Dingell sets record, take that term limits!

Sometimes, experience is priceless. Why do we have term limits? Let the voters decide. John Dingell sets record as the longest serving member of House of Representatives.

Here's a funny [[faster with the quips than his host) on The Colbert Report this week. He's not my congressman, but as a citizen of metro Detroit, he makes me proud. Congratulations to John Dingell!

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-col...3/john-dingell

Put it in perspective with the ABC News report:

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/john-...3#.UbE9RNI-bK0

Why have term limits? I assume you're being sarcastic.

I heard him interviewed by Craig Fahle at the Mackinac Conference. He is still sharp as a pin, articulate and informed. Physically he is an old man with a cane but his voice sounded like someone in his forties.

Detroit/Michigan is not only home to the longest serving member in Congress, but also the 2nd longest serving member in Congress [[John Conyers).

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Originally Posted by 313WX

Detroit/Michigan is not only home to the longest serving member in Congress, but also the 2nd longest serving member in Congress [[John Conyers).

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Let me rephrase the question - "Why do we not have more term limits?"

Here are the two most destructive forces to an open and free society:

1. Centralized power
2. Entrenched power

This is true of both the private and public sectors. The power of politicians should be stripped to the barest levels required to effectively operate the government.

IMHO an even better idea than term limits is duration limits for government employees, barring a few categories [[police, teachers, fire, etc...) You can work in the Wayne County clerk's office for, say, five years, then you have to work somewhere else.

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Originally Posted by JBMcB

IMHO an even better idea than term limits is duration limits for government employees, barring a few categories [[police, teachers, fire, etc...) You can work in the Wayne County clerk's office for, say, five years, then you have to work somewhere else.

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That might be the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I used to work for Oakland County, very low level student work in a courthouse. That is the livelihood of those people. They live, breath, and eat government work and public service. And to say they need to take a hike after, let's say 5 years, would be detrimental to the public because they become experts in what they do.

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Originally Posted by JBMcB

Here are the two most destructive forces to an open and free society:

1. Centralized power
2. Entrenched power

This is true of both the private and public sectors. The power of politicians should be stripped to the barest levels required to effectively operate the government.

IMHO an even better idea than term limits is duration limits for government employees, barring a few categories [[police, teachers, fire, etc...) You can work in the Wayne County clerk's office for, say, five years, then you have to work somewhere else.

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There is something to be said for having some institutional knowledge that comes from extended service. I just don't see how having no one work in any one place for more than 5 years is going to solve anything. You're going to substitute "untouchables" with the "clueless".

That said, 50 years in unchallenged elective office is ridiculous.

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Originally Posted by JBMcB

Here are the two most destructive forces to an open and free society:

1. Centralized power
2. Entrenched power

This is true of both the private and public sectors.

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For the purposes of this discussion, I don't think it makes sense to distinguish between the public and private sectors. It's becoming more and more common, for instance, for US senators to voluntarily retire from office in order to take highly-paid lobbying gigs on behalf of various private interests, because being in the Senate just doesn't pay that well in real dollars anymore and you can't accomplish anything anyway because of the filibuster.

The more you curb the power of politicians, the more they will view their time in office as a setup for a private-sector gig down the road rather than an opportunity to serve their constituents and be rewarded with another term in office. Similarly, the more you curb their pay the more they're beholden to deep-pocketed donors, and the more you curb their staff budgets the more they're beholden to lobbyists and industry researchers. Entrenched power is entrenched power, and cracking down on one manifestation of it just shifts it around.