The Blog Less Traveled

This year is going to get real ugly, real fast. Things are so volatile right now with the Democratic Primary that the General Election is going to be a real barnburner. Unfortunately, the American public will have to endure another five months of lies and half-truths. As far as I’m concerned, the political process is too far removed from reality that only a radical change can save the system and our country.

If I could make one change to our system it would be to term-limit our Congress. To me, that is the only way to stop this madness. Politicians are becoming too powerful and lobbyists are controlling too much of the political process. What I would propose is to limit a Senator to a single six-year term and a House member to two three-year terms. This would also have the benefit of removing one election cycle from the current system when running for a House seat. I think that six years is enough time for an individual to learn the basics of the job and make an impact on the system. It would also completely remove any incentive for a Senator to make decisions based on improving his chances for re-election. Another benefit of term limits would be to put everyone on a more level footing and not give a few senior members too much power. Senators would arrive in Washington with no distractions of worrying about getting re-elected. Even House members would be more focused on dealing with the real problems that need to be addressed.

I really don’t see any other way of fixing the system. Too few people have too much power in the legislative body. I have little confidence in our current senior representatives. It’s time for a major change. Anything less would be like applying a band-aid to a ruptured artery. What do you think?