My local paper ran a story addressing the shakeup of leadership in the House of Representatives on both sides of the isle. The Democrat Party is firmly in the majority and will exercise to the fullest its privilege to appoint, at will, the chairs of the various sub-committees. Rest assured, the bickering, fighting, and arguing will continue.

What caught my eye in the article is the power struggle between Representative Henry Waxman of California and John Dingell of Michigan. The outcome of this power struggle may be decided before I get to post this blog. In any case, Mr Waxman has won endorsement from the House Steering and Policy Committee for chair leadership of the Energy and Commerce Committee. I assume that endorsement from this committee bear weight on who is ultimately appointed chairperson of the various committees. Mr Waxman is challenging Mr Dingell’s leadership of this committee.  

What is notable and what I will expound upon from this article is the length of time Mr Dingell has been has been in Congress. He has represented the people of Michigan for 53 years. Put into perspective, Mr Dingell has represented his district the span of my lifetime, plus 10 years. He has been a member of our Federal Legislative Body for over half a century. He has been elected 26 terms by the people of his district.

My question is this; can anyone justify the ‘awesome’ job Mr Dingell is performing for the people of Michigan, given the situation of the state? I’m not completely familiar with Mr Dingell’s record, but the State of Michigan is in economic hardship and turmoil. It is one of many mirrors that reflect the current situation of our Union, of what we as a nation are now experiencing as a whole. Without argument, we did not arrive to our current situation overnight; but rather by the reckless collusion of the entrenched residents of both the House and Senate.

‘We the people’ need to revisit for our own safety and future posterity, the idea of Constitutional amendments that require term limits or breaks in congressional service. Familiarity breeds complacency and inefficiency. At what point in time should we require representatives pack it up and move on or pack it in and allow others an opportunity at governance? We can govern ourselves effectively and efficiently without fundamentally changing the founding principles of our country.

Personally I hold the Legislative Body in contempt as this is these same resident who voted themselves pay raises without out approval.  They all either maintain or fall in line with the ‘go with the flow’ mentality prevalent in Washington. Sadly, it’s to our detriment that this body is so gravely apathetic and ineffective. It is needful that our legislative bodies be made to feel uneasy and on edge in order to bring back a sense of urgency in their elected duty and a restoration of accountability to the general constituency. 

Look at term limits and breaks in service from a physiological point of view. Blood is produced from marrow. As we understand the function of blood, its purpose is to carry or move nutrients through the body to nourish it. Over time blood cells become wary and worn, they become incapable and inefficient in the job they are expected to perform. It becomes necessary for the body to produce new blood cells to replace the old ones. The new blood cells are produced from the same marrow as the old blood cells. New cells perform the identical function as the old cells, but they are far more efficient and effective in moving nourishment throughout the body. Eventually, they too will need to be replaced in order for the body to remain healthy.

Our legislative body at this point and time epitomizes old blood cells. They have become incapable, ineffective, inefficient, diseased, and decayed. It is time for many within that storied body to move on. Term limits or mandatory breaks in congressional service are necessary to the survival of our Republic. The same people who have been around for years are still around making the same mistakes over and over.