism that happens in all parties.

“Too many in Washington display a ruling class mentality,” said Ron DeSantis, “and Congressional term limits would go a long way towards restoring the citizen-legislator ethos of the Founding Fathers.”

 

Information provided by https://connectusfund.org/