I Hate Lifetime Politicians

I Hate Lifetime Politicians

Yes, I said hate.

I don't mean that I hate politicians as people—though I do think several of them are some of the worst people on earth. I hate the concept and current reality of lifetime politicians.

The GOP has been crying for term limits for years, but that's becoming more and more hollow with every instance of opportunism and "political expedience."

The problem is that term limits are only a part of the greater solution. However, they are possibly the best way to bring the current political system in check. The only way term limits for politicians will ever come to pass is if "We the people" force it upon them. Here's how I see it happening:

1. Purposefully and deliberately electing new officials every few years.
2. Restructuring how we bring worthy candidates to the forefront (fundraising, motivation for office, etc.).
3. Instituting a 6 year limit for ALL politicians.
   • Senators and the President get ONE 6-year term ONLY.
     • Senate elections happen every 2 years for 1/3 of the senate.
     • The President will see almost complete legislative turnover during his presidency, forcing a more expedient decision-making process and (hopefully) avoiding some, if not most, of the in-fighting and political posturing that wastes so much time and money.
     • No time wasted on campaigning for reelection.
     • No pressure for politicians to prove their worth by the number of bills they write, but rather are incented to make the best decisions possible because they'll be joining the ranks of "regular citizens" with "normal jobs" in just a few short years.
   • House representatives continue with 2-year terms and a new maximum of 3 terms (6 years) total.
   • The same limits should be levied to all state and local officials as well.
   • No elected official should be allowed to run for any other public office at the same level of government within which they've already served (ex, no house to senate moves), and may only serve once in each level of government ever (city/state/nation).
4. Restructure the appointment of Supreme Court Justices, including:
   • Implementing 12-year service limits
   • Allowing for a special vote of approval/disapproval by the American people after the Presidential appointment, vetting, and Senate confirmation (this needs more thinking through, but I like how it sounds so far...).

I could delve into all the different reasons I think things are all messed up in politics, but as my co-worker and friend so aptly put it in a recent conversation we had on this subject, there's only so much that problem analysis and hypothesizing can do for you. Sometimes the best solution is simply DOING something, even if the particular solution hasn't been fully run through the gamut of mathematical models and detailed vetting by all opinions and angles.

I guess Nike was really onto something. Just Do It.