The Weekly Poll
Results
The 'Two or Three and Out' Edition
Washington (CNN) -- A handful of Republican senators have proposed a constitutional amendment to limit how long a person may serve in Congress.
Currently, there are no term limits for federal lawmakers, but Sen. Jim DeMint, R-South Carolina, and several of his colleagues are advocating that service in the Senate be limited to 12 years, while lawmakers would only be allowed to serve six years in the House
GOP senators push for term limits - CNN.com
Are you in favor of term limits for US representatives and senators?
Well, then, Poll-fans, we gots a grand turnout and, better yet, a divergence of opinions. So, without further ado, here it is... Enjoy!
DRD out of the chute wrote...
Good morning Bob, (Back at ya...)
As the stream of time has wandered on it's journey through out our land, we notice a big change in the manner in which our lawmakers are financed and the length of time spent in office! Those laying out the process for electing mostly white, landowners, as well as slave owners, as our leaders had in mind more of 'a part-time leader' whom upon finishing a term would return home to his secular life. Now, they are 'bought and paid for' by a diverse selection of special interest groups with the idea for them to remain in power as long as possible to do the bidding of their financiers! They become employees of the groups investing funds to get them elected and as such must deliver in order to stay in office with all it's trimmings! I feel the American populace are better served by the former rather than the latter system! Yes, I would favor term limits!
Another good question!
(Then later added...)
It's me again, Bob, (Sigh!... If you must... Just kiddin'!)
If possible I would like to add a few words to my comment for this week's question. I do support term limits as long a public funds are the sole manner of support for all candidates for office! Without that provision term limits alone would place more moderates in danger of primaries contests and give an unfair advantage to those who are 'block-single-issue-voters' as has been demonstrated already in many locations of the land. As long a financiers are able to flood the campaign of primaries it will be nearly impossible to have men or women enter the race against those stacked odds. The present situation is ripe for 'buy-outs' interested only in holding office for their own personal gain through submission to the wishes of the money providers!
Thank you. (Yer welcome... and it's not just the GOP at the trough. Witness the Blue Dogs lapping up the lucre provided by Big Pharm that have roiled the Health Care plan waters)
Adam in NoHo notes and states...
I'm surprised that this is being introduced by a Republican. Maybe they really are scared about elections in 2010. (Nah... I think they believe they're gonna pull a '94 like mid-term coup in '10...And they just might if'n the economy doesn't get rollin'....)
I am for term limits.
For every FDR, there are 5 W's. For every Ted Kennedy there are 10 DeMints, Inhofes, and Liebermans.
For every experienced, engaged lawmaker there are about 20 craven power whores who think they are something because they fooled enough people to vote them a Rep. or Sen. before their name.
(craven power whores...I like that!)
Congress was never meant to be a lifetime appointment. It was meant to be a short-ish time of public service (and lobbying should be illegal for any previously elected official).
(I agree with you about the lobby issue)
Bebo cracked me up with...
if sen. DeMint & others of his ilk really think term limits is a good idea, the answer is simple; don't run for re-election. no matter what they say publicly, asking a politician to voluntary leave office is akin to asking my neighbor's dog to stop performing personal hygiene.
(Too funny!)
Marilyn in Bellaire adamantly said...
All I can say is that Michigan adopted this principal which was really going to help everyone; well it did and now look where we are. The only thing term limits did is let the people holding office in the house make sure they got to run for a senate seat so they could stay in government.
The only thing it really created in Michigan is gridlock. Picture this at the Federal level.
(Being a fellow Michigander I'm all too familiar with our state's messed up governance)
SallyP(al) up on her soap box and down on Mike B. sent...
I am finding this one problematic because I can see both sides of the question. Perhaps I could call in Obamamatic, as it is causing me to gather my thoughts, very slowly, hahaha. But, I digress.
(I'm not sure what that meant, but go ahead anyway)
Okay, in the link you provided, it states: "Sen. Jim DeMint, R-South Carolina, and several of his colleagues are advocating that service in the Senate be limited to 12 years, while lawmakers would only be allowed to serve six years in the House..." Hummmmm, the Repugs like it? It must be a bad idea.
(Simple as that, eh?)
Is this like the pompous ass who is the NYC Mayor? You know, the guy who recently spent like a billion dollars getting reelected for his THIRD term - after NYC resoundingly voted in term limits in past elections?
Mayor Bloviate - I mean Bloomberg, just went over the heads of everyone and decided that he was needed more than the wishes of the voters and bought himself an election. Is that what you mean by "term Limits?" IOWs, the Repugs may get it through Congress (though doubtful), but then will fast think of various loopholes to get them exempted - I know their game.
(Ya do? OK.... Sun Tzu said that's a good thing)
OTOH, while experience can bring something to the table, I don't think these congressman/women should make a lifetime career out of service to their constitutes, cough, cough, if that's what you can call it.
I realize that drafting a bill and then getting it on the floor for a vote, takes experience - but sitting in office for over 3 terms can make the representative blow stale air too - and makes them more interested in courting big-buck lobbyists than getting that bill drawn up and voted upon. After a while, it becomes easier just to earmark stuff onto other bills.
(Again, the Devil's in the details)
Now we come to the amount of money people can spend lying and bashing the opponent in order to win. For instance, NYC is on the verge of bankruptcy. Had Mayor Blowhard, who kept saying how much he cared about the city, donated his billion dollars (which is chunk change for the owner of Bloomberg News) to the city, stepped aside and given another guy a chance, that would be justice in my book! No, he wanted the POWER that comes with the position if you ask me, which you did... Is this not the REAL reason these guys hang in term after term? (I think I'm on to something here...)
(Adam said it...Craven Power Whores!)
But, after all is said and done, I would deny the move to limit term limits just based on the fact that the Repugs want it to be so... I would much prefer lowering the salaries of these elected officials, and cut the bennies all together. I'll go with let 'em run as long as their constitutes want 'em! (There's a thought!)
And that's all she wrote! (whew! Thanks, Pally)
Christopher was wistfully short...
Only if they're republican....
Charlie Y. dissents with...
I am against term limits for congresspeople. It should raise warning flags here that term limits are something that has been pushed by the right for a long time now. I haven't bothered to thoroughly examine who would be most directly affected by their implementation, but Conyers and Kucinich come to mind. I doubt if the intent is to target specific individuals though, but to increase the already massive influence of money - especially corporate money - on politics, by increasing the number of races among non-incumbents - that is, to make it easier to buy offices. See Thomas Ferguson's investment theory of politics.
(I'll check it out... Sounds enlightening)
maw succinct as always sent...
Not until this current Congress.
Steve in Seattle sees an ulterior motive...
That Republicans have proposed it raises a huge red flag for me. I see it as another red herring like the abortion debate. The Rethugs will scream and holler about it but will never pass it because than they'll have to think up something else to be sanctimonious about. Thinking is not their strong suit. So, I'm against it for this reason and because we'd be kicking out the experienced people in favor of rookies. Thanks...
(No, Thank YOU!)
Like I said, a divergence of opinions! Thanks to all responders! Yer the Best!
BadToTheBoneBob
New Question
The 'Trials vs Tribunals' Edition
John Dickerson hosted a roundtable discussion of Eric Holder's decision to prosecute 5 Guantanamo Bay detainees in New York with Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton with National Security Network and Hamilton Peterson with Keep America Safe.
Unplugged: Pros and Cons Of 9/11 Trials In New York - CBS News Video
Do you support or oppose the Administration's decision to try the accused terrorism perpetrators in New York City?
Send your response to
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: World Out of Balance (nytimes.com)
The problem of international trade imbalances is about to get substantially worse unless China changes its weak-currency policy.
Susan Estrich: The San Francisco Democrat (creators.com)
You've got to hand it to Nancy Pelosi. Love her or hate her - and there are probably more people in the second category than the first - you can't deny the enormity of her accomplishment. She did something very, very big.
Froma Harrop: Casinos Take Money From States (creators.com)
In Las Vegas, house prices have dropped 55 percent since peaking in August 2006, and the foreclosure rate is seven times the national average. Gigantic new condo towers sit nearly empty (real-estate pros call them "see-through buildings"), and unemployment tops 13 percent. The recession has sent casino revenues plunging 20 percent from two years ago.
"'Feminism, Inc.: Coming of Age in Girl Power Media Culture' by Emilie Zaslow": A review by Jennifer Cognard-Black
Run a Google image search on "girl power," and what comes up is a series of visual contradictions: a pink woman's symbol with a fist in the circle; a photo of a businesswoman's legs, in stockings and stilettos in front of a chorus line of men's trousers; girls sporting athletic gear; "girl power" emblazoned across bikini underwear; and an ad for a porn film.
Maya Angelou: 'I'm fine as wine in the summertime' (guardian.co.uk)
She's growing frail, but Maya Angelou has lost none of her wisdom and humour. In a rare interview, she tells Gary Younge why she's not about to retire.
Martin Amis: The problem with Nabokov (guardian.co.uk)
Vladimir Nabokov's unfinished novella, 'The Original of Laura,' is being published despite the author's instructions that it be destroyed after his death. Martin Amis confronts the tortuous questions posed by a genius in decline.
Helen Pidd: Stephenie Meyer turns rainy little Forks - and the world - into a Twilight zone (guardian.co.uk)
In less than four years, Meyer, a Mormon mother of three from Arizona, has become one of the world's bestselling authors, despite Stephen King saying she "can't write".
Tanya Gold: Why have teenage girls been bitten by the Edward Cullen bug to devour the 'Twilight' novels? (guardian.co.uk)
Why do teenagers eat the 'Twilight' novels? Why do they follow the adventures of young Bella and her vampire lover Edward? What do they think they see? Last night, I encountered some fans. "You are attracted to it because it is dangerous," says Camila, 13. "There is something that sucks you in." "I have 'Twilight' written on my hand right now," says Morag, 11, whispering down the telephone (with her parents' permission). "Once you are gripped you cannot get ungripped. I am completely obsessed."
Will Harris: A Chat with Nick Frost, Co-star of "Pirate Radio" (bullz-eye.com)
On his nude scene with Talulah Riley: My mother-in-law is Swedish and very forthright and opinionated, and when I told her that I was going to do a nude scene, she says, 'Oh, I hope I don't see your penis.'
Will Harris: Richard Curtis, Director of "Pirate Radio" (bullz-eye.com)
In the end, I've always said that I'm making my movies so that my six best friends can enjoy them. And I hope that ('Pirate Radio') finds an audience and that the audience enjoys it. I can only say that I hope it'll find passionate friends.
David Bruce: Candy Wrappers (lulu.com)
Free download. This 657-word story uses humor to teach young children not to litter.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts: Do You Wanna Touch Me (youtube.com)
answered:
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
PURPLE GENE - AN ANECTDOTAL ASSIGNATION
COMPARIN' BARON
PURPLE GENE
AN ANECTDOTAL ASSIGNATION FOR COMPARIN' BARON
BCE (11/16)
DEAR DAVE
I ENJOYED YOUR "THEORY OF RELATIVITY" BETWEEN "TAKING WOODSTOCK" AND " A SERIOUS MAN"!
I WANTED TO EMBELLISH AN ASPECT THAT YOU TOUCHED UPON....
I SAW BOTH MOVIES WITH THE MANAGER OF THE "JEFFERSON AIRPLANE" (BILL THOMPSON)
OF COURSE HE THOUGHT BOTH MOVIES WERE GREAT BECAUSE HE HAD LANDED SONGS ON THE SOUNDTRACKS.....I, AS YOU WELL KNOW, PANNED "TAKING WOODSTOCK" AND RATHER ENJOYED "A SERIOUS MAN" WITH ITS ELONGATED CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AND TEDIOUS HEBREW HISTORY....(LARRY IS DEFINITELY JOB)
THE MOST BLATANTLY COMPARABLE ITEM IN BOTH MOVIES (TO ME) WAS THE SONG "SOMEBODY TO LOVE":
IT PLAYED OVER THE CREDITS IN "TAKING WOODSTOCK" AND WAS QUOTED BY RABBI MARSHAK IN " A SERIOUS MAN"
"WHEN THE TRUTH IS FOUND TO BE LIES....AND ALL THE JOY WITHIN YOU.....DIES....DONT YOU WANT SOMEBODY TO LOVE...?"
THE AIRPLANE PLAYED THIS SONG AT WOODSTOCK OVER 40 YEARS AGO.....
HOW TIME FLIES...
THANKS FOR THE RELATIVITY REVIEW DAVE
PURPLE GENE
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and nearly 70°.
Library of Congress To Honor
Paul McCartney
The U.S. Library of Congress is awarding Paul McCartney its third Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
Librarian of Congress James Billington announced the prize Monday. An all-star tribute concert is planned for early 2010, though the library has not announced who will perform.
Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon previously won the Gershwin prize. The library houses the manuscripts of the songwriting duo George and Ira Gershwin.
Paul McCartney
Not An Easy Task In Chinese
Spelling Obama
US President Barack Obama's first visit to China will undoubtedly be marked by difficult talks on trade and climate change, but another thorny issue has emerged: how to write "Obama" in Mandarin.
While the Chinese have written "Aobama" since the US leader first emerged on the political scene, US officials want "Oubama" to be the new standard transcription, as the characters more closely match the English pronunciation.
The Olympic Games held here last year may have influenced the Chinese on the spelling issue, as the character "ao" -- which means "mysterious" or "secret" -- is also used in the expression for the Games, "Aolinpike".
But in recent days, ahead of Obama's arrival in China on Sunday, the US embassy began using the phonetic transcription "Oubama" on its website -- which is already used in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Spelling Obama
Antarctic Cache
Vintage Scotch
A beverage company has asked a team to drill through Antarctica's ice for a lost cache of some vintage Scotch whiskey that has been on the rocks since a century ago.
The drillers will be trying to reach two crates of McKinlay and Co. whiskey that were shipped to the Antarctic by British polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton as part of his abandoned 1909 expedition.
Whyte & Mackay, the drinks group that now owns McKinlay and Co., has asked for a sample of the 100-year-old scotch for a series of tests that could decide whether to relaunch the now-defunct Scotch.
Workers from New Zealand's Antarctic Heritage Trust will use special drills to reach the crates, frozen in Antarctic ice under the Nimrod Expedition hut near Cape Royds.
Vintage Scotch
Disguised As Chocolates
Potatoes
A traveler who arrived at Miami International Airport earlier this month must pay a $300 penalty for trying to smuggle fresh sweet potatoes from Bolivia into the United States by disguising the vegetables as a candy. According to a news release, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists discovered the 18 small sweet potatoes in early November.
Officials found the prohibited vegetables in the luggage of a passenger arriving in Miami from Bolivia. The sweet potatoes had been wrapped in the commercial wrappers of a popular Bolivian candy and hadn't been declared.
The sweet potatoes were destroyed and an agent issued $300 fine for the violation.
Potatoes
Numbers Increase
Americans Going Hungry
More than one in seven American households struggled to put enough food on the table in 2008, the highest rate since the Agriculture Department began tracking food security levels in 1995.
That's about 49 million people, or 14.6 percent of U.S. households. The numbers are a significant increase from 2007, when 11.1 percent of U.S. households suffered from what USDA classifies as "food insecurity" - not having enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle.
Researchers blamed the increase in hunger on a lack of money and other resources.
The report also showed an increasing number of children in the United States are suffering. In 2008, 16.7 million children were classified as not having enough food, 4.3 million more than in 2007.
Americans Going Hungry
City Attorney Pushes
Michael Jackson
The Los Angeles city attorney still plans to seek reimbursement of the $3 million the city spent for the Michael Jackson memorial, a spokesman said Monday, despite an audit concluding the event pumped even more dollars into the local economy.
The July 7 memorial at Staples Center was a $4 million boon for local hotels, restaurants and other businesses, according to the report released Friday from the city's chief legislative analyst and city administrative officer. The City Council's Public Safety Committee was expected to review the report Monday.
City Attorney Carmen Trutanich (R-Hot Dog) is still committed to seeking reimbursement from Staples owner Anschutz Entertainment Group, or AEG.
The audit said the city spent $3.2 million on the event, including $2 million in police overtime. However, it noted that there was no ordinance in place at the time that would require the organizer to reimburse city costs. That measure was only adopted on Oct. 26.
Given the memorial's economic benefits and the lack of an ordinance, "the city may wish to cease pursuing cost reimbursement," the report concluded.
Michael Jackson
Trial Begins
Chief Barry Carpenter
A police chief on trial in Ohio acknowledges that he joked with paparazzi about working with them to snoop on the woman who carried twins for celebrity couple Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick.
The lawyer representing suspended Chief Barry Carpenter said during opening arguments Monday that Carpenter was "foolish," but that he never stole anything from the woman's home.
A state prosecutor told jurors that Carpenter used his position as chief in Martins Ferry, the eastern Ohio town where surrogate Michelle Ross lived, to exploit someone's personal and intimate privacy.
Carpenter and police chief Chad Dojack from nearby Bridgeport are accused of scheming to sell items from the house to celebrity photographers. Both men have pleaded not guilty.
Chief Barry Carpenter
Avoids Jail In Support Case
Dr. Conrad Murray
The physician being investigated in Michael Jackson's death reached an agreement Monday in a separate child support case that kept him out of a Nevada jail.
Prosecutors in Las Vegas had sought an arrest warrant for Dr. Conrad Murray after he failed to appear for previous hearings before Family Court officers attempting to collect unpaid child support for a California woman and her 11-year-old son dating back to October 2008.
With Murray at his side, defense lawyer Christopher Aaron paid $700 cash in court and promised Murray would pay another $303 to the woman, who submitted a letter to the court saying she was willing to forgive the $15,500 Murray already owed if he began paying $1,003 a month.
The arrangement surprised Clark County Senior District Court Judge Gerald Hardcastle, who briefly questioned Murray about whether the woman had been coerced into what the judge called "a pretty magnanimous act."
Dr. Conrad Murray
Court Won't Hear Complaint
Redskins
The Supreme Court won't hear an appeal from a group of Native Americans who think the name of the NFL's Washington Redskins football team is offensive.
The high court on Monday turned away an appeal from Suzan Shown Harjo. That ends the latest round in the 17-year court battle between the Redskins and a group of American Indians who want them to change their name.
Harjo and her fellow plaintiffs have been working since 1992 to have the Redskins trademarks declared invalid. They initially won - the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office panel canceled the trademarks in 1999. But U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly overturned the ruling in 2003 in part because the suit was filed decades after the first Redskins trademark was issued in 1967.
None of the judges has commented on whether the Redskins name is offensive or racist, instead holding in favor of the football team on legal technicalities.
Redskins
In Memory
Edward Woodward
Edward Woodward, the star of films including "Breaker Morant" and "The Wicker Man," died Monday. He was 79.
He won an Emmy Award in 1990 for "Remembering World War II" and a Golden Globe in 1987 for "The Equalizer," which ran for 88 episodes from 1985 to 1989 on the U.S. network CBS.
In a career that began in 1946 in a regional production of "A Kiss for Cinderella," Woodward played roles in productions ranging from the popular British soap opera "Eastenders" to productions of Shakespeare, and at least 40 films for theater or television.
His last film appearances were in "Hot Fuzz" in 2007 and "Congregation of Ghosts," now in post-production.
He also recorded several albums including "Love is the Key" in 1977 and "The Jewel that was Ours" in 1994.
Woodward is survived by his second wife, actress Michele Dotrice, their daughter, and two sons and a daughter from his first marriage, which ended in divorce.
Edward Woodward
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