CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDEMENTS: TERM LIMITS; AGAINST

Yvonne Ketcham is president of the Cape Girardeau chapter of the League of Women Voters

Limiting the number of years that a legislator can serve will force good as well as bad representatives to retire and will disrupt the development of legislative leadership that is essential for setting long-term goals.

Missouri legislature

This is especially true for the Missouri General Assembly, where the average length of term served in the House of Representatives is currently slightly over six years and in the Senate less than eleven years. This means that the few people who continue to serve over a long period provide a small core of experienced legislators who have long-range vision about the business of the state and more knowledge about the potential impact of legislation.

A democratic republic is, by nature, a reactive institution, rather than a body with a 20-year plan. When a problem arises, legislators tend to pass bills that give immediate solutions rather than looking at the impact that legislation will have in the long term. By limiting the number of years that a legislator can serve, there will be no experienced legislators to provide leadership for understanding a long-range view, and the vision for the state can also become limited.

Limiting terms to eight years will result in one-half of the Senate and one-third of the House of the Missouri General Assembly being lame duck legislators. Knowing that they cannot be re-elected, legislators can vote any way that they want because they need not respond to their constituents' wishes. Then too, lame duck representatives can become more vulnerable to rewards offered by lobbyists who urge passage of legislation for special interest groups.

Limiting Governor different

The terms of governors are frequently limited to two terms because the concentration of power in one office can lead to corruption and political patronage, which was not uncommon during the nineteenth century and the early part of this century. However, legislators receive their power directly from the people because they must face election every two or four years.

Without continuity in the legislature, power will shift to the executive branch, encouraging executive orders and stronger regulations under control of the bureaucracy of the executive branch.

The move to limit congressional terms is obviously motivated by the recognition that incumbents are difficult to unseat. However, when citizens are dissatisfied with their government, long-term office holders can be defeated, as evidenced in this year's primary elections.

Limiting the terms of dedicated public servants is not the answer to guaranteeing responsible government. Instead, ordinary citizens must take the initiative of being better informed about the actions of their representatives. They must tell their representatives what directions they want their government to take. And, most important, they must go to the polls to vote for people they trust.