Washington, D.C. – U.S. Term Limits (USTL), the leader of the citizen movement to term limit elected officials, today called for swift action from Congress on a constitutional amendment to limit members’ terms.
“The corruption cauldron of Washington, D.C. is boiling over, and it’s harming our country more every day,” said U.S. Term Limits President Philip Blumel. “Congress must propose a term limits amendment immediately to restore confidence in this broken institution.”
The statement comes in the wake of a federal indictment against Rep. Corrine Brown, a 12-term Florida congresswoman who stands accused of using a phony education charity as her own slush fund. She is charged with mail fraud, wire fraud, concealing facts on financial disclosure forms, theft of government property, obstruction and filing false tax returns.
Brown’s is not an isolated case. In April, 11-term Pennsylvania Congressman Chaka Fattah was defeated in the Democratic primary while under 29 counts of indictment for bribery and other charges.
Term limits are needed to curb the hubris and opportunity that lead to this corruption, U.S. Term Limits says.
“Lifetime tenure has a paralyzing effect on Congress, by producing members who are addicted to the power and prestige of office,” Blumel said. “Term limits will stop the empire-building in D.C. and require members to live under the laws they make.”
According to the last nationwide poll on term limits conducted by Gallup, the issue enjoys wide bipartisan support. The poll showed that 75% of Americans support congressional term limits, including supermajorities of both parties.
The term limits amendment bills have already been filed in the House by Rep. Matt Salmon of Arizona and in the Senate by Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana. They require two-thirds support from both chambers and ratification by three-quarters of states to become part of the Constitution.
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5 comments:
The ones opposed to term limits need to be exposed by a published roll call vote. There is always the argument of time in accomplishing some ones agenda. If their agenda was good for the Country then the next elected official should care out the agenda. If not then the agenda would be canceled and save tax dollars. Simple as that. Politians should always have term limits and a time frame they have to be out before running again. Their pensions should not be given after 2 terms. They should get no pension with term limits. I could not retire after 12 years with all benefits and full pension.
Agreed 921AM but unfortunately, I don't feel that this will ever manifest due to those in power not wanting to give up what they feel is there's. Maybe the only option is to have a convention of states and or to have each state write into its laws term limits for its elected officials, both state and federal.
Just my two cents.
This behavior by sitting elected officials goes on and on and on. One need only look to our own Prince Georges County for many examples of representatives stealing from their constituents, stealing funds that are earmarked specifically for helping those constituents.
This and the electoral college should have been addressed years ago.
9:21 I would clarify that your comment would be from the Local up to the Federal. I believe that was your intention with your comment. There are a lot of crooks from the lowest to the highest look at any jurisdiction and in Annapolis.
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