Revisiting Term Limits with Cruz-Norman Proposal

Revisiting Term Limits with Cruz-Norman Proposal

By Maria Fotopoulos

Congressman Andy Ogles (R-Tenn) proposed modifying the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to allow President Trump to run for another term. Currently, a president may not serve more than two terms. Given the high threshold for passing a Constitutional amendment, the likelihood of this happening would seem to be zero. And if it were to pass and Trump were to win a third term, he would be 86 years old by the end of that!

So a three-term Trump presidency is not a real concern, but the number of U.S. Representatives and Senators who have been in the House and Senate for YEARS because there are no term limits in Congress IS a real concern.

Term limits for Congress have been discussed before, with legislation proposed, but no changes have been made to put an end to the D.C. creatures known as career politicians. That said, with the Trump administration moving fast and furiously on multiple fronts, hopefully, term limits are among the many priorities. Currently, joint resolutions calling for congressional term limits have been introduced in the Senate and the House by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), respectively. It’s time that term-limit legislation finally becomes law.

U.S. House Representatives are elected for a two-year period, and U.S. Senators for six-year terms. Cruz-Norman proposelimiting U.S. Senators to two six-year terms and members of the U.S. House of Representatives to three two-year terms. So the longest one person could serve in Congress would be 18 years.

Focusing on term limits is a reasonable and fair approach. Assuming a person served both in the House and Senate for the full periods, 18 years is a long enough time to have impact.

The cases of U.S. senators and representatives remaining in office well past their expiration dates are numerous. Most recently, the sad story of Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) sparked discussion on both term limits and cognitive testing for elected officials. Granger, 81, served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 28 years (Jan. 3, 1997 to Jan. 3, 2025). She was MIA from Washington, D.C., from the end of July 2024 to mid-November when she returned for an event honoring her. She was not present for about 54 percent of the votes in the House.

Granger was reported living in a retirement community that specializes in memory care. Granger’s son said his mother’s decline had been “very rapid and very difficult.”

The story echoed the last months of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who served in the U.S. Senate for 31 years (Nov. 4, 1992 to Sept. 29, 2023). While not in assisted living, the Senate offices essentially doubled as such for Sen. Feinstein. After missing 91 floor votes during a three-month absence from D.C. due to shingles, Feinstein returned to her job in May 2023 in a wheelchair, looking horribly sick and diminished, somewhat confused when speaking and being managed by a daughter of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). Feinstein died a few months later at 90.

Also serving until death, Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) was a U.S. Representative from 1997 to 2024 (27 years). He died August 21, 2024 at the age of 87.

In the U.S. Senate for 40 years (since 1985), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has shown public signs of mental decline, including occasions where he has completely frozen. The Sacramento Bee compiled a timeline of his many health issues in recent years. Most recently, McConnell fell and is in a wheelchair. McConnell (finally) has said he won’t seek re-election in 2026.

In other news of the elderly Congress members, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), age 81, recently tumbled on Capitol Hill. She fell on the staircase between the Capitol’s second and third floors following the House of Representatives’ kickoff meeting at the start of this year. ABC reporter John Parkinson was at the scene, which he described as: “Lots of blood, but officer tells me she’s okay as press is cleared from area. She is conscious/ talking.”

The list of members of Congress who are in the octogenarian zone, or close, as well as one senator who has passed age 90, includes Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), 2011-current (14 years), 79; Rep. John Carter (R-Texas), 2003-current (22 years), 83; Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), 1992-current (33 years), 84; Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.), 1996-current (29 years), 83; Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), 1997-current (28 years), 80;

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), 1981-current (Senate) / 1975-1981 (House) (50 years), 91; Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), 1981-current (44 years), 85; Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), 2013-current (12 years), 80;

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), 2013-current (Senate) / 1976-2013 (House) (49 years), 78; Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), 1985-current (40 years), 83; Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), 1987-current (38 years), 84;

Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), 2009-current (16 years), 80; Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), 1981-current (44 years), 87;

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), 2007-current (Senate) / 1991-2007 (House) (34 years), 82; Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), 1991-current (34 years), 86; and Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), 2011-current (14 years), 82.

Rep. Grace Napolitano (88) ended her 26-year career representing California on January 3, 2025.

One explanation why some of our elderly elected officials remain in office often for decades may be that they are in a fully delusional state of mind. That delusion may be multi-layered. They may believe they are “entitled” to remain in office. Or, they may think they still are competent to do their jobs – and no one near them is telling them otherwise (as the folks near them have financial incentive to not be truthful).

Some may be immersed in the power and wealth they have acquired by way of their elected office – and want to retain it – with the idea of “public service” long gone (or maybe never was part of their makeup). Or, they may very simply be experiencing cognitive loss of varying degrees, and their staff and handlers are “covering” for them.

More politicians should consider the words of former President Jimmy Carter, who said he was looking forward to being “citizen Carter” after leaving the White House. The idea of leaving public service in due time is a concept lost on too many elected officials, who have turned their offices into the conduits for great wealth and enrichment to themselves. One Democrat in December did announce her retirement, so she could “set a better example.” Sixty-eight-year-old Rep. Annie Juster (D-N.H.) ended her time in the House, where she’d served since Jan. 3, 2013, on Jan. 3, 2025.

Of course, if more elected officials can’t make the right choices (which seems to be the situation), imposed term limits should eliminate the problems created by a small but powerful group of essentially permanent senators and representatives.

Maria Fotopoulos writes about the connection between overpopulation and biodiversity loss, and from time to time other topics that confound her.

Revisiting Term Limits with Cruz-Norman Proposal

White shirts William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-11-25

White shirts William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-11-25

R’v wxc pxrwp cx farcn oxa yxbcnarch. R’v pxrwp cx farcn cx vjtn j kdlt.
Nuvxan Unxwjam

Answer to yesterday’s puzzle: Black souls wear white shirts.
Ukrainain Folk Saying

White shirts William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-11
Black souls wear white shirts.

Sanctuary City Mayors Unbending in Defending Lawless Policies  

Sanctuary City Mayors Unbending in Defending Lawless Policies  

By Joe Guzzardi

On March 5, four of the tough-talking big city mayors appeared before the Republican-led House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. New York’s Eric Adams, Chicago’s Brandon Johnson, Denver’s Mike Johnston and Boston’s Michelle Wu faced probing questions from Committee Chair James Comer and other members about their sanctuary policies which allow inadmissible aliens to seek and receive harbor. Sanctuary cities also block Immigration and Customs Enforcement from carrying out immigration laws.

Comer opened by asking the four if they considered their city “a sanctuary.” Only Adams answered yes. The others deflected. Johnson said Chicago is a “welcoming city,”; Wu, Boston is “a safe city,” and Johnston offered a word salad. Wu repeatedly claimed that Boston is the nation’s safest city, but in the FBI’s newly released 2023 crime data, Boston ranked 16th safest of the nation’s 50 largest cities when measured against total violent crime

The defiant mayors made familiar but misleading talking points to support their unbending sanctuary city status. They maintained that without illegal immigrants their local work force would evaporate, that their “welcoming” posture is consistent with America’s open-arms immigration history. They also insisted that the answer to their problems is “comprehensive immigration reform,” code words for amnesty. Wu leaned heavily on her family’s history as the child of non-English speaking Taiwanese who raised their daughter on Chicago’s Southside. Johnson made repeated efforts to blame Texas Governor Greg Abbott for sending busloads of illegal immigrants to Chicago.

Under direct questioning, Wu did poorly. Missouri’s U.S. Rep. Eric Burlison dug in and asked Wu if there is an “acceptable number” of illegal aliens before she feels the city is overrun. Wu replied that she doesn’t decide who comes into the country or where they go, only how they are treated when they get to Boston. Wu ordered Burlison to do his job and pass legislation, another reference to amnesty. When asked several times to provide hard figures for the taxpayer expense to care for illegal aliens, Wu couldn’t provide a number. She said no cost data is available because Boston doesn’t inquire about immigration status. Neither Wu nor Chicago’s Johnson would explicitly answer Comer’s question about whether they would turn over illegal immigrant criminals to ICE.

Johnson drew Republican lawmakers’ ire for limiting his cost estimate at roughly 1 percent of his city’s budget while Denver’s and New York City’s Johnston and Adams provided concrete numbers at $79 million over the past two years and $6.9 billion, respectively. Wu was hammered for saying Boston doesn’t keep track. “You don’t ask how much money the city of Boston has spent on illegal immigration — are you out of your mind? Do you manage your budget?” asked Florida U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds.  She does not, as evidenced by her hiring of a legal team to coach her, the Washington D.C. law firm Cahill Gordon & Reindel, which charges $950 an hour, according to the Boston Herald.  In all, Wu spent $650,000 on legal fees and to transport eight staffers and her one-month-old infant to the hearing.

Adams came under intense fire from his fellow Democrats for his alleged deal making with the Trump administration. New York Democrats Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez and Laura Gillen along with California’s Robert Garcia demanded that Adams resign for his purported quid-pro-quo deal to cooperate with ICE in exchange for DOJ ordering federal prosecutors to drop corruption charges against the mayor. Adams vigorously denied any type of deal.

The Cato Institute’s David Bier, the minority witness, was on hand to give the pro-mayor, pro-sanctuary city testifiers a helping hand. Bier presented only the positive side of the sanctuary city debate—illegal aliens pay taxes but no mention of the services they consume, states have limited power to cooperate with the federal government, but no citation of the Supremacy Clause, Congress should follow the guidelines recommended by the Major City Chiefs Association, not those that National Border Patrol Council established, etc.

After six hours of contentious testimony, the next step is in the administration’s hands. AG Bondi has sued Chicago, Illinois and New York State for their sanctuary policies. Bondi called Wu “an insult to law enforcement,” and promised to intensify her efforts in Boston. Before the hearing, Wu sent condolences to Lemark Jaramillo’s family; police identified Jaramillo as the perpetrator who attempted to stab Chick-fil-A patrons and was then shot to death by an off-duty police officer.

After the hearing ended, Florida’s Anna Paulina Luna wrote on X, “I just referred the sanctuary city mayors to the Department of Justice for CRIMINAL investigations based on evidence from their own comments and policies, proving that they were breaking federal law.” Four other Republicans indicated that they too would file charges against the insolent mayors. Criminal charges, along withholding federal funds from the rebellious mayors’ cities, is the best way to end the illegal sanctuary city quagmire. The law is clear: Title 8, U.S. Code § 1324 is a federal law that makes it illegal to bring in and harbor illegal aliens and prohibits the unlawful employment of aliens. 

Joe Guzzardi is an Institute for Sound Public Policy analyst. Contact him at jguzzardi@ifspp.org

Sanctuary City Mayors Unbending in Defending Lawless Policies  

Sanctuary City Mayors Unbending in Defending Lawless Policies  

Anxious thoughts William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-10-25

Anxious thoughts William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-10-25

Jtiks awcta emiz epqbm apqzba.
Csziqviqv Nwts Aigqvo

Answer to yesterday’s puzzle: Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.
Psalms

Anxious thoughts William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-10
Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.

Happy Birthday Skyler Jane

Skyler
Skyler Jane as per Judy’s request

Special birthday wishes today to beautiful Skyler Jane Lawrence of Florida.

Talk about them William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-9-25

Talk about them William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-9-25

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Wzhstz

Answer to yesterday’s puzzle: These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Talk about them William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-9
These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at

Hospital Closures Turning Delco Into 3rd World

Hospital Closures Turning Delco Into 3rd World — We caught Delaware County (Pa) Council Chairwoman Monica Taylor on the news last night, March 7, looking upset and horrified about Delco’s rapidly increasing spiral into 3rdworlddom with the imminent closure of three major hospitals.

The hospitals — Crozer-Chester Medical Center, Springfield and Taylor — are owned by  Prospect Medical Holdings of California.

“We had six hospitals in Delaware County and now, due to Prospect, we may only have two hospitals left,” she said.

Two hospitals for 576,830 persons is pretty third worldish.

Why are they closing? Regulations, impractical mandates and perhaps a little corporate looting.

A competent government would not have let this happen.

Delaware County’s government is not competent.

But at least we now have a neato health department that gives out condoms and has electric vehicles.

And it only (LOL) costs $19 million.

Change is needed fast.

Not that we advocate corporate welfare but $19 million would have saved those hospitals.

Hospital Closures Turning Delco Into 3rd World
Monica Taylor

Hospital Closures Turning Delco Into 3rd World

Place of justice William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-8-25

Place of justice William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-8-25

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Klbalyvuvtf 6:6-7

Answer to yesterday’s puzzle:  The place of justice is a hallowed place.
Francis Bacon

Place of justice William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-8
Place of justice William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-8-20 William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-8-20

Force without justice William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-7-25

Force without justice William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-7-25

Ymj uqfhj tk ozxynhj nx f mfqqtbji uqfhj.
Kwfshnx Gfhts

Answer to yesterday’s puzzle: Justice without force is powerless; force without justice is tyrannical.

Blaise Pascal

Force without justice William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-7
Force without justice William Lawrence Sr Cryptowit 3-7-20

Losers Alienate Allies; Winners Don’t

Losers Alienate Allies; Winners Don’t — Our political advice for today is don’t alienate allies.

Actually, the smart ones who seek office don’t merely keep their friends during disagreements but turn their former opponents into friends.

There does seem to be some very stupid people seeking office in Delaware County, Pa.

The universal issue is the ever-growing tax burden caused by corruption and greed. Much of what the Democrats have been spending since they took over has been going to places it doesn’t belong.

Really, why else would they have appointed a man as register of wills under whose watch money in municipal bank accounts was not what had been expected in Upper Darby?

This corruption should be enough for a change if the public is properly informed.

Will they be?

That’s something worth pondering.

There are other issues, however, that would also strike a chord should they enter the converstation.

Consider illegal immigration. One fellow who was very good on the issue — he actually made his name on it — told the The Philadelphia Inquirer that it is not a priority as it is handled by the feds.

What’s up with that, Charlie? The County wasn’t setting disturbing policies, after all?

Or are you now “strategizing” like the political hacks we’ve come to hate?

And then there is election integrity, an important issue that might not have much traction in the general population.

There are those, however, who know how critical it is, and that very simple things can be done to make Delco’s elections much more secure. Start by firing Election Director Jim Allen. Then ask why Delco fights rulings by the state Open Records Office regarding election records. Finish up by questioning why Dems don’t seem concerned by the failures of the neato election tech gizmos they adopted.

Actually, they can also ask why the County is so intent on enlarging precincts and why poll watchers don’t have the rights at the central ballot counting center as they do at traditional precincts.

Actually these issues can get traction with the proper promotion.

But these aren’t being talked about. What’s happening is that a certain segment is now attacking those who refuse to bow before them and sprinkle them with holy water.

Why? Hurt feelings? A smart candidate will understand that it’s he who is supposed to have thick skin and it is up to him to make sure feelings of potential supporters are not hurt.

C’est la vie. It’s not happening.

Maybe the issue that upsets us the most in Delaware County is the tyranny and corruption concerning Delaware County Youth Services.

Charlie Alexander gave some powerful and personal testimony about what goes on there. Read it here.

So has Billy “Jack” Ruane, which can be found here.

You think maybe they might concentrate on the things they have in common.

Alternative Power And Nuclear Plants