Why term limits are needed more than ever

Kanye West once said, “I only take advice from people younger than me, because those are the only ones with ideas these days.” Oftentimes, the older generations are stuck in their ways and their stubbornness acts as a dam to the river of progress. 

This observation and the inverse of Mr. West’s point holds true in the world of politics and can be attributed to why many problems either remain the same or get worse. It’s time we the youth take control of the outcome of their future, and advocate for term limits in congress.

First let’s establish one thing; term limits are not ageist. It is perfectly sensible to say that an individual, who has undergone the natural decay of the mind and body that comes with growing old, is not capable of making decisions at the highest level that have significant ramifications on the policy of the world’s most powerful nation. To be honest, the only ones making these claims against term limits are ironically the old goats in office. 

Second, let's understand why all these old wrinkly grandpas and grandmas end up dictating the fate of our livelihoods. Very rarely is a member of congress elected at an old age. Rather, they grow old in their roles, which is noted in a political phenomenon known as the incumbent advantage. 

The incumbent advantage refers to the fact that those that previously held office have a higher chance of being reelected than the new faces. However, just saying they have a higher chance would be an understatement. 

For example, in 2022 the reelection rate for the House of Representatives was 94.5% and 100% in the senate. The advantage that incumbent politicians have had in the capital is borderline corrupt and is a direct result of the flawed system that America runs on. If the same people are being reelected time after time again, no new ideas are being brought up in Congress. It's the same faces, same biases that run the show, yet we wonder why nothing ever changes. 

Maybe there wouldn’t be an issue if politicians weren’t the monkey in suits we know them to be. If they actually cared about doing their job, maybe it wouldn’t be as big of an issue if the same people were being reelected every single time. The main issue is that these politicians that are reelected over and over again fall victim to the corruption and greed through the institution known as lobbying. 

For example, amongst the politicians who are paid the most by lobbying, the top five were all incumbent members of Congress. The sixth highest lobbyist recipient was Kelly Loeffler, who wasn’t even elected but rather appointed to fill the vacancy left by Johnny Isakson after his resignation. After her, the rest in the top ten are all incumbent and that trend persists down the list. 

In the world behind the eyes of journalists and cameras, the line between donations and bribes is hard to distinguish. Not all lobbying is bad, but there is no assurance that some level of corrupt behavior does not happen behind closed doors. Special interest groups and lobbyist organizations have control from the shadows, and their puppets are these incumbent politicians. 

Now I will be honest, it’s a redundant statement to say that politicians are corrupt. Yet if you doubt the significance of some observations I’ve made, which is up to your discretion as always, ask yourself this; if these incumbent senators and representatives were so unimportant to these special interest groups goals and aspirations, why would they continue to fund hundreds of thousands on their election campaigns? 

In my eyes, it’s so they can retain control. 

The future should not be dictated by those living in the past. The average politician is so far removed from the age of the very people they represent, they cannot possibly be the best fit to serve in office. Then again, it was never a question of who’s the best fit, rather who can benefit from corrupt practices the most and get away with it.