You had to know they’ve been looking for it. Well, they’ve found it. Proof that term limits don’t work.
Oh, forget all the arguments politicians made when term limits were first being debated that it would create utter chaos, that state and local governments would simply grind to a halt due to the loss of experience. Aw shucks, that didn’t happen. Or that lobbyists would take over. Well, lobbyists are still moaning and groaning about it and urging legislators to repeal the limits. Not much of a sign they are exactly “taking over.” Then it was suggested that the California energy crisis was the fault of term limits. Now, that’s a really good try. But the legislation was passed before term limits removed a single legislator from office. In other words, that was the pros doing.
But if term limits seem like a big success and you think every sign points to the politicians being all wet, not to mention hopelessly self-serving on the issue, just you wait. Proof has been found that term limits leads to, well, numbskull politicians who are just too darn soft on taxpayers. Former State Rep. Lynn Jondahl, a 22-year veteran of the legislature says term limits don’t “make sense.” She points to a most serious sin committed by the inexperienced term-limited legislature: phasing out the Single Business Tax that had been on the books for 29 years and become a major source of revenue. It’s gone. A tax actually repealed.
The politicians rest their case.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.