Friday, November 9, 2012
The Problem With Term Limits
A funny thing happened to a state representative in line for the Speakership. Voters in his own district appear to have fired him this week.
From the Ocala Star-Banner:
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In a farewell email to his Republican colleagues on Friday, would-be Florida House Speaker Chris Dorworth says he expects to lose his close race for re-election after a recount.
The Lake Mary lawmaker trailed Democrat Mike Clelland, a political newcomer, in central Florida's District 29 by 123 votes pending an automatic recount tentatively set for Sunday.
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This of course shows that the night Tuesday was better for Democrats than we ever dare dream, but it also highlights a little-discussed but very real problem with term limits in the state House. I know, there are so many, but the fact leadership gets decided years in advance is true folly.
See, Dorworth was not set to become Speaker this month. He was expected to take House reins in 2014, after a whole 'nother election where all 120 members of the House were to stand for vote.
If memory served, this is the first time someone is succession to be speaker has been voted out since term limits truly kicked in after the 2000 election. Since that time, the party caucuses in Tallahassee have early on decided not only the upcoming leader of the party for the next two years, as happens in the U.S. House, but pick leaders the next couple sessions as well.
There are often leadership fights along the way to try and change course, and efforts have been made to change the makeup of both the House and Senate through primary challenges by people unhappy with succession plans. But that never works. It takes something like what happened with Dorworth to truly shake up the process. The voters have to do it.
Many problems were predicted with term limits such as an outsourced influence of legislative staffs. Other problems have made themselves readily evident, like the too-easily-accepted influence of lobbyists. But this problem is one that comes from the legislators themselves. It makes no sense to plot out future sessions, but it has happened.
This means anyone dreaming of leadership is fighting for it the minute they take get sworn in to their freshman term in the House or Senate. That places personal ambition over the higher good of serving your district. My guess, though I certainly haven't followed this one closely, is that voters in Dorworth's Lake Mary district had a problem with that.
This problem is systemic. But voters have to realize the consequences of enforcing eight year term limits. Nobody likes politicians, and everyone wants them put in their place, but realize term limits enforce bad behavior and an obsession on Tallahassee politics ahead of what's happening at home.
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I agree. On an election related topic, as our leaders address the fiscal cliff, it is obvious that our system for the very, very rich allows them to hide a huge amount of their earnings. Those who pay payroll taxes are taxed for their income. But those like Mr. Romney are able to hide a great deal of income in such things as overseas accounts. A great deal of praise was heaped his way when he did put out the few years' records that he did. Everyone seemed to be impressed that he had donated four million....twice the amount he could take tax benefit on. Well, Mr. Romney is a good Mormon and good Mormons tithe. That means they donate 10% of their income before taxes, etc. So he tithed. But half his income is in off-shore accounts or other non-declared areas, so he only had to declare half his income. I am not saying he did anything illegal. I am saying that the system allows him to keep that income off record.
ReplyDeleteThe Greek people complain that their millionaires are doing the same thing. Their great shipping magnates (and some of ours too) have their companies run under other countries' flags where the tax advantages and industry and work regulations are less stringent (Panama, Phillopines, etc.).
So, I hope that the Republicans who want to 'fix' the tax code and make sure loop holes are closed take this opportunity to close this biggest loop hole of all. In order to continue to take advantage of the U.S. amazing land of opportunity, the multimillionaires must declare ALL their income and pay taxes on ALL their income.
They complain that they are double taxed....first when they made the initial salary and then when they invested wisely and made money on the investment. That is not being double taxed. Say Millionaire A made one million in salary and paid the taxes owed. Then millionaire A invested 500,000 wisely and this investment earned excellent dividends. Now those dividends, NOT the principal they invested, are taxed. Millionaire A feels he is being double taxed....NO, he is not being double taxed. He made more money...good for him...and now that more is being taxed. There is nothing unfair about this.