Congressional Term Limits - Essay Example

Congressional Term Limits Congress is defined as a legislative body of a country. At present Congress is charged at beingdysfunctional. However, by imposing congressional term limits it could act as a platform in making government more efficient. This article describes Term Limits: the Only Way to Clean up Congress. Dan Greenbery has put forward various arguments both in favour and against the congressional term limits. Besides the cons, term limits are considered to be the best way to make improvements in the Congress.

The public is in favour congressional term limits. Term limits suppresses the benefits of incumbents over the challengers throughout the election. Incumbents get an advantage of being re-elected again and again, after they have built their reputation. They are also benefitted by the support of their own party, in addition to groups with special interest during the election campaigns, hence giving the challengers a very tough opposition. In such cases, term limits makes sure that the elections are fair by reducing the difference between the incumbents and newcomers.

Term limits also helps in generating congressional revenue. Due to easier re-election, incumbents keep the Congress away from the entrantlike, John Dingel, since 1955 have been serving forthe past fifty years as a House of Representative and is a democrat from Michigan. By forming the term limits, many incumbents are forced to give up, leaving their position vacant for the newcomers. This also improves the turnover rate within the Congress.Term limits also enables to protect Congress’s independent judgment.

Providing services for a long time often result in making congressmen loyal to bureaucracy and to other colleagues. Logrolling can be one of the best examples of this act, the legislator exchange favours with one another. This includes trading votes to facilitate a particular legislature passage. This does not allow the congressmen to make separate and critical judgement about the legislature; this will put the term limits to an end.Both advantages and disadvantages run side by side. The point of apprehension is that term limits shall be an unconstitutional measure.

According to article1 of constitution, none of senator or the representatives will be re-elected indefinitely. A constitutional amendment will be made along with an appropriate justification for necessity of term limit, prior to imposing congressional term limits.Term limits also tends to restrict the choices offered to the voter, which proves to be undemocratic as is it a right of every voter to elect an applicant who they find worthy enough for the post. Setting up the time limitation will put the voter’s desired incumbent out of the elections.

This forces them to vote for other nominees.On the contrary term limit increases quantity of inexperienced legislators in congress and restricts the numbers of the experienced incumbents. This is similar to other profession, the more time spent on the same post enhances the experience, enabling person to work in an efficient manner. Therefore, it is essential to know that the incumbents have an advantage of giving better performance than the fresh blood, which a legislature can lose by imposing the term limits.

By imposing term limits certain places might be left emptied. The higher power will be granted to instances like special interests and lobbyists. This reinforces the congressional staff in front of the new candidates, influencing and manipulating the fresh congressmen.It is concluded that term limits must be enforced so as to make the congress progressive. Such changes are hard to be adopted at first, because all experienced incumbents will have to leave their position but with the passage of time it becomes easier.

In this way the government breaks the gap between democrats and republicans making them work side by side rather than being in opposition. Term limits is beneficial for government and people both.Work CitedGreenberg, Dan. "Term limits: The only way to clean up Congress." Heritage Foundation Backgrounder 1.8 (1994).