Term limits improve democracy

With gubernatorial, house and senate elections coming up in the fall, it is important to take a step back and look at a couple of areas where our electoral process falls short.

I feel most would think corruption is a major issue with today's politicians and I am inclined to agree. These feelings put questions in voters' heads about their importance in the political system and the legitimacy of their vote. It seems interest groups run rampant and few politicians actually represent their constituency.

Luckily, I think I have found two ways to improve this area. I say found because I believe I heard the first idea from someone else, but I can't remember who and I'm not fan of taking credit when it isn't truly mine.

With that said, I'm no genius political scientist, but the following ideas seem almost obvious as a tool for reducing corruption.

First, there is term limits. Obviously the highest office in our country's government has term limits, but why doesn't our Congress?

There are members of both the House and the Senate who have retained their seats for a ridiculous amount of time. I'm not saying these people are corrupt; after all, they may do good work. My problem is the lack of change gives these politicians a greater opportunity to become corrupt.

Lets take Rep. Ralph Hall. He has been in office for 30 years, and I'm not exaggerating, he first took office in 1980. I'm not arguing whether or not he has done a good job while in office, but the lack of change is horrible. Our republic is built around the idea of different people holding office. When someone is in a position for 30 years there is no room for progression. It starts becoming more like a monarchial rule.

The simple solution to this is to limit the number of terms a member of the House and Senate can serve. Personally I feel four terms is fair for House members and two terms for those working in the Senate. This is enough time for the elected official to make a difference without becoming a permanent part of their seat. This also reduces the chance for congressional members to get too close with interest groups, creating a republic more representative of the populace.

This still leaves the problem of certain groups making "donations" to a candidate's campaign to secure their support if elected.

I propose something similar to a salary cap. Limiting the amount of money a politician can spend on his or her campaign will allow for non-elitist Americans to hold office. This will also inhibit interest groups from overly influencing the elected official's policies while in office. Obviously some campaign money will still come from the elite, but this would be a step in the right direction. All in all, it will lead to members of Congress becoming better representatives of the American people.

I'm not saying these ideas are perfect, but they're a start. It's time we start giving ideas to our government since our politicians seem incapable of coming up with ways to improve our democracy.