Term Limts are Wrong Answer to the Right Problem

For years, many conservatives have been pleading for limits on how long people can serve in office. They are tired of the rampant corruption, the influence of money, and the "cronyism" pervasive in politics today and they feel the need to do something...anything. Term limits are among the most popular of promoted "solutions."

It seems to make sense, keeping people in office for a limited period of time, instead of them becoming too comfortable, complacent and, most importantly, too powerful. We have politicians who have money in the freezers, with bridges to "no where," and inappropriate relationships with interns. Something has got to change. On the surface, term limits seems like a brilliant proposition. However, this idea mandates that we dig a little deeper. Term limits are a fairly simple concept. Members of the US House would likely serve up to four terms, according to most term limit proponents (eight years), while US Senators would serve two, six year terms. According to the theory, these politicians would serve their time and since it is short, they would hurriedly run back to their home town and go back to contributing to their communities and economies. Unfortunately, the theory doesn't seem to hold up against the harsh realities.

When I use to work for Senator Gordon Humphrey (R-NH) back in the 1980s, I had a surprising experience one day that humorously displays how difficult it is to get traction as a legislator in Washington. I was busy away typing a response to a constituent's question when an exasperated Rudy Boschwith (then, a Senator from Minnesota), flew into the room and with a dazed look, asked where the rest room was. He looked shocked and he acted as though he was going to a public rest room. It wasn't, but one of the many ones in the offices of US Senators for their staff. He was a Senator, I wasn't going to correct him, but the story has drawn many a laugh from other Hill staffers who have enjoyed their own new Member story. What is most amazing is that this happened in 1983. Boschwitz had been in the Senate for five years and still didn't know where the rest rooms were.

I know tons of stories like this. There is the new Congressman who told M. Stanton Evans how much he enjoyed his articles with Robert Novak (wrong Evans). I also cannot forget the member who insisted on not wearing her Congressional pin and expected every member of the Capital Hill police to recognize her. The list continues. My contention is simple, Congressional bureaucrats would rule Capitol Hill and Members of Congress would largely blindly follow. The stock of those who represent us would crash, while the unelected bureaucrats would grow in influence.

An even bigger problem is its potential impact on government spending. Take the lowly citizen (whom we will call "Mr. Smith") who decides to run for his state's legislature. It takes an enormous amount of time, energy, and money to get elected. Upon getting to the House, he realizes he wants to do more and help more people, and do it without the pressure of having to run again every two years. He gets elected to his state Senate and before he knows it, Smith wants to put his sights on the US House in Washington, DC. Once he gets there, he notes the new term limits and he knows that eight years will be here in no time and he immediately begins to focus on statewide office... the US Senate, Governor, or other office. In order to have “a name” through out the state and favors to bear, Mr. Smith will send pork to the entire state from day one. As candidates feel forced to run for higher office, they will feel forced to share the wealth.

Instead of solving the "power problem" common in Washington, term limits will likely make it worse. Since the problem is power, solutions should be found in the way they govern. This could be seen in "super majorities" required for new taxes and spending, sunset commissions that require all spending bills to be reevaluated every two years, required changes in both committees and chairmen over certain time frames (this would certainly disrupt the influence of lobbyists). Most importantly, such reforms would address the real problem, which is power and not the length of time they are in office.

Power limits, not term limits, is the right answer to government out of control. They should be the priority for anyone who is serious about getting government under control.

Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business, the longest running show on AM 650 (M-F at 11 am) in Houston, Texas and on AOL Radio. Eric Bolling of Fox News and Fox Business says that Price’s Blog “is very influential and moves the blogosphere.” Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal calls Price the “best business talk show host in the country.” Find out why and visit his blog at www.BizPlusBlog.com and his show site at www.PriceofBusiness.com. You can also find Price on Strategy Room at FoxNews.com.

Tea Party Members Need to Quickly Harness Their Energies

I was exhilarated by the opportunity to speak in Houston, Texas to thousands (estimated at around 8,000) who came out to defend their freedoms against a government that is spiraling out of control. I saw moms, dads, babies, and grandparents. They were all Americans who are worried about this nation's future and they were among hundreds of thousands who gathered at locations around the country to be heard.

When you address thousands, you don't see individual faces. In my case it was a sea of bodies and signs. I told that group that I was excited to see the "dozens" and maybe even "hundreds" that the media would report showed up to that event. The crowd roared at the humor, but I was not joking, and the Houston Chronicle reported that "hundreds showed up." The article included a video clearly showing thousands and you have to wonder how stupid the media is or how stupid they believe we are.

Although I was inspired, I was also concerned. The vast majority of the people involved in this movement tend to be quite new to the political process who have expectations and agendas that simply will not stand the test of reality. I have been involved in politics since the late 1970s and have never walked far from it in decades. There are others in the Tea Party movement with some experience, but they are few and far between. The vast majority not only lack an understanding of our political process or the most effective means of action, they are proud of their lack of experience and look at people with experience with suspicion (it also doesn't help to have the CNN label behind my name).

After I spoke I was greeted by a young man wearing camouflage and a name tag simply described as "Domestic Terrorist," making fun of Barack Obama's expanded use of the phrase to include anyone who questions the direction this country is going. The young man was fairly bright, full of energy, and has the desire that is needed to help his cause. But how will he tap into it?

I asked him what he was doing in 2010, since that will be an important year if the Party is going to have an impact (because of the need to focus on the Congress). This twenty-four year old agreed and told me he was going to run for Congress. It didn't seem like a great use of time, since there are so many other opportunities going on, but I went along with him. "Where?" I asked. "I live in Stafford, Texas, who ever the Congressman is there." That would be the very newly elected Pete Olson, who shares this young man's beliefs on most issues and is not an "old timer" who simply needs to be kicked out. This wasn't all, this young man wanted all members of Congress, regardless of affiliation or beliefs, to be collectively thrown out. That means that good members would be replaced by bad. I guess the logic is that since there are more "bad" than "good members," I guess they believed you would have the opposite if you simply "cleaned it out." It sounds simplistic, but things like these alone are not the only thing necessary to achieve change.

Many of the thousands of people at these events are like this young men -- well intended, but in a difficult position to help facilitate change. Many, simply don't know the best routes to facilitate a move towards restoring America's values. The most important time in US history may turn out to be 2010. The center of the political universe will be the US Congress and the US House of Representatives in particular. If the Tea Party wants to make a difference, it will have to be focusing on the Congress and it will have to be done in a concerted and organized way.

Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business, the longest running show on CNN 650 (M-F at 11 am), AOL Radio, and CBS Radio. Eric Bolling of Fox News and Fox Business says that Price’s Blog “is very influential and moves the blogosphere.” Steve Moore of the Wall Street Journal calls Price the “best business talk show host in the country.” Find out why and visit his blog at www.BizPlusBlog.com and his show site at www.PriceofBusiness.com.

It is not About Doing Something, but the Right Thing

The majority I speak to are excited about Barack Obama and his sweeping legislation that is going to possibly change this economy for decades to come. They are excited because they argue that something -- anything -- needed to be done. This type of logic does not serve well in any other aspect of our lives. For example, we don't praise the heroic efforts of the person who poured gasoline on a burning building, or the person who avoided rush hour traffic by driving on a shoulder, or the person who attempts to forget about his problems through alcohol. In the real world, we know there are rules to almost everything. There are also rules to the economy: some things work, other things do not work.

There are two basic views of government. One sees the best government doing as little as possible and being focused on protecting individuals from other individuals and our country from foreign adversaries. The opposite extreme is that government should play a pervasive role in every aspect of our lives and that it should be the primary driver of our economy and society. The vast majority who have an opinion fall some where in between. Far more than those with an actual opinion have no real view at all. Those people are my concern here.

This uniformed majority are the same people who are driving Barack Obama's extremely high approval ratings. They don't really know what they are doing, or what they believe, they are merely very sincere. They think some action is, at least, action. But the actions of this administration will take generations to pay off and they promise to make things far worse than better.

The majority of countries around the world are moving away from more government as an answer to economic problems. Although still Communist, China's economic success has been due to areas of decentralization. This is true, also, for India's famous bureaucratic country. Maybe the best example to the United States is Ireland.

For decades, Ireland was little more than a Third World country. It was uncommon for Europeans to face starvation in the 19th century, but it was a major problem on the Emerald Island. On the economic front, Ireland had the highest tax rates among industrialized nations. This is not the case any more. Ireland dramatically lowered its highest tax rates to around 10 percent and for over a decade it has had one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Countries that have moved towards government solutions and high taxation are only seeing more economic problems. Japan has had chronic economic problems for over two decades (and the highest corporate tax rates in the world). The US now has the second highest and we are quickly catching up in terms of economic woes.

We all know that businesses have to work hard to attract customers, and states have to work hard to attract businesses, but don't countries have the same responsibility as well? Ireland seems to understand that and, in light of the "something" our government did this past week, it is clear the US does not.

Kevin Price is a syndicated columnist whose articles frequently appear at ChicagoSunTimes.com, Reuters.com, USAToday.com, and other national media. Kevin Price is Host of the Price of Business (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at PriceofBusiness.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.