Coming to Terms with Congress

At the present time, the situation in the United States with respect to the integrity of public office is questionable at best. The United States federal government, specifically in Congress, has been plagued by incumbents who spend a large portion of their life in public office. These “career” politicians form the basis of corruption in America and pose a direct threat to the integrity of the nation, along with the trust citizens have in the government. Understandably, the more experience a person possesses, the more likely he or she will be to become a well-rounded leader, and former representatives can provide assistance to new members of Congress or State Legislatures. 

Just as how Thomas Jefferson proposed that a constitution has a shelf life of nineteen years, members of Congress have the same limit. When the career politicians reach a certain age, mental competency factors in as a legitimate reason to remove them. The next generation must have a hand in building this nation, so they themselves will invest in the prosperity of the United States. Career politicians are just as dangerous as “lame duck” representatives; a problem addressed by the Twentieth Amendment. The government of the United States needs to reflect the desires of the population. Older representatives have the problem of losing touch with their constituents, a fundamental part of any position in public office. 

Background Information

Since the establishment of the United States, the founding fathers, specifically George Washington, believed the positions of public office ought to reflect the desires of the people. The Legislative branch was not designed to accommodate the career politicians who currently control Washington and may have more power than the president. The original idea for members of Congress was to serve for a short period of time, represent your district honorably, and then return to your community. The salary of Congress is reduced for a reason. The United States cannot afford a permanent political class in America because politicians need to fear their constituents. Career politicians must respect the desires and demography of their district. With the fear of limited service, politicians might actually utilize their position correctly and achieve an actual goal. 

Nancy Pelosi (80; 34 years of service), Rick Perry (70; 15 years of service), Dianne Feinstein (87; 28 years of service), Chuck Schumer (70; 22 years of service), and so on. The list of career politicians is inexhaustive, and these names are rooted in the corrupt establishment in Washington and other public offices. Some names are not as tarnished, but they all relate to the issue of career politicians. These established members of Congress are so ingrained in Washington. They have unique opportunities to receive benefits from the private sector, such as employment after office. These career politicians create too many alliances which soon lose sight of the goal to support Americans and do their job for honor, not wealth. 

Career politicians are the result of political posturing, a byproduct of the two-party system. Since the citizens of the United States have a general disdain for government, there is a lack of new interest for people to run for office. The American education does not sufficiently educate its citizens in the civic processes to create the proper stimulus for active participation. This issue increases the fear of challenging incumbent officials and filtering new ideas into the government. A stagnant pond always attracts mosquitoes like a complacent institution attracts corruption.

Supporting Arguments

The fact that the nephew by marriage of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is the governor of California should truly concern the American people. Ruling families are exactly what the Founding Fathers and the first Americans were trying to put an end to. The fundamental principles of self-government in the United States do not allow for the development of a ruling political class. These career politicians also have Ivy League educations, which happens to send a clear message to the American people that our union is controlled by an elite in Washington. Congress has gone astray from its design because its members were originally supposed to be an accurate representation of the populace. At this time, accurate representation does not exist. How can Americans depend on their government when we have representatives looking to help themselves and gain wealth and status. 

Career politicians like to treat politics like it’s a game — a game where people’s lives depend upon what happens next. Politicians use the game for cannon fodder. I am not advocating for the dissolution of government. I just want to see the success of a properly represented America. Career politicians believe that they are above the law and should be able to tell the people what to do. Congress needs new individuals to represent the population and find new ways to tackle the substantial debt that cripples our nation’s potential. Career politicians also misrepresent our constituents in international affairs. These established politicians create a barrier when attempting to negotiate substantively beneficial international compacts because the inside deals obstruct progress. One instance of this occurring is the Hunter and Joe Biden scandal, where a career politician of 47 years had his son, Hunter, engaged in relations with wealthy Chinese investors for monetary gain for no “apparent” reason. Career politicians will typically placate the private sector and major industrial entities to secure their personal gain or future.

Recommended Conservative Course of Action

I fully support and recommend an appropriate course of action within the limits of the Constitution to promote the integrity of public office in the United States. I propose a Constitutional Amendment, similar to the Twentieth Amendment, to limit the terms of both Senators and Representatives in Congress. The House of Representatives would have term limits of two years per term, concurrent with the status quo. However, the representative can only be elected to Congress for five terms in total. Senators can serve four years per term, but they can only be elected for two terms. Each Representative and Senator will have around a decade to accomplish their goals in Congress. No Congress member should be able to serve for more than ten years because a decade provides ample time to complete legislation. The presidency faces the limit of two, four-year terms ever since President Franklin D. Roosevelt won four consecutive elections. The Republican-controlled Congress instituted term limits to prevent other steamroll events from the opposing party in the future. A full decade may even prove to be too long of a time for an establishment official to serve, but I believe this allotment of time is sufficient. The House is larger; therefore, ten years is permissible because of the constitutional design of the legislative branch. 

Term limits would break up the political ruling elites and provide the next generation with the opportunity to contribute to civic policy and duties. America’s future rests upon its citizens establishing new ideals and creating new opportunities through investing in society. The establishment in Congress and the bureaucracies cast a towering shadow over the role of self-governance. To return America back to its people, we must enact term limits on public office holders to protect ourselves from a political ruling class. While writing or calling your designated public official should warrant a response in terms of legislative action, the novel idea of creating in-person appointments, virtual town halls, and/or legal petitions should carry the necessary gravitas to garner a public response. The public response increases the dissemination of information that the politician is peddling, which can potentially lead to higher knowledge within the district. The achilles heel of the political ruling class is their desire to keep their constituents in the dark on as many policy issues as possible. An educated citizenry counteracts the potential of corruption within the political ruling class from spreading or establishing itself in the first place.

The coronavirus furnishes the perfect example of the political ruling class manipulating Americans through medical tyranny. The career politicians forced Americans into isolation, while they went about their personal business. Governor Newsom is well acquainted with this idea of unconstitutional power and playing a double standard. While the magnitude of removing the current and future political ruling classes may be a daunting task, we will eventually have to find a solution. The metaphorical ball has not begun to roll towards a solution, but to quote the Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”