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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This is a general question about your thoughts on term limits. When I moved to Virginia, I was surprised to discover that the governor serves only one four-year term and is ineligible for re-election for the next term. Do you think governors in our state should be allowed to serve two back-to-back terms? Also, do you think there should be limits to how long someone can serve in Congress? [/quote]
My opinion changes depending on which branch of government we're talking about.  I don't care much for executive term limits, but I think they're mostly harmless (and, given the current occupant of the White House, can be beneficial).  I strongly support 20-year terms for Supreme Court justices, renewable at the pleasure of the sitting president.  However, I firmly believe legislative term limits are profoundly antidemocratic and an incredibly bad idea to boot.

- First, we already have term limits - they're called elections.  If a constituency is satisfied with their representative, they should be able to keep them in office for as long as they like.

- Contrary to what a lot of people seem to think, politics is a profession, with its own sets of rules and skills.  Like any profession, time and experience matters.  Term limits rob the People of expertise developed over time in office.

- Term limits dilute representation, with decisions increasingly made by unelected professional staff.

- Term limits do not address corruption or self-dealing.  Why would they?  If anything, term limits could [i]attract [/i]candidates looking for a quick score or to get a foot in the revolving door.

- Term limits do not effectively address the advantages of incumbency - look to districting and campaign finance reform to create a more level playing field for opponents.  Experience, name recognition, etc. naturally lead to institutional support and an upper hand in fundraising. [/quote]

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