Frequently Asked Questions
Can this really be successful?
Not only can it be successful, it has been successful in Louisiana. Citizens for Terms Limits is an outgrowth of Louisiana Citizens for Term Limits, which was successful in Baton Rouge some 13 years ago. A NBC/Wall Street Journal poll indicates term limitation is supported by 67% of those polled and several state polls indicate upwards of 75% among the American population in support of term limits. The public is waiting to be led.
Why would politicians vote themselves out of a job?
Not willingly, at first, at least. The only way to make them vote for a congressional term limiting constitutional amendment is to make the alternatives less attractive, as they realize that final ratification of the amendment by three-fourths of the states is in the remote future, and less threatening. Citizens for Term Limits plans to let them know that, for the first time, there will be organized opposition to career politicians.
Are there other groups working for the same goal?
U.S. Term Limits was the biggest term limits group on the horizon when Louisiana Citizens for Term Limits was started. An examination of their website termlimits.org indicates that they are still trying to pick up term-limited states one at a time, using the ballot initiative. We wish them the best, but we believe thought-leaders such as Oklahoma’s Senator Tom Coburn (who campaigned on term limits!), Cal Thomas, Bob Beckel and Fred Barnes, are right to see constitutionally mandated congressional term limitation for what it is: the only way to a Fresh Congress, populated with patriotic public servants who put the nation’s welfare ahead of their own political careers.
How long would something like this take to accomplish?
We wish we knew. If we could pin it down, it would be like having advanced knowledge on when to bet the farm on the stock market. A reasonable estimate on how soon identical versions of a term limitation bill could be passed through both chambers of Congress: eighteen months to two years. A reasonable estimate on how coon the bill could be ratified by three fourths of the states: eighteen months to two years. Total: three to four years.
Why hasn’t this been done before?
As the late President Reagan said back in 1973, “One thing our founding fathers could not foresee…was a nation governed by professional politicians who had a vested interest in getting reelected. They probably envisioned a fellow serving a couple of hitches and then looking…forward to getting back to the farm.”
Walter Williams has pointed out that after the Income Tax Amendment was ratified in 1913, Congress discovered that it had the power to reward friends and punish enemies. We would point out that this immediately led to armies of lobbyists bearing arm loads of cash. Result: Congress has legalized its own bribery. Congress presently sets its own pay, perks and pensions.
What if there was someone really good in office we’d want to keep?
This question assumes that there are irreplaceable people in Congress. Effective ones? Some. Honest ones? Some. Irreplaceable ones? None. Research and common experience has shown that the longer a member stays in Congress, the more time he or she has to forget who his or her bosses are: the voters. (Opensecrets.org found that in the 2006 election cycle the average winning House campaign spent $1.3 million, and each winning Senate campaign spent $8.8 million!) Terms limits would help keep Congressional members focused on America and their constituents rather than fund-raising.
Do you have a quick list of the benefits of term limits?
a. A major shift in the way the nation’s business is conducted, the bureaucracy trimmed and taxpayers’ money spent;
b. Selection of congressional leadership by merit instead of seniority;
c. With career politicians gone, there would be lessening of the cost of election campaigns inasmuch as there would be fewer undeserved rewards for the short tenure that goes with the job;
d. All the above potentially leading to the elimination of congressional bribery by lobbyists and, also potentially, elimination of porkbarrel spending and earmarks from public servants who feel more responsible to their short-term voters rather than the community at large.What’s the relationship between the economy and term limits?
The relationship between previous Congresses and our present economy. Read Bankrupt—and Losing International Influence right here.
What could happen if this amendment doesn’t happen?
Our bankrupt nation continues on its way toward extinction as we’ve known it.
How can I find out more?
Check out our many articles on this website about lost immigration opportunities, lost energy opportunities, lost geopolitical opportunities as we at Citizens for Term Limits strive to turn the nation around, for the benefit of America’s children and their unborn issue.
Our Mission
The mission of Citizens for Term Limits is to mobilize American citizens to seek an amendment to the United States Constitution limiting the number of terms during which a person may hold office in each chamber of the U. S. Congress to six years, that is, one six-year term in the U. S. Senate, and three two-year terms in the U. S. House of Representatives, and to urge passage of enabling legislation for such amendment by a two-thirds vote in each house of Congress, and thereafter to press for ratification by three-fourths of the several states.
Citizens for Term Limits needs you! More importantly, our nation needs you. Our children and their unborn descendants need you—now!
History
When we write about congressional term limits, we are not being theoretical. We have a track record—in the Louisiana Legislature. Yes, Louisiana! It was there that a predecessor to Citizens for Term Limits was able, with help from many sources, to obtain passage through the Louisiana Legislature of a constitutional amendment limiting members’ own terms. Legislators voted against their own career interests. The amendment passed the Legislature by huge majorities of eighty and ninety percent. Louisiana, not always a bastion of good government, is the only non-initiative state to have done this. Since the ballot initiative was not an option, we had to slog it out, vote by vote, one at a time, but with stunning success, the dimension of which surprised even us. It was then ratified overwhelmingly by the electorate.
