It's time to have Four-Year Terms for the House of Representatives
Lois Weiss
Commercial Real Estate Columnist at New York Post, the Real Deal, the Commercial Observer, Bisnow Media, Daily Mail.... @loisweiss Instagram: lois.weiss
By Lois Weiss
Aren't you tired of electing folks who spend one year in Congress and then spend the next year campaigning again?
New members barely learn the ropes before being shunted back out to the streets to collect money and knock on doors.
When the position was designed for farmers and local lawyers who needed to go back home and attend to their own fields and families, I can understand why it was made for just two years.
And yes, there are plenty of lifers out there -- case in point, Rep. Nita Lowey from Westchester, who must still keep campaigning and raising funds every other year.
These days, it's surely a full-time job; and these Representatives should be spending at least a full three years paying attention to work; reading legislation (not necessarily writing more regulations!); and listening to their constituents, going to events in their districts, and acting on items to make their lives better; not just raising money and showering mailboxes with campaign literature.
IMHO, I think shorter terms are also making these Reps more partisan and less likely to work with members of both parties for the greater American good, because if they don't toe the party line, they are out the door.
Anyone else have thoughts on this?
Strategic Advisor | Consultant | Brand Strategy, Marketing & Communications | Business Development | Board Member American Red Cross, Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce
6 年I agree, it’s an ineffective and unproductive process.
Communications Consultant. Content Developer. Ghostwriter with Spirit.
6 年Agree!
Co-founder @WeatherPromise
6 年The problem is campaign finance, not campaign frequency. They spend the entire two year term--not just one year--raising cash. I do not have a problem with the fact that our representatives spend a significant amount of time campaigning. Campaigning means interacting with the constituents whom they represent. We need a vastly improved way to fund campaigns either by limiting the amount that can be spent by both candidates and outside groups or by having a credible public funding mechanism. Either way, it serves no one to have our representatives holed up in a cubicle just off Capitol Hill dialing for dollars for hours on end.
Real Estate
6 年Federalist 52. The main problem is that the founders never anticipated a professional political class. They envisioned a legislature where a rep served his two years and returned home. Little did they know that these germs in DC would seek lifetime appointments.