Congress needs term limits

If one did not know better, after reading the letters to the editor on Friday and Saturday, one would conclude that CMR is a lame duck, and would not be seated in the new Congress convening on January 4, 2021. Every letter that mentioned her was critical of her actions with respect to the presidential election.

But, we know that she was re-elected by a 60/40 margin. What to make of this? Simply put, it’s the Congressional Conundrum. The U.S. Congress, particularly the House of Representatives, has less than a 10% favorability rating, yet its members enjoy a nearly 90% re-election rate. The reason is mainly name recognition among “low information” voters, which is most voters. Also, the ability of the incumbent to purport to provide great benefits to their districts. Purporting to protect Fairchild AFB is an example of a theme going back to the Tom Foley days.

The problem is that this nullifies any accountability of the incumbent to their district. The incumbent can do all manner of heinous things, such as join a lawsuit that attempts to subvert the will of voters in other states or vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act and the vote will be forgotten long before the next election. So, the incumbent keeps getting re-elected.

The answer to this problem is to implement term limits for representatives and senators. But, this would require congressional action, so that’s not going to happen. Even if it’s the will of the people.

James Clanton

Spokane Valley