2014
Rep Dingell is retiring at age 87 after nearly 60 years in Congress.
That’s way too long. The Founders never intended that Congress be a career, but rather a responsibility to be exercised and then return to private life.
Mr Dingell may be a fine fellow, but that is not the point. He and others like him are human and staying in a position of power and influence that long is not good.
One of the reasons Mr Dingell says he is retiring is the acrimony and dysfunction of Congress. That should tell us something because one cause of that is political posturing to protect turf, majorities, key appointments, etc. with a constant eye on the next election.
We are all human; power influenced politicians and uninformed voters who vote for the same person over and over out of pure inertia and name recognition.
We need term limits 🔜
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
The stars and planets must be seriously out of alignment because I’m about to disagree with the eminently reasonable Mr. Quinn twice in one day.
While voters give Congress a 9% approval rating overall, they elect incumbents around 90% of the time. I’m not a psychiatrist, but I think that classifies as an indication of schizophrenia.
The electorate has the opportunity every two years to vote out of office older but not necessarily wiser congressional fixtures and furniture.
But a law that mandates term limits will have a host of unintended consequences. One will be that the revolving door which whisks congressional retirees into K St. lobbying will be spinning on overdrive. Another will be that short term thinking and planning will become even shorter, if that is possible.
The answer to a better Congress is a better informed electorate. The solution to Garbage In Garbage Out is not acceleration but selection.
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Of course you are right. That is the logical solution, but … Human nature and voter apathy are reality and informed selection will not occur.
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