Paul T. Underiner – 5/1/09

This page was last updated on May 4, 2009.

Specter is a poster child for term limits; Paul T. Underiner; Beaver County Times; May 1, 2009.

Below is a detailed critique of the letter.

“The news that Sen. Arlen Specter has switched parties in his bid for re-election has caused a number of questions to arise.

“The real question ought to be why a 79-year-old man with a history of brain tumors would even want to stand for re-election.

“The obvious answer is that, like most of his cronies in government, he considers politics to be a lifetime career.

“If ever there was a poster child for the need to impose term limits on those who govern, it well could be Specter. The president of the United States has a term limit of office, as does the governor of Pennsylvania.

“But almost everyone else can and does continue in office until death or pure malfeasance forces them to drop out. The Times has editorialized in the past against the imposition of term limits, believing that an informed electorate will serve as a competent safeguard against abuse of power by legislators.

“That may well be in a perfect world, but it hasn’t seemed to work too well in Pennsylvania, where the damage is done by the time we become informed.

“Term limits would eliminate career building and help foster a more positive atmosphere of service to the electorate, which is what we should be getting when we vote for the candidate of our choice.”

[RWC] I used to believe as Mr. Underiner, but I came to believe imposing term limits was like throwing out the baby with the bath water. Sure, term limits would limit the amount of time a corrupt politician could serve, but they would do the same for honest representatives. We already have the means to get rid of bad politicians. It’s called voting for the good guys/gals. When we continue to elect bad representatives, we have only ourselves to blame.