The reelection rate for members of Congress is over 90%. An increasing number of them are serving 30 years or more. It has become a life-long career for many of them, which is antithetical to what the Founding Fathers intended. The Founders expected citizens to put down the tools of their trade, come to Washington to serve their country and then return to their homes to live with the legislation they enacted.

Congress has established for itself lucrative pay, benefits and perks. This, along with the power it gives the members, is very enticing to candidates and they don’t want to give it up once they get in. But, to stay there, an incumbent’s main focus needs to be on the next election. Instead of making decisions for what is best for the country, they must satisfy voters and contributors who will provide them with the money and votes for their reelection.

We need to get rid of the career legislators and provide the opportunity for more citizens to serve in Congress and contribute fresh ideas. Career politicians quickly lose touch with the average American and their needs. Also, they are more susceptible to abuses of power involving money, special favors and sex.

If term limits make sense for the Executive branch, then they also make sense for the Legislative branch.

What I propose here is a constitutional amendment with the following term limits:

- Representatives can serve up to five 2-year terms for a total of 10 years and

- Senators can serve up to two 6-year terms for a total of 12 years.

Additionally, legislator’s pay would be linked to military pay scales. Legislators will be paid a salary that is tied to the average pay of mid-level officers in the four branches of the military. This makes it so that they cannot vote themselves any pay increase without corresponding increases in military pay. The point is that they understand that they don’t deserve more compensation for their service to the country than those who defend it.

Members of Congress would continue to have additional funds for key expenses, including lodging and travel while in session. They would also have a limited expense account to hire several aides to assist them in their work. They would not receive any other benefits when in office (see #1 Union Makeover) and would not receive a pension upon leaving (see #4 Social Security RIP).

What this change ensures is that Congress gets regular turnover to bring in new faces and fresh ideas. It will no longer be a magnet for people who are mainly seeking the position for the money and power. On the other hand, it will entice those individuals who truly want to serve their country. Because of the term limits, most legislators will leave office needing to return to a normal job. They know that they will have to live under the legislation they passed, just like any other citizen. We should get a much better quality of legislative decisions coming out of Washington than we have gotten previously when their votes were overly influenced by a reelection focus.

I also believe you will see much more interest and participation in the elections with this change. As the 2008 presidential race is demonstrating, voters get excited to vote when there is no shoe-in incumbent in the mix.