A Politcal Topic? Oh No!

Frank didn't do coffee with me this morning...he slept in...until after 10:00! Yesterday was the last day to file returns for tax year 2008, and he had a very long day. It was well after 8:00 when he finished up last night, and well, he essentially took today off.

But, we've been talking the past couple of days, and Frank has been thinking about a matter that is probably about as close to a political issue that we have ventured into since doing this blog. It has to do with those that serve in political office for extended periods of time. When Frank was working in Kentucky back in the '90's, the congressman for that district passed away after serving in Congress for over 40 years. He had even set the record for the most consecutive congressional votes at 18,401. Frank thinks that such dedication to public service is admirable and should be recognized, but shouldn't there be a cut off somewhere?

This is added to the recollection of a senator from South Carolina that served in that position from 1954 to 2003 when he died at age 100. Not only was he the oldest person to ever serve in the Senate, but also holds the record for the longest filibuster at 24 hour and 18 minutes. Again, very admirable, but he probably should have retired after that record-breaking speech.

Longevity is not restricted to offices held in Washington, DC, but also state houses across the country. Right here in Tennessee, there is a state senator that announced in March, 2008, that he would not run for re-election to a seat he had held since 1958, and serving as Speaker of the Senate from 1971 to 2007.

Of course, these are exceptional tenures and, as stated earlier, should be recognized for the dedication and loyalty of these men to their political aspirations. But, when the government was set up in the late 18th century, is this what the framers had in mind? Frank would like to believe that the founding fathers envisioned a government run not by career politicians, but by those that have looked at it as a short term opportunity to serve, to return at its conclusion to the lives and careers formerly held.

How would the writers of the Constitution look upon the hour upon hour of committee debate recently played out on C-Span on the health care issue? What would they think of the exploded budget with billions and billions of dollars spent on pet projects and earmarks? How would they view the multiple offices and staffs employed by Congress persons and Senators? The budget for staff Blackberries (R) would probably exceed the household budgets of many homes in this country! There is a commercial for a cellular phone company that has a legislative body conducting business through the use of its walkie-talkie service. In this 30 second television spot, the entire legislative agenda was accomplished. Something to think about.

Frank has always thought there should be term limits in place for political office, but has been reluctant to advocate for legislation creating such limits. The reason for the reluctance is that (1) in Frank's mind, it is a violation of the freedom of speech concept, and (2) there could be a legitimate reason to allow a person to hold an office for longer that a legislated term limit. Such reasons might include a national emergency, an issue the person holds a special expertise in, or there just isn't a good candidate to oppose the office holder. In other words, if term limits are legislated, it paints the process into a corner, regardless of what current situation exist.

In essence, the idea of term limits holds a special attraction, but the limit should be set by the voters, not by legislation. But, in order to make term limits a reality, there must be a push by all concerned to recruit qualified candidates to run for these offices. And not just by the established political parties, but by grassroots organizations such as business associations and civic clubs.

And while we're at it, maybe we should advocate for a better understanding of the government by voters. Frank is constantly amazed by the fact that education of the public on civic matters is left to the likes of news organizations, political pundits and talk radio hosts...all of which are chasing advertising ratings.