Letter: Senators should be term-limited

God bless Pope Benedict for retiring because he realized he could no longer physically do the job that needed to be done.

Some of our U.S. senators should learn a lesson. Robert Byrd, Strom Thurmond, Ted Kennedy and many more should have voluntarily retired.

This doesn’t mean they have to quit living and contributing. It just means that they allow someone younger, healthier and more able to do the job. We need term limits — three terms should be the limit.

Quin Bates

retired chemical company employee

Marrero

Comments

1) Comment by twinkie1cat - 15/02/2013

There seems to be a lot of "senior bashing" these days with Medicare cuts and efforts by our dictator to force people into for profit prisons for the unwanted if they need hospice care (thankfully rescinded).>>>>>> There is wisdom in age. Ted Kennedy, for example, knew how to get along with the Republicans and get them to cooperate in the Senate. He and another senior Senator, Tip O'Neill would simply go out and have a drink and work things out. The pope apparently knows it is time to retire, but I don't see where he is have any difficulties making decisions. If you want to know why African-Americans will stand in line to vote at the age of 102 as a Florida woman did, ask and elderly black person. At my polling place there is a separate line for people with age or disabilities. One man's hand shook so badly it took him five minutes to sign his name, but he voted. The poll was full for the Presidential. In spite of our state Superintendent of Schools efforts to hire 22 year olds non-teachers from Teach for America, the best teachers are often over 50. They are the ones the students love and respect. Instead of complaining about older people learn from them! They are not all conservatives. Many were the hippies (and still are if you look at the crowd at a recent Willie Nelson concert in Baton Rouge.) Others, and some of them, suffered through the Vietnam war. >>>> In the Senate, longevity brings greater responsibility, committee chairs and develops important connections. Robert Byrd and Strom Thurmond were always respected even if one disagreed with them. In the House there is John Lewis of Atlanta who has never had a scandal and was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement. When a disgusting teapartier spit on him, he just said "I've known worse" and wiped his face. And Edward Kennedy was for many years known as the Liberal Lion. What better honor?>>>>>We will all be elderly one day. Why should we sit down if we don't want to? Everyone does not have to be a skinny 20 something with plastic breasts and no estrogen to function in the world. Younger people make more mistakes because they have no wisdom and no history.

2) Comment by Whatnow - 15/02/2013

Ginsberg at the SOTU address was pitiful looking. I was waiting for her to drool or fall. Yeah, she could have used those term limits.

3) Comment by DMJ - 14/02/2013

I guess pretending the organization you head is NOT the world's largest institutionalized child molestation ring is exhausting. Or maybe what's making him so tired is living in a garish castle literally made of gold while pretending to care about the poor. Such hypocrisy probably weighs on a person. Just imagine the guilt one would feel knowing how much money they've fleeced from regular, good-natured yet gullible people. Hundreds of years of science and social progress thwarted in the name of a god that your church made up a while back for the purpose of waging war and consolidating an empire... the shame the head of such an organization would feel must be overwhelming. Good riddance, il Papa!

4) Comment by Melisse3 - 14/02/2013

Agreed Quin. But it would take a Constitutional Amendment of course. Legislation has been proposed on several occasions, including just a few weeks ago by Senator Vitter. The problem is that no bill can get through Congress. They continue to block it, even knowing that 3/4 of the states would clearly pass it. So, as usual, Congress stands in the way of Progress.

5) Comment by Whatchange - 14/02/2013

DMJ; No...... Should be held to no more than 3 terms then off you go without all the perks they had while in office.

6) Comment by DMJ - 14/02/2013

Anyone else think the real reason the pope abdicated is because of his role in decades of massive cover-ups for pedophilic priests in the Catholic Church?

7) Comment by [e-mail] - 14/02/2013

One term would be better.

8) Comment by gary - 14/02/2013

While we are at it - how about the Supreme Court ?