There are a few questions that tend to come up repeatedly in regards to using Article 5 to impose Term Limits on the US Congress without their approval. One of the most frequent questions we receive is:
"Why would aspiring State Legislators support Term Limits in the US Congress if it would potentially limit their future careers in Congress?"
We have three primary reasons State Legislators will support our efforts.
REASON #1
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OVERREACH OF AUTHORITY
When the 17th Amendment was passed, the States lost their voices in Congress. Where before Senators represented the State government, now being elected by popular vote changed their allegiance solely to themselves and their party, whose support they needed to continue their career in Congress.
Since the change of that dynamic, Congress has continuously usurped authority from the States. Rather than 50 sovereign States, they have worked to mold the country into a single state governed by the federal government.
The States are sick of this and have a continuously growing resentment towards the federal government's encroachment. The 10th Amendment was intended to keep this from happening by limiting the federal government's authority to "only" what had been defined in the Constitution, but without a voice in Congress, the states have felt powerless to fight back as Congress extends their authority beyond their documented limitations.
It is true that some state legislators aspire to move into the US Congress, but those who will are a very small percentage of the State legislators. Knowing this, the majority of State legislators are much more concerned about their own authority within their own State and the majority are more than willing to take actions to break the backbone of authority in the US Congress, which is the first step in regaining their State sovereignty.
REASON #2
CAREER OPPORTUNITY
If you were part of the legislators in Michigan, wouldn't you be thrilled to have an Amendment in place that would give Debbie Stabenow the boot and open the door into the Senate for yourself and others? Many feel this way.
If you look at the statistics, it is nearly impossible to vote an incumbent out of office as long as the incumbent has the wealth and party support to buy re-elections. As an aspiring legislator, you know this. You know that it could be generations before a seat opens up in the Senate.
And, when a seat finally opens, if you don’t win the election, it may be another 30 or 40 years until the opportunity comes around again.
Most State Legislators won’t see term limits on the US Congress as a limitation to their personal careers, but rather as a long-awaited and mandated opportunity for more than one person to lead their State in their lifetimes.
REASON #3
EQUAL STATE REPRESENTATION IN THE SENATE
The original design of Congress was for the House of Representatives to represent the will of the people, hence X number of people per representative and the Senate was designed to provide equal representation for the 50 States, hence 2 Senators per State.
Most States support the concept of term limits due to the fact that equal representation in the Senate no longer exists.
Seniority Equals Power in the Senate.
The rules of the Senate state that a person with seniority is ENTITLED to preferential treatment in issues such as committee selections and positions of authority.
The framing of the Constitution did not take into consideration the concept of Career Politicians. Originally, people did their service in Congress, then went home and back to their lives.
That is no longer the case. Regardless of whether a person is continuously re-elected due to party support, name recognition, or Lobbyist money, the longer he/she is in the Senate, the more powerful he/she becomes based on the rules of the Senate.
Now look at that through the eyes of the Texas Legislators. A person like Chuck Schumer, who has been in Congress 27 years, has FAR MORE POWER in the Senate than their Senator, Ted Cruz, who has only been in the Senate for a few years.
Even a Senator from Schumer's own party, such as Elizabeth Warren(MA), has less authority than Reid due to seniority.
This is not EQUAL representation in the Senate for each State!
Term Limits will guarantee that NO State can overpower the other States in the Senate by continuously re-electing an incumbent and maintaining seniority in the Senate.
"Why would aspiring State Legislators support Term Limits in the US Congress if it would potentially limit their future careers in Congress?"
We have three primary reasons State Legislators will support our efforts.
REASON #1
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OVERREACH OF AUTHORITY
When the 17th Amendment was passed, the States lost their voices in Congress. Where before Senators represented the State government, now being elected by popular vote changed their allegiance solely to themselves and their party, whose support they needed to continue their career in Congress.
Since the change of that dynamic, Congress has continuously usurped authority from the States. Rather than 50 sovereign States, they have worked to mold the country into a single state governed by the federal government.
The States are sick of this and have a continuously growing resentment towards the federal government's encroachment. The 10th Amendment was intended to keep this from happening by limiting the federal government's authority to "only" what had been defined in the Constitution, but without a voice in Congress, the states have felt powerless to fight back as Congress extends their authority beyond their documented limitations.
It is true that some state legislators aspire to move into the US Congress, but those who will are a very small percentage of the State legislators. Knowing this, the majority of State legislators are much more concerned about their own authority within their own State and the majority are more than willing to take actions to break the backbone of authority in the US Congress, which is the first step in regaining their State sovereignty.
REASON #2
CAREER OPPORTUNITY
If you were part of the legislators in Michigan, wouldn't you be thrilled to have an Amendment in place that would give Debbie Stabenow the boot and open the door into the Senate for yourself and others? Many feel this way.
If you look at the statistics, it is nearly impossible to vote an incumbent out of office as long as the incumbent has the wealth and party support to buy re-elections. As an aspiring legislator, you know this. You know that it could be generations before a seat opens up in the Senate.
And, when a seat finally opens, if you don’t win the election, it may be another 30 or 40 years until the opportunity comes around again.
Most State Legislators won’t see term limits on the US Congress as a limitation to their personal careers, but rather as a long-awaited and mandated opportunity for more than one person to lead their State in their lifetimes.
REASON #3
EQUAL STATE REPRESENTATION IN THE SENATE
The original design of Congress was for the House of Representatives to represent the will of the people, hence X number of people per representative and the Senate was designed to provide equal representation for the 50 States, hence 2 Senators per State.
Most States support the concept of term limits due to the fact that equal representation in the Senate no longer exists.
Seniority Equals Power in the Senate.
The rules of the Senate state that a person with seniority is ENTITLED to preferential treatment in issues such as committee selections and positions of authority.
The framing of the Constitution did not take into consideration the concept of Career Politicians. Originally, people did their service in Congress, then went home and back to their lives.
That is no longer the case. Regardless of whether a person is continuously re-elected due to party support, name recognition, or Lobbyist money, the longer he/she is in the Senate, the more powerful he/she becomes based on the rules of the Senate.
Now look at that through the eyes of the Texas Legislators. A person like Chuck Schumer, who has been in Congress 27 years, has FAR MORE POWER in the Senate than their Senator, Ted Cruz, who has only been in the Senate for a few years.
Even a Senator from Schumer's own party, such as Elizabeth Warren(MA), has less authority than Reid due to seniority.
This is not EQUAL representation in the Senate for each State!
Term Limits will guarantee that NO State can overpower the other States in the Senate by continuously re-electing an incumbent and maintaining seniority in the Senate.
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