Members of Congress Should Have Term Limits Essay -- congressional ter

When the United States was founded, the theme behind the new government was to establish an efficient system without doling out too much power to any one person. The Founders intended to prevent a rebirth of tyranny, which they had just escaped by breaking away from England. However, when members of Congress such as Tom Foley, who served as a Representative from 1964 through 1995, and Jack Brooks, who served as a Representative from 1952 through 1994, remain in the legislative system for over forty years, it is evident that tyranny has not necessarily been eradicated from the United States (Vance, 1994, p. 429). Term limits are a necessity to uphold the Founders’ intentions, to prevent unfair advantages given to incumbents, and to allow a multitude of additional benefits. Initially, the Founders intended to have a limit on the amount of time any one person could serve. In the Articles of Confederation, a rotation in office system was described, so that no one person could remain in a position for decades on end. However, this was abandoned in the Constitution because it was deemed unnecessary. At the time of the nation’s founding, the occupation of â€Å"politician† did not exist. One could hold an office for a number of years, but it was not considered a career path. Originally, politicians were seen as making great sacrifices, because they stepped away from their family and primary jobs for a number of years to serve their country, before returning to their normal lives (Vance, 1994, p. 429). In the words of Founding Father Roger Sherman, â€Å"The representatives ought to return home and mix with the people. By remaining at the seat of the government, they will acquire the habits of the place, which might differ from those.. . ... crack due to career politicians disregarding the governmental system created by the Founders. Works Cited CRS Rep., 104th Cong., 1-2 (1997). CRS Rep., 106th Cong., 3-5 (2000). Kurfirst, R. (1996). Term-limit logic: paradigms and paradoxes. Polity, 29.1, 119-140. Madison, J. (1788, Feb. 19). The Federalist no. 57: The alleged tendency of the new plan to elevate the few at the expense of the many considered in connection with representation. New York Packet. Retrieved from http://constitution.org/fed/federa57.htm U.S. Const., art. I,  § 2. Vance, D.A. (1994). State-imposed congressional term limits: what would the Founders of the Constitution say?. Brigham Young University Law Review, 1994, 429. Weissert, C., & Halperin, K. (2007). The paradox of term limit support: to know them is not to love them. Political Research Quarterly, 60.3, 516-517.