Yes to term limits!
Written by Dr. Richard France, Lake Carmel
TERM LIMITS: THE TIME IS NOW
Be it Republican or Democratic, in Albany or Washington, D.C., the saying holds: “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The bitter stale-mate between the political parties, and in both locations, has far less to do with legitimate policy differences than with the vile and unscrupulous determination of our elected officials to retain their hold on power at all costs.
We’ll never admit it, of course; even so, “We the People” have only ourselves to blame for this disgusting state of affairs. Election cycle after election cycle, we – foolishly – allow ourselves to succumb to their siren’s song, to their pie-in-the-sky promises, to the demonization of their opponents, and keep even the most corrupt and undeserving incumbents in office.
For the 12 months ending in March of this year, the Department of Investigation for the City of New York made 822 arrests for public corruption – an all-time record which is on-track to be surpassed during the current 12 month cycle. (God only knows what the figures are state-wide !) Public corruption is also one of the FBI’s top priorities – behind only terrorism, espionage and cyber crimes.
Now that the Supreme Court has drastically – and shamefully – reduced the liklihood that corrupt public officials like State Senator Bruno and Assemblyman Seminerio can be tried – much less jailed – under the Theft of Honest Services Law, “We the People” are being asked to believe even more of Albany’s “bovine excrement” (to borrow General Schwartzkopf’s famous euphemism) – namely, that their former cronies will react with righteous indignation and enact comprehensive anti-corruption legislation. Fat chance !
Instead of continuing to wait in vain for the most dysfunctional state legislature in America to do anything that is not in their best interest, it’s time – indeed, well past the time – that we took matters into our own hands. And while not wholly fool-proof, the best way of keeping our elected officials as honest and responsive as possible to “We the People” is to limit their time in office.
The State of Maine likes to boast, “As goes Maine, so goes the nation.” In 1993, I was asked by two Portland advertising executives – one identified with Democratic causes, the other with Republican causes – to join their campaign to limit their state legislators to no more than 4 terms of 2 years apiece. Naturally, we were vilified by every elected official in Augusta, the state capitol. “The longer we’re in office,” they insisted indignantly, “the better we can serve you.” We countered with: “Our founding fathers never envisioned the ‘perpetuity in office’ that politics has become” and – most importantly – “the less time you spend in office, the fewer opportunities there will be for you to become corrupted.”
Our “No More Than Four” initiative was presented to the voters in November 1993, and they approved it by a better than 2 to 1 majority. Politicians being politicians, there have, of course, been subsequent attempts to modify and/or over-turn what is now established law in Maine. In 2007, the latest attempt that I have been apprised of, the voters – once again – beat it back by the same 2 to 1 majority.
There was a time in America when our public officials were supposed to be above even the appearance of wrong-doing. Granted, times change, the past is past, and so on and so forth. But no cliché can obviate the fact that the pendulum has swung too far in the opposite direction for “We the People” to continue casting a blind eye at how blatantly and arrogantly our elected officials have been trampling on the sacred trust that we place in them.
The Tea Party makes much of its devotion to the principles on which our country was founded. Ben Franklin, George Mason, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson – they were all aware of the danger that public corruption posed to our fledgling democracy – and all of them were advocates of term limits. As any student of history knows – or should know – Washington went so far as to establish the precedent for 8 years in office by refusing a third term as our president.
So I implore you, ladies and gentlemen of the Tea Party, instead of squandering your new-found political muscle on individual candidates, use it to make a real difference. Heed the Maine example – and spear-head a term limits initiative here in New York.
Sending anyone to the Albany of today is the political equivalent of tossing a diamond into a cess-pool. Until that cess-pool is drained dry and thoroughly disinfected, no matter how honorable your candidate may be, nothing can possibly come of his or her efforts.
And when the sun sets on the Tea Party movement, as it inevitably must, let its legacy be one that its members can take pride in remembering, and that the next generation of “We the People” can be thankful for.
