Have the American people become fed up enough with the nonperformance of Congress that they want term limits on their elected office holders?
Maybe so.
The latest poll on that topic conducted by the Gallup Organization shows the American people would vote for congressional term limits by a 75-21 margin.
That sounds like a consensus to us.
Former Senator and Vice Presidential nominee Joe Lieberman recently said that after 24 years in office he now supports term limits. Lieberman is hardly a sensationalist when it comes to voicing opinions on issues.
Sen. David Vitter, a Republican representing Louisiana, has introduced an amendment to the Constitution that would limit the number of terms a Congress member can serve to three in the House of Representatives and two in the Senate. To become part of the Constitution, the amendment requires a two-thirds vote in each house of Congress and ratification by three quarters or 38 out of 50 states.
This is hardly the first time the term limits idea has been advanced.
But it seems more appropriate than ever given the way Washington is working right now.
Constituents want their congressmen and senators to make big decisions rather than putting them off for another day in the far-off future. Perhaps if they weren't facing re-election, they would feel free to make votes that might offend some parts of their constituency. Maybe hard decisions on spending cuts would be made. Maybe the gun control issue could be addressed with practicality rather than an eye toward maintaining an office.
All we know is that the country is at a crossroads and important decisions aren't being made.
If terms limits would help, so be it.
