Jackson Jambalaya

I agree - great opinion piece

Sure Sid, and without term limits we have Schumer, Pelosi, and all of the rest. Gots to keep that insider trading alive.

Status Quo Sid.

Problem is, our current two Senators are literally useless. Less than useless.

I agree with Sid — for once, finally, as mortifying as that is to say. I don’t need some of the smoke he’s blowing as justification. But the term limits are in place already: just go vote the sons of bitches out if you’re not satisfied with the current fossils in whatever offices. Unless the rest of the electorate just isn’t as enlightened as you and you need the Government to do the job for you. And if you had to vote for “Yeah, but would you rather have Kamala / Biden / Hillary / Obama / Obama / Kerry / Gore?” well, good, then, if that’s what it takes to rattle you out of your go-along with this two-party charade.

"And make no mistake, the real power isn’t with some long-serving legislator from Mississippi..."

Go by the graveyard and whisper that to Stennis, Cochran and Eastland. 41, 39, 36 years respectively. And send a note to Trent Lott advising him.

Status quo Salter says the biggest problems facing the country is campaign finance reform and gerrymandering. If Mississippi needs anything we need term limits for stupid political columnists.

Name for us a current Senator or two or three who you don't consider to be 'literally useless'.

Sid bemoans the money in politics but doesn't utter a single word about the money that keeps Mississippi's incumbents winning election after election after election.

So, learn to work the system, and the system will work for you?

So, the problem is without a solution. We just have to accept what we have because any fundamental change would create something worse. Well, maybe not. Maybe in addition to creating term limits we will need to abolish the seniority system, impose limits on how long a person may occupy a senior position in the “deep state”, and above all sharply limit the ability of professional lobbyists to influence elected officials. We would have to amend the constitution to get any of this done, but it seems obvious now that what we need is a government that is like a self cleaning toilet bowl. It isn’t as though we don’t know how these people in public office have manipulated and abused elective and appointed office for their benefit, We could address all of these problems by amending the constitution, But we won’t, So the writer is right: we are stuck with this corruption of government until it finally falls under the weight of the consequence of allowing it to exist.

The system is skewed toward the incumbent. Just check the campaign finance reports. Nearly impossible to vote them out if they keep the big corporate interests happy.

6 terms for the House and 2 for the Senate. If they can't "learn the system" and make a positive impact in 12 years, they're in the wrong job anyway. And, with term limits across the board, you get away from the long-term seniority assignments. And, yes - gerrymandering, lobbying, and campaign finance reforms are also needed. Let's go ahead and make their medical and retirement packages resemble the public's, too.

8:22 In a short post 8:22 devastates Sid. 8:22 also exposes how Sid loves his ideology far more than the love Mississippi.

I tell MSU to not call me back asking for money until Sid is sacked.

Tom Cotten is the smartest senator in Washington and he has courage which is rare in the GOP. I didn't like Tubberville as a coach but he is a good senator. Louisiana's Kennedy is excellent. Texas has Ted Cruz. How do our neighbors come up with good senators and we cannot?

So Bennie who has done nothing for his district in his 32 years in Congress, is worth keeping in office just because... he's in office? Typical vacuous Salterism.

Yes, but our two set a new standard for useless.

This is the same old argument against term limits we have heard for years. It goes something like this: "...to be effective, you have to keep re-electing a professional politician who knows where all the buttons and levers are." It's pure BS. I would happily send a rookie to Washington if it would wash out the corruption and self-enriching blackhanders. Not only that, but long-time office holders are bought and paid for...how do you think they get so rich?

10:43 is right. The incumbents can raise big dollars to run very dirty campaigns against challengers (see Cochran, Thad and Guest, Michael).

Here! Here!

OK Sid made some valid points. Term limits were 1st proposed long ago for the "Public Servants" that go to Washington & come home multi millionaires..Lookit Uncle Benny...He was a County Supervisor & lookit him now...