Term limits proposed for Philadelphia council
Thursday, January 28th, 2010
Philadelphia City Councilman Wilson Goode proposed a bill that would limit the number of years a councilperson could serve. But the bill has precious little support among does not have the support of his colleagues.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Councilman Goode says the city's mayor is term-limited, the state's governor is term-limited, and other cities across the country limit the number of years a lawmaker can serve. Goode says term limits make sense because incumbents become entrenched and new would-be legislators need a fighting chance to get elected.
But Goode has little backing from his fellow councilmembers. Seven-term Councilwoman Joan Krajewski says she must be doing something right, or voters wouldn't keep electing her.
Krajewski: The voters have the right to elect you, we can't tell the voters what to do.
Four-term Councilman Frank Rizzo Junior agrees.
Rizzo: After the third term, you're a very good elected official, your fourth term, you're as good as you are in your third term. So, it takes a few years to get rolling here.
Other Councilmembers say electing too many inexperienced members would put too much power in the hands of unelected staffers and civil servants. Goode's bill would limit councilmembers to three consecutive four-year terms.
1814 characters 314 words
The only infallible, unstoppable, guaranteed way to get a truly new Congress is :
NEVER REELECT ANY INCUMBENT! AND DO IT EVERY ELECTION!
The American voter must IMPOSE term limits by NEVER REELECTING ANYONE IN CONGRESS, AND DO IT EVERY ELECTION! In other words, don't let anyone serve more than one term. That's the only way to teach them that the voter is boss! The “one term limit” can be eased AFTER citizens get control of Congress.
Congress will never allow us to constitutionally term limit them by an amendment. Our only choice is to NEVER REELECT them. All of them!
The number of ‘good guys’ left in Congress is negligible, so if we threw ALL 535 members out, we wouldn’t do as much damage as the good we would gain by turning Congress into a bunch of honest, innocent freshmen.
Some of the reasons in favor of this approach:
• It gives us a one-term-limited Congress without using an amendment
• It encourages ordinary citizens to run for Congress
• It is supported by 70% of the country (see Rasmussen and Cato polls)
• It is completely nonpartisan
• If repeated, it ends career politicians in Congress
• It opens the way to a “citizen Congress” of guys like you and me
* It would open a torrent of fresh ideas to improve our government
• It ends the seniority system that keeps freshmen powerless
• It doesn’t cost money. But you MUST vote! Just don’t vote for an incumbent
• It takes effect immediately on Election Day
• It is the only infallible, unstoppable, guaranteed way to “Throw the Bums Out”
• When the ‘pros’ stop running, ordinary citizens will run, and win
• If it doesn’t work, do it again and again! It will work eventually,without a doubt.
NEVER REELECT ANYONE IN CONGRESS. AND DO IT EVERY ELECTION!
Nelson Lee Walker of tenurecorrupts.com
Email email hidden; JavaScript is required for your free NEVER REELECT bumper sticker