Term Limits for Elected Officials

You say (without explaining the connection) that term limits “would upset the balance of power between elected officials, who often require years of service to command the details of policy questions.” But such limits would, on the contrary, allow more fairness in elections. Any pol who can’t give up fund-raising long enough to learn such details in two terms should be replaced by someone smarter and more dedicated.

Most disturbing, you say, is that term limits “would constitute a collective admission that our government and our politics have failed.” On the contrary, both would be improved, because many more people would vote and the quality of politics would thereby improve. Our present disgracefully low voter turnout is directly due to a feeling of helplessness in any effort to displace incumbents, no matter how incompetent. And finally, your professed faith in the people’s ability to recognize official corruption and turn the rascals out via vote or recall in timely fashion is, unfortunately, pitiful.

CONRAD THOMAS

Ventura