Term limits for Congress or not. In reading this paper you will be informed about the pros and cons of term limits. While reading you might notice it be divided up into four different sections. The first is the early history. The second is the pros and cons of term limits. The third is about the court case U.S Term Limits Inc. vs. Thornton. Finally, a live example of term limits gone wrong, California. Before reading all about term limits, there should be a little background to term limits,and that is what you will get. The original idea has been around for hundreds of years, since the creation of the constitution. The founding fathers went back and forth on congressional term limits. Eventually, though they decided to not give term limits.
…show more content…
For example, if the there would be term limits, the people elected would make more meaningful laws that the officials are willing to follow. Because after they are out of office, they will then have no choice but to follow laws that they made. Corruption will be harder, because there will be a shorter time for the politicians to build money and make relationships with lobbyist. Also, the politicians would be less affected by wanting to get re-elected, so they would focus more on the laws and less on reelections. Right now, it is really hard for newcomers to replace the incumbents, because the incumbents have the name recognition. Most voters don 't vote on policies but on name recognition. The incumbents also have the backing of the party (Weeks, …show more content…
The politicians found a loophole in the amendment that allowed them to office hop, which is just going from one political office to another (Reader, S., 2012). Term limits had done the exact opposite of what they were intended for in California, under the old law. It created a young, inexperienced legislative body that did not have any clue as to what to do. Committees altered very few bills that were proposed before they were sent to the General Assembly. Once bills got passed by committee, they get additions that inexperienced legislatures did not catch. Some of those bills were written by lobbyist and they just get past along and become laws. Term limits in California did not prevent career politicians, because the politicians just do office hopping. There is limited expertise in the legislative branch so there are bad committees and poor oversight of state agencies. The term limits did not give the legislatures enough time to gain experience (Jacobs, P. 1990). The California term limits were changed in 2012 by Proposition 28. The new law would only apply to those elected for the first time after 2012. It stated that people could be in office for a total 12 years, that could be in either House or just one. That law helps the people in the Assembly to gain experience and stay there for twelve years, not the original six, and the Senate to gain experience since now they can be in office
For example, if the there would be term limits, the people elected would make more meaningful laws that the officials are willing to follow. Because after they are out of office, they will then have no choice but to follow laws that they made. Corruption will be harder, because there will be a shorter time for the politicians to build money and make relationships with lobbyist. Also, the politicians would be less affected by wanting to get re-elected, so they would focus more on the laws and less on reelections. Right now, it is really hard for newcomers to replace the incumbents, because the incumbents have the name recognition. Most voters don 't vote on policies but on name recognition. The incumbents also have the backing of the party (Weeks, …show more content…
The politicians found a loophole in the amendment that allowed them to office hop, which is just going from one political office to another (Reader, S., 2012). Term limits had done the exact opposite of what they were intended for in California, under the old law. It created a young, inexperienced legislative body that did not have any clue as to what to do. Committees altered very few bills that were proposed before they were sent to the General Assembly. Once bills got passed by committee, they get additions that inexperienced legislatures did not catch. Some of those bills were written by lobbyist and they just get past along and become laws. Term limits in California did not prevent career politicians, because the politicians just do office hopping. There is limited expertise in the legislative branch so there are bad committees and poor oversight of state agencies. The term limits did not give the legislatures enough time to gain experience (Jacobs, P. 1990). The California term limits were changed in 2012 by Proposition 28. The new law would only apply to those elected for the first time after 2012. It stated that people could be in office for a total 12 years, that could be in either House or just one. That law helps the people in the Assembly to gain experience and stay there for twelve years, not the original six, and the Senate to gain experience since now they can be in office