The Thursday Morning Rant

We are nearly 60 days away from mid-term general election day. How much turnover will there be in Congress? Not Enough! Until we have term limits for members of Congress, there will continue to be way too many incumbents occupying space in the US Capitol for countless terms.

We The People strongly support term limits for members of Congress. Ballot measures in the 90s were very popular with voters. Voters in 14 states approved ballot initiatives in 1992, and 1994 saw at least 6 of 8 additional states' voters approve ballot measures. So approximately 20 states impose term limits on their members of Congress, right? Wrong!

In 1995, the US Supreme Court ruled Congressional term limit measures and amendments passed at individual state levels to be unconstitutional. The case was U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton. As in Ray Thornton, Democrat member of Congress from Arkansas. He and his allies sued the state after passage of Amendment 73 to the Arkansas Constitution - which limited US House members to 3 terms and US Senate members to 2 terms.

The organization US Terms Limits was founded in 1992, and it still exists today. According to their website

U.S. Term Limits is the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to advocating for term limits. We believe that a government of the people, by the people, and for the people—not a ruling class focused on self-serving deals—is essential.

Our mission is to foster a higher quality of government by establishing a citizen legislature. This legislature would more accurately reflect its constituents and be genuinely responsive to their needs. We work tirelessly with citizens across the nation, helping them understand why term limits are a necessary government reform and how to implement this vision from their local town councils all the way to Congress.

It’s important to note that U.S. Term Limits does not require individuals to self-limit their terms. Our aim is to limit the terms for all members of Congress as an institution, ensuring a more dynamic and accountable representative body.

US Term Limits is trying to get support from enough states to force Congress to call for an Article V convention

The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress...

How much progress have they made?

The U.S. Constitution provides the state legislatures authority to propose amendments without the approval of Congress. To make it happen, 34 state legislatures must pass resolutions to call a convention for the states to propose a congressional term limits amendment.

Now, here is where it gets a bit complicated. The states don’t always pass the exact same application. So, today there are fourteen state legislatures that have passed the U.S. Term Limits (USTL) single-subject application for congressional term limits. However, there are 9 additional states that have passed applications that include congressional term limits and, therefore, are states we are prioritizing.

34 states have to pass the same application for the convention to be called. Then, any amendments proposed at the convention require ratification by 38 state legislatures.

27 amendments to the Constitution have been ratified. 6 others were proposed but not ratified. Do you know how many of the 33 proposed amendments came about through an Article V convention? ZERO! All 33 proposed amendments were the result of Congress - approved by 2/3 of EACH house of Congress.

On January 6, 2025 a resolution was introduced in the House - H. J. RES. 12

It's purpose - "Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to limit the number of terms that a Member of Congress may serve."

It would impose a 3-term limit on the House and a 2-term limit on the Senate.

What has happened to this amendment since then? It was referred to the House Judiciary Committee on the day it was introduced. That's it. No action at all. Big surprise, right? What are the chances ANY Congress will vote - by a 2/3 majority, no less - to impose term limits upon its members? As the saying goes - "between slim and none -- and Slim just left town!"

Saw this graphic recently. Absolutely ridiculous!

Good for US Term Limits and the work they are doing. However, they are not even halfway to their goal of 34 states passing the same application.

They also have to overcome this kind of stupidity. Stopping a Dangerous Article V Convention

Wealthy donors, corporations, and radical far-right actors are pushing calls for an Article V Convention in states across the country to reshape our Constitution for their own benefit.

Frighteningly, they are just a few states away from succeeding.

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Under Article V of the U.S. Constitution, Congress is required to hold a constitutional convention if two-thirds of state legislatures (34 states) call for one.

But here’s the catch: there are absolutely no rules for an Article V Convention outlined in the Constitution.

That means the group of people convening to rewrite our Constitution could be totally unelected and unaccountable. There is nothing that could limit the convention to a single issue, so the delegates could write amendments that revoke any of our most cherished rights – like our right to peaceful protest, our freedom of religion, or our right to privacy. There are also no rules preventing corporations from pouring money into the convention to ensure they get their way.

I guess they missed the text in Article V that says the convention's purpose is amendments, not rewriting the Constitution. And also the part about 3/4 of the states needing to ratify any amendments that may arise at a Convention of the States.

So we have Congress refusing to act and clueless people spouting nonsense about a convention being dangerous.

We really aren't going to be able to vote our way out of this, are we?

posted by Doof at 11:00 AM

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