Re:Federal HTTPS domains that'll expire soon because of US g...
by Armisael16 on Thursday January 17, 2019 @06:50PM
(#18935800)
A big part of the problem is that congresspeople can’t hire and retain good staffers long-term - the pay isn’t good enough and cost of living in DC has gone up drastically. This hamstrings Congress - they can’t really develop their own solutions and are forces to rely on outside sources for legislation. On a related note, did you know that more money is spent by businesses on lobbying than the federal government spends on all of Congress?
(Also, senators are congresspeople.)
Re:Federal HTTPS domains that'll expire soon because of US g...
by thaumasiotes on Thursday January 17, 2019 @08:21PM
(#18936254)
> (Also, senators are congresspeople.)
Maybe so, but "Congressman" is the title for someone who sits in the House of Representatives, while someone who sits in the Senate is a "Senator".
Re:Federal HTTPS domains that'll expire soon because of US g...
by WorldMaker on Thursday January 17, 2019 @08:32PM
(#18936310)
At least a few of our Senators think they have all the power. Senator McConnell, for one immediate and obvious example.
Athenian offices were strictly term-limited, except for the position of general. People apparently felt that having military experience in that role was more valuable than the benefit of term limits would make up for, and it's hard to blame them for that.
But the general, able to serve for life, the only island of stability in the government, accumulated all the political power. This mostly defeated the purpose of having term limits on any office.
American presidents are term-limited, but American political parties aren't, and policy -- in terms of the solutions, but also in terms of the questions that get asked -- is set by the parties. I think this is more than just a coincidence.
On the other hand, Senators and Congressmen are not term-limited, but they don't seem to accumulate much in the way of political power.