UNITED STATES—It is a discussion that has been chatted about for quite some time, term limits for politicians. I know in some states you can only run for governor for 2 terms, some states longer. We already know with the President of the United States you can only serve two terms, and this appears to be a direct result of Roosevelt serving at least 4 terms during the 1930s up till almost 1950. So, it begs the question why aren’t there term limits for members of the House of Representatives and U.S. Senators? I do believe perhaps there should be term limits and it’s not just about age, which is something people harp on so damn much.
Look, Joe Biden is in his 80s, he has had some bouts of confusion, but people fail to realize Donald Trump is literally 3 to 4 years younger than Biden. It is not like this guy is 10- or 20-years Biden’s junior people, so think about that. Whoever the potential nominee or victor is, if we see a rematch (which almost every person I know absolutely doesn’t want to see), they’ll be in their late 70s or early 80s.
Then you have U.S. Senators like Dianne Feinstein, Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell who are all in their 80s, I think Feinstein is in her 90s, and she doesn’t look well at all. McConnell has had just as many bouts of issues as Biden as of late, with his freezing spells at the podium. Pelosi has announced she plans to run for another term, and this just makes you think, why don’t politicians try to find something else to do beyond remain in politics? You know why, power.
That is what it boils down to. Some politicians don’t have or want to do anything else that would actually require them to use their brain. Hate to say it, but I’ll be blunt you don’t have to be smart to be in politics. Some of the biggest idiots hold political office and it’s all because they know someone else who is powerful and has money that is willing to back them.
Politics is about money, power and who you know, and with many politicians once they get their foot in the door, rarely do they leave unless a scandal strikes, or the public just has a change of heart on them. You see so many incumbents get re-elected year after year and none of their policies change, none of their antics change, it is the same ole same ole and guess what America, we need to change that. You need term limits so that you have changes in leadership. If you keep the same politicians in office, you’re going to see the same thing over and over again. When you have term limits you open the door for other candidates to vie for a possible turn in public office.
However, if you ask me do I think politicians actually care about the American public? The answer is NO! They care about themselves and that is always the priority. Name a politician who actually cares about the public. I’m waiting. They scratch the backs and do favors for those who helped get them elected to office, which is already a problem to begin with. You’re going to hear people say, “Remember what I did to help you get into office. You owe me.” Doesn’t that raise a few eyebrows? It does for me, but rarely do we hear about it, even though we know its transpiring behind closed doors.
I think politicians having to face the realization that they will not always be in office, will force them to actually give their best and do their best while they are there to serve the public. Once time is up, time is up, and they have to move onto something else and not get so comfortable in a position that they think they’re untouchable and will never be booted from public office. Change is good America, the country is constantly changing so why can’t we change the dynamics of politics as they currently are.
Witten By Zoe Mitchell
