Term limits a good beginning for reform

With DeLay's reputation blackened like burned toast by the various scandals he's embroiled in, the House Republicans jockey for power. However, with Abramoff about to turn the careers of who knows how many GOP Congressman to cinders, it's no simple matter to pick a successor to his Supreme Sliminess. Dissension in the rank and file grows and the Republican factions are splintering without their taskmaster to keep them on message.

"I do think we're at a critical, pivotal moment for the Republican Party right now," said Vin Weber, a former Republican representative from Minnesota. "The problem we're facing today is that that hard-work effort to define a reform conservative agenda has taken a back seat to simply political, tactical efforts to retain power."

There's much grumbling about ill-conceived programs designed to reward benefactors that run anathema to the true conservative principles of small government, including No Child Left Behind and this nightmare Medicare reform.

Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who with Rep. Charles Bass (R-N.H.) has urged his colleagues to consider major leadership changes next month, said House Republicans approved some of those bills in part to help Bush win reelection in 2004. "That concern no longer exists," Flake said. "The president is no longer running for reelection."

Think about that for a moment. Your Congressmen passed legislation, not for the good of the people they purport to represent but for their own political power, in order to stay in office and keep the payola train going for themselves. They don't even bother to pretend to act in the interests of their constiuents anymore. When is the last time you heard the phrase, "for the common good" from a politician?

All the lobby reform in the world isn't going to change that as long as we have professional politicians. Politics used to be considered a civic responsibility and we called our politicians and government workers, civil servants. It's been a very long time since our politicians have served anyone but their own interests.

The solution seems clear and Don Surber said it best today. This is why I read him no matter how many times he pisses me off with his posts.

Tom DeLay is in his 23rd year in Congress.

Duke Cunningham was in his 14th year when he resigned in disgrace.

William Jefferson is in his 15th year in Congress. An aide of his just copped a plea and agreed to testify against an unnamed congressman.

Term limits -- 12 years and goodbye -- would have booted these boys before they could become embroiled in scandal.

Right on. It's time to simplify our government and its processes to make it more transparent and less a petri dish for corruption. The best place to start is term limits.