Term Limits: A Palliative not a Cure

By Publius Huldah

What’s the real problem with our federal government? That people in Congress serve too many terms? And if we get an Amendment to limit their terms, will our Land be healed?

Of course not! The real problem is that the politicians we elect ignore our Constitution – yet we keep reelecting them.

As a result, the federal government exercises thousands of powers not delegated; but everyone goes along with it. The State and local governments get federal funds for going along with unconstitutional federal programs; the People get all sorts of benefits, subsidies, and free stuff; and many live altogether at other peoples’ expense. And all this free money is added to the national debt.¹

Members of Congress also profit from ignoring our Constitution: By exercising the thousands of powers not delegated, they obtain endless opportunities to become rich, powerful, and “important”.

So, unless we turn over a new leaf, learn our Constitution and obey it, renounce unconstitutional federal programs and handouts, and demand that people in Congress also obey it; limiting their terms by an Amendment merely increases the turnover of politicians in Congress who ignore our Constitution – and to whom we must pay luxurious lifetime pensions.

What would happen if we turned over a new leaf?

For starters, if we required Congress to stay within the enumerated powers, two things would happen:

1. The job of US Senator or Representative would be so boring, few would want to be reelected. After all, how many times can you revise the bankruptcy code (authorized by Art. I, § 8, cl. 4); fix the Standard of Weights and Measures (authorized by Art. I, §8, cl.5); and organize the Patent and Copyright Office (authorized by Art. I, §8, cl.8)?

2. There would be no opportunity to get rich while in Congress, build a power base, and have “prestige”.  So the office would no longer attract those who go into politics for the sake of their own egos, pocketbooks, and depraved lust for power.

And if we also stopped pouring out the blood of our young people and incurring ever more debt to pay for our constant military meddling all over the world, there would be very little for Congress to do. ²

After the cleanup period [see footnote 2], the job of US Senator or Representative would become so boring – and so financially unrewarding – it would be seen as a civic duty to be stoically endured for a short time – instead of a cushy ticket to personal wealth, power, prestige, and a luxurious taxpayer funded retirement for life.

So a term limits amendment is a feel good palliative ³ which distracts us from dealing with the real problem: People in Congress disregard the Constitution – but we keep re-electing them.

Unintended consequences

Take heed of this “unintended consequence” of a term limits amendment:  As you decrease the powers of elected members of the US Senate and House by making them transient beings – you increase the powers of the “deep state”.  With a term limits amendment, elected members of Congress would be like train cars passing in the night – the real power would be solidified in the nameless, faceless, un-elected bureaucrats who infest the Executive Branch and all its agencies.

Man up and face the Truth and do what’s Right!

We could turn over a new leaf and fix our Country. Do we have the wit and the will? Who among you is willing to challenge the status quo and urge that we change direction? If ever a nation needed to turn from its wicked ways, it is us.

You have a moral choice before you: Consider this advice from a friend; or jump on the bandwagon pulled by the globalists and clamor for an Article V convention.

Endnotes:

¹ The PEW Report shows what percentage of each State government’s revenue (for FY 2016) came from federal funds [click on “select a state” to see your State].  In addition to the funds paid by the federal government to the State governments; billions in additional funds are paid by the federal government into each State to local governments, non-governmental organizations, research grants, price supports, food stamps, rent subsidies, utility subsidies, free cell phones, Medicare, social security, etc., etc., etc.  Yet the “Convention of States Project” and “balanced budget” amendment lobby blame the federal government for out of control spending!  But it is the State and local governments, and the people in this Country, who have their hands out for every penny they can get from the federal government.

² A Congress which obeyed the Constitution would be very busy during the glorious time they were repealing unconstitutional federal statutes; dismantling unconstitutional federal programs, departments, and agencies; and impeaching and removing usurping federal judges.

³ Unlike a “balanced budget” amendment, or the “regulation freedom” amendment, a term limits amendment is not one of the worst ideas since sin. But it doesn’t address the problem. We need to focus on the real problem, not on palliatives.

Revised January 6, 2019; revised Feb. 10, 2019; revised November 1, 2019.

Term Limits: Treating the Symptom – not the Disease.

By Publius Huldah

1. We already have term limits for U.S. Representatives & Senators – just vote them out of office.  But we keep re-electing the same people!  So, the people in the term limits movement seek to impose term limits by amending the Constitution to impose them.  And somehow, this is supposed to fix our problems.

2. But the term limits movement is a distraction which diverts us from dealing with the real cause of our problems: Our legislators disregard the Constitution.  So why do we keep re-electing them? Because we don’t care that they disregard the Constitution, or we don’t have a clue as to what the Constitution means.

So, unless we turn over a new leaf, learn the Constitution, teach it to others, and start demanding that legislators obey the Constitution, limiting their terms by law just increases the turnover of legislators who disregard the Constitution.

3. To those of you who are so keen to amend the Constitution:  Instead of expending your energies to amend the Constitution to impose “term limits”, why not focus on getting an Amendment which repeals the 17th Amendment? That is a worthy aim.

a) As originally written, Senators were chosen by the State Legislatures (Art. I, Sec. 3, clause 1), and the Senators represented their States! In Federalist No. 62 (3rd & 5th paras), Madison pointed out that the appointment of Senators by the State legislatures was to secure the authority of the State governments in the federal government.  He also said,   “…the equal vote allowed to each State is at once a constitutional recognition of the portion of sovereignty remaining in the individual States and an instrument for preserving that residuary sovereignty…” in order to guard “…against an improper consolidation of the States into one simple republic”.

Does this not make you weep?

b) Thanks in part to the blind fools who supported the 17th Amendment, which provides for the popular election of U.S.  Senators,  “federalism” has been obliterated; and the sovereignty of the States destroyed.    Go here to understand “federalism”.