Letter: Contact legislators about term limits

Published 10:00 am Tuesday, August 4, 2020

To the Editor:

Congressional term limits have been an ongoing conversation among Americans since our Constitution was conceived. There’ve been term limit bills proposed to federal legislators, but none resulted in a constitutional amendment to halt the rising number of career politicians. This isn’t a “partisan” issue, but an American problem, and it is up to we, the people, to act.

Over 80% of Americans favor term limits. So why are incumbents who’ve been in office for 30-plus years still in office? Possible reasons:

• Many Americans believe that Congress will never vote for term limits. However, in 1995, the House passed a constitutional amendment limiting terms. It didn’t pass, because any amendment requires a two-thirds supermajority vote.

• Some incumbents and special interest groups say that an election is a natural term limit. Unfortunately, when it comes to campaign financing, the incumbent has an edge from special interest groups. The challenger must finance his own campaign through donations or grassroots fundraising.

• We need experienced legislators in Washington. While this has been a long-held standard by many Americans, it is also true that new ideas breathe life into a stale organization.

I support congressional term limits, because I see our Congress forgetting who they really work for: us, the American people. With the coming election in November, remember that this is not just a presidential election. How long have your legislators been in office? Are you happy with their representation? Email legislators in Washington, D.C. If we don’t speak up, who will?

Gayle Davis

Redmond