Wash Exam: Now is the time to pass term limits

Some of our elected leaders on Capitol Hill have made a habit of making simple things complicated. It’s an old but effective tactic designed to frustrate those who are advocating for reform. It’s the same list of excuses we’ve all heard a thousand times. It usually starts with “it’s not the right time” or “be careful what you wish for” or the dreaded “we don’t have the votes.”

A perfect example of this is the question of whether or not there should be a new constitutional amendment for congressional term limits. In the era of complex and unreadable 1,000-page pieces of legislation, the questions surrounding this debate are simple. Should Congress be term limited like the presidency, and if so where should the limits be set? Only in Washington can a joint resolution that spans two paragraphs be made into a complicated matter. There’s absolutely no doubt that amending the U.S. Constitution should be taken very seriously and debated thoroughly, but the American people clearly want the debate and an up-or-down vote.

A recent poll indicates that 74 percent of likely U.S. voters support such a proposal, with only 13 percent in opposition. In today’s America it’s hard to find any initiative that enjoys such strong support from our citizenry, and with good reason. I’m not sure I know anyone — Democrat or Republican — who really believes Congress has been functioning effectively for a long time. So congressional term limits is hardly a new phenomenon. The American people’s distrust in Washington politicians and out of control federal spending has been growing for decades. The last time there was a real push was in mid-1990s, when Newt Gingrich was speaker of the House. The measure failed back then but that did not deter those reform-minded Republicans from putting it up for a vote.

Read more at: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/now-is-the-time-to-pass-term-limits/article/2611291