{"id":12431,"date":"2024-02-19T09:00:46","date_gmt":"2024-02-19T17:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/?p=12431"},"modified":"2024-02-19T08:58:44","modified_gmt":"2024-02-19T16:58:44","slug":"are-you-waiting-for-the-day-when-politicians-vote-themselves-out-of-office","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/?p=12431","title":{"rendered":"Are You Waiting for the Day When Politicians Vote Themselves Out of Office?"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Bob Sparrow<\/p>\n

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Is this the answer?<\/p><\/div>\n

I have come to hate election years, where politicians turn into junior high adolescents telling us in a 30-second television commercial, how corrupt and incapable their opponents are, while bragging about the pork barrel appropriation that they got though last year.\u00a0 I have found that I am not alone.\u00a0 Approval ratings for our politicians are abysmal.\u00a0 Congressional approval<\/strong> hasn\u2019t been above 40%<\/strong> since 2005. For about half of the time since 2005, it has been below 20%<\/strong>. Yet, even with such low public opinion, congressional incumbents enjoy a reelection rate that rarely falls below 90%.<\/strong>\u00a0 Put in simpler terms, we don\u2019t like the job our politicians are doing, but we keep re-electing them. What is wrong with us?!<\/p>\n

The divide in our country is visually on parade as I hear about the corrupt Republican<\/strong> politicians on CNN<\/strong> and the corrupt Democrat<\/strong> politicians on Fox<\/strong>. \u00a0I know I’m not alone in believing that our system, in its current state, is broken. California’s debt is about $32 Billion,<\/strong> our national debt is north of $34 Trillion<\/strong>, if we were to run our personal lives like our politicians run our states and country, we\u2019d be sleeping in the streets.\u00a0 But, our politicians are more interested in keeping their jobs and thus blaming all the failures of the country on those on the other side of the aisle.<\/p>\n

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Best government money can buy<\/p><\/div>\n

We Americans like to believe that we lead the world in almost everything, but we are not even in the Top 10<\/strong> of \u2018Best Governments in the World\u2019<\/strong>, and we seems to be moving in the wrong direction.\u00a0 \u00a0While our government may not rank high in the world standings, we can honestly brag that we have the best politicians that money can buy<\/strong>.\u00a0 To wit, in 2020, 88%<\/strong> of House races and 71%<\/strong> of Senate races were won by the top spender<\/strong>.\u00a0 The amount of money spent on Congressional campaigns almost quadrupled over the last 20 years, to $8.7 billion<\/strong> in 2020, and it shows no signs of slowing anytime soon.<\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s the solution?\u00a0 Many believe that it\u2019s term limits.<\/strong>\u00a0 Proponents say that term limits would bring in a wave of new ideas and passionate citizens ready to serve their country for a time and then return home. Civility would be the new norm as members of Congress begin to see themselves as fellow Americans and not threats to their own careers.\u00a0 I have read a number of articles both for and against term limits, both have an arguement, so I asked ChatGPT to weigh in on the subject; here\u2019s what it gave me:<\/p>\n

\u201cTerm limits for elected officials have been a subject of ongoing debate in political circles around the world. Advocates argue that term limits bring fresh perspectives, prevent the entrenchment of power, and encourage a more dynamic political landscape.<\/strong> On the other hand, opponents <\/strong>contend that term limits can undermine experienced leadership, disrupt continuity, <\/strong>and limit the ability of effective leaders to stay in office.<\/strong>\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

Indeed, there are some definite advantages and disadvantages to term limits, so perhaps there is a middle ground way to:<\/p>\n