How would you feel about having major surgery at a hospital at which all doctors and nurses have six years or less experience? Would you support a health care system that required all doctors and nurses to leave their jobs after six years? How about getting on an ocean liner with a crew none of which had more than six years of experience at sea, with many on them being on their first voyage?
I don’t think that would sell.
Likewise, it doesn’t make any more sense to limit our Legislators’ time in office to just six or eight years.
To be sure, there are many differences between practicing medicine, sailing the sea and making laws, but there are also many similarities. The business of government — understanding numerous multifaceted issues, complicated state budgets, the politics of compromise, and the art of wise government — is in its own way every bit as complex as practicing medicine or operating an ocean liner. In medicine, seamanship and government much of what is learned comes from experience ... and that takes time.
The lack of experience of our Legislators as a collective body was, in many people’s minds, the reason behind their openly clumsy efforts to fund our K-12 education system and fix our state budget. Despite knowing for several years about revenue shortfalls coupled with excessive expenditures and the use of one-time budget fixes, the Legislature took eight months and finished only when faced with a serious deadline in their efforts to come up their “solution” to Michigan’s budget crisis. And now they’re going back to correct what they so in-artfully did.
Whatever your politics please be advised that term limits aren’t working.
Before I go further, I have a confession to make. I voted for term limits. And here’s a second confession … I made a big mistake.
I’ve worked in and around Lansing politics for 20 years. When imposing term limits was placed on the ballot I remember thinking, “It can’t be any worse than it is now and it might be better.” I was wrong.
All the well-intentioned logic about terms limits, like: they’ll allow people to take back their government; they’ll reduce the influence of special interests; and it’ll be good to get “fresh thinking” into the Legislature — turned out to be wishful thinking. The actual effects of term limits seem to be almost exactly the opposite of what we hoped for.
For evidence, examine how our Legislature has mishandled Michigan’s economy and budget problems. In the past few months I have spoken about this with reporters, lobbyists, legislative staff, former Legislators and representatives of groups as diverse as the Michigan Education Association (MEA) and the State Chamber of Commerce. There’s a remarkable uniformity in their message — term limits aren’t working, we need to rethink this.
Even our Legislative leaders have essentially said, “Give us some time. Managing a financial crisis is complicated. We don’t have much experience with these issues and how to resolve them.” Point taken.
The Legislature lacked the institutional history and knowledge to deal more forthrightly with the complex issues they faced and will face. It takes time to develop that knowledge and even more time to develop personal relationships of trust between Legislators that allow for handling controversial, important issue.
Instead of returning power to the people, term limits seem to have concentrated power in Lansing. Interests groups have more influence than ever. Legislative staff becomes the keepers of institutional knowledge and history. Legislative leaders have more power. Legislators themselves have less power and make rookie mistakes.
I know a few Legislators and for the most part they are intelligent, thoughtful people, even those I disagree with over public policy issues. But the structural change to the system brought by term limits has failed them and the citizens of Michigan. Even the interest groups in Lansing that benefit from this tragedy admit it and support change. The reporters who cover Lansing also agree. Past Legislators of both parties agree.
I don’t recall a situation in Lansing where so many knowledgeable people of such different political views — from the State Chamber of Commerce to the MEA — agree on one thing: we need to change Michigan’s Constitution to create a more sensible approach to term limits.
What to do? At the very least we should extend the time Legislators can stay in office. They should be allowed to have at least twelve years in office; both in the House and Senate. If people think that twelve years is too much they should be reminded that the voting public has always had, and continues to have, the ability to term limit any Legislator at elections that are held every two years.
Based on some recent polls, the public at large seems to favor term-limits, as I did years ago — before we actually had them. It’s time to term limit, term limits. Support sensible change. This is important.
We shouldn’t leave our ship of state in the hands of an untested, inexperienced crew, especially in these turbulent times.