Going Part-Time

Term limits. I think this topic is rather timely, given a few recent events. It may be at subject that has been beat into the ground, dug up, and then pile-driven in again, but I’m going to dig it up one more time.

Senators are dying in office, and it isn’t because some far-out extremist with a 12-guage is gunning them down. Death is a natural part of life, and occasionally someone is going to die in office. It just happens. However, we have recently lost two senators, Murtha and Kennedy, both long, LONG time members of Congress. These men held their seats so long that the seats have become known by the senators, rather than the senators being known by the seats.

That being said, I have to applaud Evan Bayh of Indiana for stepping down at the end of his term. Very few politicians seem to do that these days, unless they are either sure of defeat at the voting box, or have been scandalized with some gross misconduct. Senator Bayh, as far as we know, had a solid chance at re-election, and no up-and-coming scandal. Rather than being pushed out by unpopularity, Bayh is giving up his seat of his own volition for apparently moral reasons. That is to be applauded in any politician, on either side of the aisle. According to the New York Times, Senator Bayh was more of a part-time senator than many of his colleagues, “popping in” for votes and making rare floor speeches, but still getting home for all the important family events. That is exactly the way it should be. I don’t know much of the man’s politics, but it seems that many of his colleagues could take a leaf out of his book.

Everyone in Washington should be going home on the weekend. Better yet, they should be home ALL the time, except for scheduled debates and votes. The people they represent are, guess what, at home. Then again, many of the politicians in Washington might get tar-and-feathered if they stayed home long enough.

Members of Congress, particularly senators, as they have six-year terms anyway, should have a limit on how many terms they can serve. I would recommend two for senators, maybe three or four representatives. They should be in Washington part-part-time, and spend the rest of their time in their offices back home, where their constituents can actually reach them. Perhaps the townhalls of this summer were a bit scary for the poor, sheltered congressmen, but they’ll have to get over it. People are demanding more respect and attention from their congressmen (oh, and congresswomen, too).

Would anyone in Congress (aside from possibly Senator Bayh) vote for a bill limiting their own term limits? Probably not. That’s about as likely as Congress giving itself a pay-cut. But that's another subject for another post.