One popular panacea for those of us on the right is term-limits. There is a constant demand to limit the duration that anyone can serve in Congress. Some seem to believe we could fix all of our problems with term limits. Mike Huckabee has published his plan to rebuild America, including twelve year limits for congressmen. As he puts it “twelve years and you go home.” Yes, our system has problems but term limits are the “Lazy Man’s Ballot Box.” We can’t beat him; the majority vote for him; let’s limit him out of office.

In case you haven’t picked up on it, I’m against term limits. The founders of this country established the best system that man can come up with. There were good reasons they rejected term limits though these were common in the state constitutions that several of these men wrote and that several tried to include in our Constitution.

When we start changing this framework we change the way individual parts work together. For example, prior to FDR there was no term limit for president. It was customary, following the example of George Washington, for no president to serve more than two terms. However, no law required this so a popular president could still be a serious threat in his second term—he had to be taken seriously by an opposition run Congress, because he could always run again. Since the Constitution was amended, every second term president has seen his interaction with Congress change. Once he starts the second term he is no longer taken as seriously, because the opposition only has to wait until he is gone. They can spend the president’s final four years pounding away at him. The biggest problems presidents have had since the law was changed—Iran Contra, Monica-gate, etc.—have all happened in the second term, because the limit has reduced the political clout of the man in the office. The presidency was weakened for second term presidents. The founders wanted a balance between the branches of government and term-limits have upset this.

If we term limit congressmen, you would have a huge portion of seats filled by people on their last term. Every election 1/3 of the Senate and every member of the House is up for election. You could potentially have 1/3 of the Senate and entire House in their final term (possible, even if unlikely). When a Representative or Senator is on their final term they would be handicapped—they’re on the way out, they are not a threat to the opposition. The constituents of these members would spend the final term virtually unrepresented, because as lame ducks they would not be a threat to anyone, so need not be taken seriously.

This would also make politics even more the arena of the wealthy and powerful, further pushing average American’s to the periphery. Representatives must be re-elected every two years. Each run for office costs hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. Though expensive, even average Americans, because of popular support, have raised the money and ran. If we add term limits then we increase the cost of running for office. Only those who can afford to take twelve years out of their careers or away from their businesses will run. Can you afford to do this? Only the most wealthy would run. Take twelve years out of your career, raise and spend millions of dollars every two years and once all is said and done you’re dumped back on the streets to look for work; not because of your performance but because of an arbitrary limit—Where do I sign up?

Don’t make it hard for the common man to run. The founders wanted any qualified man to have the potential to run for these offices. Why do we want to narrow the field and exclude some of the most worthy? What happens in twelve years when the best person to hold that seat is no longer eligible and the ones running for it are less competent. This would mandate cut-rate representation.

Yes, there are problems, but the problems are not incumbents forgetting why they serve. The problem is voters letting them forget whom they serve.

Term limits would require an amendment to the Constitution, and we have such a wonderful record with these amendments. Brought to you by Constitutional Amendment: the popular election of Senators (undermining state’s rights), the income tax (there’s a good one) and prohibition (worked like a charm didn’t it). Instead of tinkering with the system the founders gave us, let’s work to hold congressmen accountable, to educate the voters and make the system work.