Are you a fan of state legislative partisanship and gridlock? An upcoming proposal hopes to change that — though we hope any such policy is accompanied by the public becoming more politically savvy.
State Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, announced his plan to extend state legislators’ term limits in both the Michigan House and Senate. As Michigan’s constitution currently states, state representatives are limited to six years in the House and eight years in the Senate. Moreover, term lengths are two and four in the House and Senate, respectively.
Under the proposal, the House and Senate would extend term limits to 12 years while terms themselves would increase to four years in the House and six years in the Senate.
If the government wishes to push an era of responsibility, Meadows’ proposal is a step in the right direction.
Proponents of the idea believe part of Michigan’s economic debacle comes from the fact too many legislators are inexperienced, that there is not enough time in the politician’s term to make firm, unwavering decisions on substantial issues with those who have more congressional maturity.
Like a new kid at school, budding politicians on both sides of the aisle have few friends. The “rotten” Republicans on one side of the room frequently clash with the “despicable” Democrats. By the end of the first year, a person has made friends with whom he or she shares ideas with, generally those within the party.
Sooner or later, the time comes to step out of the “comfort zone” and form close bonds and collaborate with others — a step in the direction of bipartisanship. Besides the time necessary to meet and talk with everyone on the legislative playground, each freshman representative or senator needs time to learn the legislative ropes.
The limits are a way to clean house and remove lazy, ineffective politicians. After all, restrictions help to usher in “fresh blood” within the halls of the Capitol when a majority of the electorate might be uninformed or do not care about the candidates or issues.
Should the constitution be amended with lengthened terms, now is the time for not only politicians to step up, but for the voters themselves to do the same. Take the time to understand who you favor and what this particular candidate’s views are on the issues. Besides that, actually take the initiative to vote. As the saying goes, if you don’t vote, you can’t complain.
Part of a democracy is about experimentation and implementation. Meadows’ proposal aims to do just that.
A government by the people and for the people is a two-way street. Vote for the competent politicians and remove the trash.
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