U.S. Term Limits
menu
  • Donate
  • PODCAST
    • Latest Podcast Episodes
    • No Uncertain Terms Podcast Library
  • Get Involved
    • Candidate / Legislator Pledge
      • I am Running for Congress
      • I am Running for State Legislature
    • Supporter petition
    • Collect Petitions
    • Volunteer for USTL
    • Digital Toolkit
    • Get Pledges on Facebook
    • Events
    • State Facebook Pages
    • Take Action on Term Limits Day 2/27
  • Current Actions
    • Contact Your State Legislator
    • Contact your Congress members
    • 2023 Bills in Progress
    • National Call to Action for Term Limits on Congress
  • News
    • USTL Blog Articles
    • No Uncertain Terms Newsletter
    • Term Limits Breaking News Episode Library
    • Press Releases
    • Pledge Press Releases
    • Press Contact
  • Term Limits
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Why Term Limits?
    • Term Limits Research Library
    • USTL Term Limits Resolutions in Congress
    • Historical TL Resolutions in Congress
    • State Term Limits Initiatives Since 2012
    • State legislatures with term limits
    • Governors with term limits
    • Nine of the ten largest U.S. cities have term limits
    • Term Limits Election Results (includes local) Since 2008
    • Term Limits Hall of Fame
  • Article V
    • Term Limits Elected Office Pledge
    • Sign the Supporter Petition
    • About Article V
    • Term Limits Amendment
    • County Resolution On Article V Term Limits Convention (SAMPLE)
    • Model Article V Term Limits Convention Application
    • Progress Map
    • 118th Congress Pledge Signers
    • 2023 A5 State Pledge Signers
  • About
    • Board of Directors
    • Team
    • USTL State Chairs
    • Rense Johnson
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Book a Term Limits Speaker
    • Contact USTL
  • Facts
    • Myth-Busting 101: “Congress Will Never Vote to Term Limit Itself”
    • Term Limits ARE NOT Elections!
    • Lobbyists HATE term limits
    • Dispelling the runaway myth
    • Debunking Myths Against an Article V Convention and Term Limits for Congress
    • Term limits decrease bureaucracy
  • Search
  • More
    • Contact Us
    • SHOP
    • Social Media
    • Archive

Michigan lawmakers seek double the time one could serve in the House of Representatives


March 1, 2022

Statement by Patrick Anderson on the “transparency and term limits” proposal announced today in Michigan:

I was privileged to work with patriots like Dick Headlee and Brooks Patterson early in my career. We were able to enshrine into our Constitution the term limits protections that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson advocated, and which have been part of our US Constitution since the adoption of the XXII amendment.

Over 400,000 Michigan citizens signed petitions to put term limits on the ballot in 1992. Nearly 60% of Michigan voters in 1992 supported it at the November election. It’s in the Constitution because ordinary citizens put it there. It remains popular in Michigan and across the country, because it works.

Now we have a powerful coalition of lobbyists, labor unions, a former Speaker and a big city Mayor that want to change that. It is a transparent effort to dramatically weaken our Constitution. If this powerful coalition has really been assembled for “financial transparency,” they should ask the legislature to pass such a law today. Instead, they are using their failures to adopt laws as an excuse to increase their power.

Let me make the math transparent: this proposal would double the time a person could serve in the House of Representatives. We would re-open the door we slammed shut in 1992, and once again see committee chairs serve a decade. Speakers could once again banish upstart representatives to basement offices. Government buildings would again sprout with the name of powerful legislators.

Michigan should not return to those days, regardless of how inconvenient democracy is to powerful interests.

I will not support this proposal to undermine the Constitution, nor applaud its effort to fool the voters into thinking this is about “transparency.”

Patrick L. Anderson
Patrick Anderson is the author of the 1992 term limits amendment. He is speaking as a citizen.

Filed Under: Blog, Michigan Tagged With: michigan scam

  • ABOUT
  • PODCAST
  • BLOG
  • PETITION
  • CONTACT US
  • DONATE
Subscribe to our email list
Copyright © 2023 US Term Limits - All Rights Reserved

by U.S. Term Limits



Privacy Policy
1250 Connecticut Avenue NW Suite 700
Washington, D.C.20036
(202) 261-3532