There were many good justifications for this position. There is what I call the “responsiveness argument” which posited that limiting terms would engender better representation because legislators would be more “in touch” with their constituents. There is also the “public interest argument,” which holds that term limits will produce legislators who will be concerned with the common good rather than parochial interests. Finally, there is the “incumbent argument” which reasons that incumbency advantage in elections creates a class of politicians who ignore their responsibilities, who favor politics over policy, and cater to big-time donators and special interest groups.

While these arguments suggest good intentions and are quite compelling, we did not quite get what we asked. Yes, term limits did bring many fresh faces to the House and Senate. After years where the legislature has had a complete inability to compromise, however, our state’s legislative history suggests that things have not worked out as expected. Comprehensive academic studies suggest that the electoral goals of term limits have not been achieved.

Most people do not have the time or attention span to read a 256-page academic report on term limits. But what the report suggests should be on the minds of every citizen if a proposed ballot initiative goes through to allow for a dismantling of term limits. Competition for seats is not greater than it was before. Campaign spending has increased. Considering these factors, it is no wonder that more “citizen legislators” have not been elected. In general, those running for state elective office today are far wealthier than their counterparts prior to term limits.

Term limits have not only impacted the electoral scene, but have re-shaped the institutions that once governed the House and Senate. At one time, powerful long-standing committee chairs would be the ones to look to in a crisis such as this month’s budget debacle. They were the ones who had the power to, and who were expected to, get things done. Now they are gone and there is a huge leadership vacuum.

This has also come to affect legislators on a personal level. The environment of trust and collegiality that characterized the legislative body is now replaced by an air of unfamiliarity. How are two leaders of two different parties supposed to hammer out a compromise bill when they don’t trust each other further than they can throw one another?

Chances are pretty good that any lobbyist has been around the Capitol longer than most typical legislators, and will generally know more about any given issue. I’m sure that many lobbyists, when term limits were initially enacted, were licking their chops in preparation to become the most informed people in Lansing. Even the lobbyists, however, do not like the outcomes.

Some lawmakers do not understand procedures and rules, are solely focused on getting re-elected and are constantly searching for the donations necessary to ensure their political survival.

My suggestion that the budget crisis could have been avoided if not for inexperienced legislators is not intended to shift blame away from anyone in particular. In fact, I think that the legislators and the governor are both to blame on this issue. It’s true, the governor also does not have the same experience as a John Engler or a Bill Milliken in building relationships and knowing how to distribute political capital.

The task at hand is to ensure better legislative outcomes in the short term. I implore prospective voters: term limits are a bad idea. Yes, while there used to be a strong incumbency advantage in areas where legislators built up political fiefdoms, the power to vote ineffective legislators out of office lives in the hands of the voters.

While experienced legislators sometimes means pork-barrel appropriations, it also means ones who have the knowledge and the track record to cast unpopular votes and defend themselves.

Eric Gregory is a State News columnist and political theory and constitutional democracy senior. Reach him at gregoryf@msu.edu.