Reply #11: We need term limits

[AndyA]

We don't need career politicians who get elected, then get comfy with their positions, and feel they don't need to answer to the people any longer. Politicians seem to forget why they wanted to run in the first place. It's the whole political culture.

We need people to run for office because they have a passion for their country, and a desire to do what's right for America. After years in their offices, this passion and desire seems to fade. They lose sight of their purpose. Given a limited amount of time to make an impact, they will remain true to their values, and the passion and desire won't fade.

Term limits will also prevent what I call the "fossil syndrome," where you have elderly representatives who no longer represent the main stream. I won't mention any names, but several in recent history almost looked as if they'd already died, and nobody noticed.

Give them a specific amount of time to do their job, hold them to their campaign promises, and then return to the private sector. Career politicians are not helping us, they're making the problem worse.

Ending campaign fund raising is fine, but that won't go far enough.