I know my column is aimed at the analysis of state politics, but in this instance, I am using lessons we have learned at the state level to call out Jim DeMint for what he is, an idiot. Recently, Senator DeMint (R-South Carolina), introduced a bill to amend the Constitution to impose term limits on federal legislators. The legislation is not expected to go anywhere, but the minute I heard the idea, I knew I had to nip it in the bud.

Under DeMint’s bill, a representative in Congress could only serve 3 two year terms, totaling six years. A senator would be confined to 2 terms, a total of 12 years. This is exactly the system of term limits currently in place in the Michigan State Constitution (but of course our Senate terms are capped at 2 four year terms). Term limits are strangling the political leadership of this state. The issues dealt with by state government are complex and are better handled by representatives and senators who have been around the block before. Of course there are outstanding freshman, but when those outstanding legislators reach the end of their last term, it does their constituents a disservice to deny them of their preferred elected officials. The number of budget shut downs have grown dramatically since Michigan instituted term limits in 1992. Just for some perspective, 1 term of a member of the U of M Board of Regents is 8 years, longer by two years that the maximum length a member of the State House currently can serve, and longer than a US Rep could serve under DeMint’s plan.

Term limits are undemocratic. “At the end of the day, it turns out we have term limits, they’re called elections,” (West Wing Pres. Josiah Bartlet). Term limits assume that voters are not qualified to decide whether or not their representatives should stay. Are we not benefitted more by talented legislators with institutional memory than a body almost half composed on freshman legislators? This is the current situation with the State House of Representatives. When the Republican swept into Congress in the 90s under their “Contract with America,” they pledged to institute term limits. Guess what – it never happened, and many of the member who had pledged to subject themselves to self-imposed term limits found Congress too hard to leave. The nation should learn from our state’s mistake. Who among us wants Congress to start operating like our State Legislature? To be sure, there is much room for improvement in both institutions, but term limits go a long way to hamper the accomplishment of this goal.