Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Term Limits (Not)

The governor of North Carolina suggests we suspend Congressional elections so Congress won't have to worry about,  um, elections.  TPM rolls its eyes.   I suppose democracy purists might get their knickers in a twist over this one but my friend Marc, who does municipal bankruptcy work, has for some time been suggesting that city council members take office for life.  Most of our municipal misfortune, reasons Marc, occurs because city councils become adept at Kicking the Can Down the Road. Sorry, we can't give you a pay raise.  Top of your pension?  Hm.  Won't come due until Hell Freezes Over? Ah, got it, no problem.  How much better to devise a system in which each team has to clean up its own poo-poo.

Comparisons to George W budget planning are as easy as dynamiting whales in a barrel  left as an exercise to the reader.

2 comments:

Ken Houghton said...

The solution to not being able to handle your responsibilities is--permanent exemption from having to answer for your actions. I know several lower-grade students who might agree.

I belive we can call this the Vikram Pandit Rule. (Though there are multiple other possibilities.)

Taxmom said...

Hmmmm, akin to breaking dishes every time you are asked to wash dishes after dinner. Or similarly, my kids always seem to be eager to defer the day of reckoning (typically with respect to trash cans) to a future administration.