Term limits beat third party candidacies every time

How about citizen politicians in our countries future? Most have heard of citizen soldiers and are proud of those who serve this way. In the same vein, citizen politicians are those who take a leave from their jobs and lives, and ''lend'' their experience to the business of government and then return to private life.

Any pond will stagnate if fresh water doesn’t circulate through it.*

And there is something rotten in Denmark these days, except it is stagnating in D.C. in the Congress and the Executive. We citizen voters have allowed a culture of access, influence, and self-interest to grow up. The recent debate over immigration is a good example when too many citizen voters say the politicians are dictating the solutions vice listening to the voters demanded actions, with some good practical solutions added in.

Perhaps we voters get what we locally vote for. After all Teddy Kennedy has served since 1962, and Robert Byrd since 1959. Talk about career politicians.

And the problem is not new. And the usual solution has been third parties, to include presidential candidates. The usual results of third party presidential candidates has been two fold. The voter gets to express frustration by voting against someone or party and the “rotten in Denmark” stagnating effects in D.C., and they often skew the Presidential election. The latest example is Ross Perot’s whopping 19% of the presidential vote probably got Clinton elected president in 1992. And there are many other examples in American history. Wilson winning in 1912 is a controversial example thanks to Teddy Roosevelt and the Bull Moose efforts.

One alternative to third party votes countering stagnation is term limits. There are other alternatives, to include revolution, and civil war. These days, term limits seem to be the best alternative in promoting our National Interests. It appears from the recent past efforts in this idea, that the voters will have to drive the train. It is not in the politician’s interests to do so. Given all the legalisms heard from the past, and the proper laments about all the money it takes to even run for a House seat (status quo), perhaps it will even take an Amendment to our Constitution to make term limits happen. But concerned citizens have to start sometime and somewhere to make term limits happen. Assuming it takes 20 years for an Amendment to be added to the Constitution on term limits for Congress, this is a short time in preserving our Country and way of life. And we have already passed an Amendment for term limits on Presidents. And perhaps other better solutions will be reached in the interim in “circulating the fresh water to ensure a healthy pond”. After all, it is our country.

* Karen Cole Huttlinger, Keene Valley, N.Y. May 30, 1989