Congressional Term Limits

The Congress of the United States of America is a bicameral legislature. Congress consists of two (2) chambers, i.e. the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Article I of the Constitution of the United States Constitution establishes the legislative branch of the United States national government, referring to it as Congress. It sets out the composition, membership, duties, and powers (explicit, implied, and denied) of the legislative branch of American government at the national level; and, it also has a section (Article I, Section 10) of what powers are denied, or prohibited without the consent of Congress, to the individual States of the United States of America.

Article 1 also puts forth the qualification requirements of those who may become a Representative and of those who may become a Senator. It does so for Representatives in Section 2 and for Senators in Section 3. There are only three (3) Qualifications of Members of Congress and those requirements concern age, citizenship, and residency.

According to the United States Constitution:

"No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen."
and
"No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen."

That being stated, I am constantly amazed that there are people who wish to put forth their own personally held opinions about Congress and who desire to impose their will unto everyone else in our great nation.

There are some people who believe they know who is better to represent others in the Congress of the United States of America than the voting public who those in Congress actually represent. These people want to LIMIT how many times I can elect/re-elect MY CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVE. They want to LIMIT how many times you can elect/re-elect YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVE.

I cannot help but wonder why someone in South Carolina (for example) believes that he or she knows better who should represent me from Ohio in the United States Senate OR why someone in North Dakota (for example) or someone from Southeastern Ohio (for example) believes that he or she knows better who should represent me from Northwestern Ohio in the United States House of Representatives.

AND, who am I from Northwest Ohio to prevent someone in Kentucky (for example) from electing whoever they damn well please to represent them in either chamber of Congress OR to prevent someone in Northeast Ohio (for example) to represent them in the United States House of Representatives?

All that, then, leads me to the subject of Congressional Term Limits. I strongly assert that there are already term limits imposed on Members of Congress. Each and every member of the United States House of Representatives is limited to a two-year term; and, each and every member of the United States Senate is limited to a six-year term. The Ballot Box is the mechanism to impose term limits. If the majority of voting age residents in a congressional district so choose, they may change their Representative or Senator every election cycle OR they may choose to retain those elected officials. If I have an incumbent elected official who I believe is doing a good job for my geographical area, I want to keep that person. On the other hand, if I have an incumbent elected official who I believe is doing a bad job for my geographical area, I want to fire that person. The ballot box gives me the power and the authority to impose term limits, provided that I am in the voting majority. It is only those in THE VOTING MINORITY, THOSE who are NOT GETTING THEIR WAY, AND PEOPLE FROM OTHER GEOGRAPHICAL POLITICAL JURISDICTIONS who WANT to DENY me MY RIGHTS to choose my duly democratically elected United States Representative or Senator.

Okay, That is it! Now, if you want to know what set me off today (I have addressed the same topic for decades), just look at the reproduction below of something that occurred on Facebook:

Elaine Soukup shared Conservative Minds's photo.
Thursday, February 18 at 2:00am ·
YES! YES! YES!

Conservative Minds
February 17 at 10:07am · 
We poke fun at the "ignorance" of people in third world countries for allowing political dynasties to remain in power, thus allowing the unilateral corruption to keep them third world, but by not imposing term limits on our officials, we basically do the same thing. Agree or disagree? Let us know here at Conservative Minds

Roland Louis Hansen:
We already have term limits. It is called The Ballot Box.
Thursday, February 18 at 10:030pm

Douglas Pettigrew:
But the ballot box doesn't work very well when the same people control Congress for 40+years.
Friday, February 19 at 1:10am

Roland Louis Hansen:
I respectfully disagree with you, Douglas Pettigrew. The ballot box works exactly as it is supposed to work. Each individual elected to the House of Representatives is limited to two years; and, each individual elected to the Senate is limited to six years. After those periods of time, another election is held and new terms for those positions  are held, and so on and so forth. The ballot box reflects the will of the majority of voters in each district for the U.S. House of Representatives every two years and for each State for its U.S. Senators every six years. People who disagree that the ballot box serves as a mechanism for term limits are simply dissatisfied that their own viewpoint is not reflected by the majority of voters from the districts of which the elected persons have been duly elected.
Friday, February 19 at 8:29am