In the United States, term limits date back to the colonial period, when William Penn provided for triennial rotation of the upper house of the colonial legislature in his Pennsylvania Charter of Liberties. Currently, the President of the United States can only serve two terms as provided for in Amendment 22 to the Constitution, but there are no restrictions on terms for the Vice-President or for members of Congress. There have, however, been calls for the introduction of term limits for other national offices in an effort to prevent one person, such as William Byrd in West Virginia or Teddy Kennedy in Massachusetts, from virtually holding an elected position for life.
Within the United States, policies on term limits for officials elected to state or local offices vary, with some localities enforcing them and others having no such policy. Term limits are less common in countries that have a parliamentary republic rather than a presidential one, since the head of state often does not have a set term of office at all; instead, he or she can be taken out of power at any time upon losing the confidence and support of the parliament. However, even in a parliamentary system, some officials who serve a particular term may have the amount of time they can hold office limited.
Opponents of Term Limits
Critics in the term limit debate claim that they can be arbitrary and end up preventing the best person for a job from serving in it; at times, experience is more important than fresh perspectives. Constant transition in leadership can stall legislation and public works projects before anyone benefits from them. In fact, over the history of the United States, term limits have, at times, been relaxed in order to allow a particularly strong leader to stay in power in a crisis situation, as in the case of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Proponents of Term Limits
Proponents in the term limit debate argue that they ensure a wider range of perspectives in government and prevent power from being consolidated in one person, which could easily happen due to the popularity or privilege of a particular individual. Term limits offer an automatic check on consolidation of power.
So I'm assuming that my position on term limits is well known given the amount of writing and speaking I've done on the subject. Consequently, it should come to you as no surprise when I suggest that none of my competitors will promise, as I have, in serving only one term if elected Jasper County Commissioner. And yes, I do believe that the competition, each and every one, desires a longer stay in the Commissioners office, more than one term (four years). NOT ME! One term and I'm out! This proclamation I believe tells you that "I'll be doing the peoples business each and every day and NOT thinking about the next campaign." This my friends is the way our founding fathers intended officer holders to be, NOT professional politicians.
VOTE FOR ME! AUGUST 2, 2016