Will Term Limits Benefit that Nation Over the Long-Term?
Term limits will address the current challenges that are impacting Congress most notably: the culture of entitlement and privilege that has been established. Over the short to medium term this will: reduce pork barrel spending, the size of the federal bureaucracy and it will improve the responsiveness of the government. The big challenge going forward, will be how Congress reacts once the special interest groups have adapted to these transformations. This is when they could begin influencing the process in a similar kind of manner as before. The only difference is they have adjusted their strategy to deal with these changes.
To prevent this, there needs to be some kind of stipulations that will limit the influence and access of special interest groups to elected officials. One possible strategy is to introduce term limits on a national level and then impose restricted amounts of contact with special interests for Congressional officials. If this kind of an approach is taken, it is will directly address the ability of these groups to adjust with these transformations. This will make it more difficult for them to gain any kind of benefits during the process.
When this takes place, it will ensure that term limits will break the culture of entitlement inside Congress. This will make elected officials more responsive to stakeholders and it is holding them accountable for their actions. It is at this point that there will be a transformation inside the political establishment. Therefore, term limits should be imposed on the national level with provisions that will restrict the influences of special interests during the process.
References
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"Schwarzenegger Moves Out," Energy Boom, http://www.energyboom.com/policy/schwarzenegger-moves-out-energy-policy-legacy-stay-put (accessed March 21, 2012)
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Stephan Cummings, California After Arnold (New York, NY: Algora Publications, 2009), 108-109
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John Gastil, by Popular Demand (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2000), 77-88
Karl Kurtz, "Arkansas Designates," NCSL, http://ncsl.typepad.com/the_thicket/term_limits / (accessed March 21, 2012)
Alastair Smith, the Logic of Political Survival (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2005), 112-118
Sewell, Chan. "Debating the Pros and Cons of Term Limits," New York Times, http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/debating-the-pros-and-cons-of-term-limits / (accessed March 21, 2012)
John Gastil, by Popular Demand (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2000), 77-88
Sewell, Chan. "Debating the Pros and Cons of Term Limits," New York Times, http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/debating-the-pros-and-cons-of-term-limits / (accessed March 21, 2012)
John Gastil, by Popular Demand (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2000), 77-88
Alastair Smith, the Logic of Political Survival (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2005), 112-118
Alastair Smith, the Logic of Political Survival (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2005), 112-118
Alastair Smith, the Logic of Political Survival (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2005), 112-118
