Shoud Term Limits for State and US Congressmen and Senators be allowed on State and National Ballet for US to vote on?

I'd like to see term limits, i dont feel it should be a career. I dont think it was suppose to ever be a career.

It's high time we voted for a constitutional amendment for congressional term limits along with a provision that they can pass no law that exempts them. I don't believe the framers of the constitution meant for there to be a political class. The professional politicians are doing us a disservice all the while voting themselves raises, perks and amassing massive war chests that make it almost impossible to vote them out. For those willing to serve we need to pay them well enough for them to take time away from their own careers and put in place protections like USSERA laws (The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act is a federal law, passed in 1994), that protects military service members and veterans from employment discrimination on the basis of their service, and allows them to regain their civilian jobs following a period of uniformed service. As an added incentive maybe they could be entitled to contributions to their retirement in their absence as an incentive. Other than that, they should be civil servants and subject to civil service benefits. It might be nice if we could also do away with party affiliations and just have those running for office run on the merits of their platform only....but that's just a pipe dream...

There are two questions here: Term Limits and Popular Referendum. I'm for one and against the other. Once upon a time my positions were exactly reversed. I always felt that term limits were an insult on our intelligence. Surely we could vote out the bums when they failed. It now appears obvious that We the People simply can't. I used to think that it would be unfair to force out a good legislator simply to make room for another possibly less competent. That now appears to be a small price to pay for cleaning up Congress. As for referendums, I live in a state, California, that has them. I've lived in others that didn't. When I lived in those places where We the People couldn't introduce legislation, I felt deprived. Now that I've lived in a place where almost as many laws come from referendums as from the state legislature, I wish they'd stop. We get more bad laws this way. Every time I opened a ballot laden with referendums I was painfully aware of how unprepared I was to vote on them. What did I know? Each was layered with unforeseeable consequences. This is why we pay legislators and provide them with staffs, isn't it? So they can deliberate on these matters, listen to expert counsel, and decide wisely. Generally, it seems, most referendums are attempts to circumvent a legislature that has already considered the matter and found it lacking. But, of course, if you refer back to my first issue, I don't have all that much faith in them. Damned if we do and damned if we don't.

I think Congress should have to live within the laws they create. When they carve out exemptions for themselves, it is clearly a corrupt system. As far as term limits go, I would like to see those but at the same time, we could have those if people were educated and voted. What is sad is the small percentage of people that vote in our elections and then wonder why we are in the mess we are in. Unless we as voters hold them accountable, they will get away with this.

A few thoughts:
- Educated and informed voters should be the primary means of imposing term limits.
- Since the above is not happening, term limits can/should be implemented via Constitutional amendment. Congressman limited to 12 years (6 terms) and Senators limited to 12 years (2 terms).
- If the above is implemented, however, the second order impact is that the government bureaucracy would become stronger. That would have to be something we as a nation dealt with 20 years after passing the Constitutional amendment or immediately by reducing the size of the federal government. Sequential is acceptable but simultaneous would be preferred.

I am in complete agreement with the establishment of term limits for our elected officials. Neither Article I or II initially provided a term of service. It was not until the 20th century that the term limit Amendment was voted and approved for the Presidency. I would begin with researching how the proposal for the 22 Amendment (March 1, 1951) was developed and pursued and then use it as a framework. Because of the lack of legislative support, I would then begin a grassroots messaging movement targeting US Citizens support to push their state legislators to develop and put it to a vote with a continued push for the states to bring forth an application for proposal under Article V.

https://www.randpaul.com/issue/term-limits
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/rand-paul-amendment-obamacare-laws/2013/10/22/id/532312/

Every time it even comes near the floor - it gets smashed...but there are Politicians out there willing to vote for it, just not enough to have it passed. After all, a lot of the men and women in Congress are and have been making a career in politics. Lastly, like a few other RPers have alluded to, voters keep voting for them...which the saying "stupid as stupid does" comes to mind.

There should be Term Limits, same health care as US and NO "Golden Parachute" retirement package.

Also no immunity from prosecution if they're found to have committed criminal acts.

@ knox

It wouldn't matter if it were on the ballot. To make this change would require a Constitutional Amendment. A tremendous idea, that nobody seems interested in backing.