Government Reform

[Associate Justice PiT]

     I like points 7, 9, & 14-20. Can't say that I am a fan of public funding of campaigns or of term limits.

[Associate Justice PiT]

I like term limits because it prevents people from making careers out of our free elections. Plus it prevents pork.

     We have term limits here in California & it basically just means that many of the big career politicians just shuffle into some new office when they are term-limited out. Senatorial term limits would just mean that they'd go into some sort of state office after leaving the Senate to continue their career off of free elections.

     Pork sucks, but let's not pretend that it is actually a meaningful drain on the taxpayer's pocketbook. Something like the Bridge to Nowhere is an easy target for everyone to beat up on, but even that carries an utterly miniscule price tag compared to something like Medicare.

[Associate Justice PiT]

I like term limits because it prevents people from making careers out of our free elections. Plus it prevents pork.

     We have term limits here in California & it basically just means that many of the big career politicians just shuffle into some new office when they are term-limited out. Senatorial term limits would just mean that they'd go into some sort of state office after leaving the Senate to continue their career off of free elections.

     Pork sucks, but let's not pretend that it is actually a meaningful drain on the taxpayer's pocketbook. Something like the Bridge to Nowhere is an easy target for everyone to beat up on, but even that carries an utterly miniscule price tag compared to something like Medicare.

I mean there is another side to the term limit debate. One could argue that setting term limits is an infringement on my freedom of speech to vote for Robert Byrd for the 10th time. I see political careers as counter productive is all. If someone wants to move to a different office then leave it up to the people to decide. FL has term limits and it's government is running well from what I've seen. I respect both views to this argument.

     I wouldn't say that term limits have particularly damaged California's government either. I was merely making the case that they don't work as advertised.

     To the credit of the pro-term limits crowd, there was a proposition that failed here recently that would have changed the term limits for State Assembly & House from 14 years to 12 years. It was supported by the Democratic leaders of the two chambers, who were both about to be termed out. Changing the law would have nullified the old limits, allowing them to serve another 12 years. Evidently they were afraid of the consequences of losing their cushy seats in the state legislature.

[Associate Justice PiT]

I like term limits because it prevents people from making careers out of our free elections. Plus it prevents pork.

     We have term limits here in California & it basically just means that many of the big career politicians just shuffle into some new office when they are term-limited out. Senatorial term limits would just mean that they'd go into some sort of state office after leaving the Senate to continue their career off of free elections.

     Pork sucks, but let's not pretend that it is actually a meaningful drain on the taxpayer's pocketbook. Something like the Bridge to Nowhere is an easy target for everyone to beat up on, but even that carries an utterly miniscule price tag compared to something like Medicare.

I mean there is another side to the term limit debate. One could argue that setting term limits is an infringement on my freedom of speech to vote for Robert Byrd for the 10th time. I see political careers as counter productive is all. If someone wants to move to a different office then leave it up to the people to decide. FL has term limits and it's government is running well from what I've seen. I respect both views to this argument.

     I wouldn't say that term limits have particularly damaged California's government either. I was merely making the case that they don't work as advertised.

     To the credit of the pro-term limits crowd, there was a proposition that failed here recently that would have changed the term limits for State Assembly & House from 14 years to 12 years. It was supported by the Democratic leaders of the two chambers, who were both about to be termed out. Changing the law would have nullified the old limits, allowing them to serve another 12 years. Evidently they were afraid of the consequences of losing their cushy seats in the state legislature.

That's what I mean they try to protect their seats. Like Specter here in PA he fought years for one job and that was his.

     It would probably help screen out lower level career politicians in budding & people who are uninterested in returning to lower office, but people dedicated to holding office are not really bothered by term limits. Back in 2006, Cruz Bustamante, Phil Angelides, & Bill Lockyer were all term-limited out of various statewide offices & were immediately running for different ones.