by Nicolas Tomboulides
That could very well be the national news headline on Nov. 5 of next year — and no, we’re not expecting Donald Trump to have seized control of the U.S. Government.
According to a NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released today, 60 percent of Americans would vote to defeat and replace every single member of Congress if they could. This is a record high. In fact, as recently as 2010, only 47 percent believed that every legislator should be thrown out. With these new poll results, Americans are showing that we’re tired of yesterday’s political dinosaurs. We’re yearning for fresh faces and new ideas in government.
Enter term limits. If congressional term limits had existed to keep the legislative branch in check, the offending politicians would have been “fired” long before they could do this much damage. One cannot turn on a TV today without seeing a Washington D.C. dominated by the insider mentality. There is more often discussion of which party will be blamed than of the issues themselves.
Term limits will change that. They promote citizen legislators over career politicians. They invite diverse perspectives from all over the country to come to Washington in the spirit of service, rather than personal legacy. When an elected official reaches his term limit, he must return to the citizenry to feel the effects of the policies he helped enact. This definitely encourages our leaders to think more sharply about the laws they pass.
Not all politicians are bad, but even the ripest of fruit will rot if left on the vine too long.
Don’t accept the status quo. Join us and get involved:
- You can start by signing our petition to term limit the U.S. Congress. It calls for a two-term limit on members of the Senate, and a three-term limit on members of the House. We want to show Congress 1 million signatures, and we’re already a quarter of the way there.
- Contact your elected Senators and Representatives to demand their support for term limits. Lawmakers in both houses have recently introduced a constitutional amendment on the issue.
- Contribute to U.S. Term Limits. It can be any amount. This has always been a citizen-run movement, and we’re the organization with the tools and experience to get the job done.
- Follow us on Twitter; LIKE us on Facebook. These are both great ways to learn about the exciting activism opportunities we have on the horizon.