NoNoNo UnceUnceUncerrr ainainain THE NEWSLETTER OF THE TERM LIMITS MOVEMENT August 2000 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 7 terms State Term Limits Term Limits Safe in California After Legislators Fail to Approve Initiative California legislators The Assembly’s bill have become increas- failed, and the Senate’s ingly anxious about version was never sub- term limits as their mitted for a floor vote time in office comes to at all, thanks in part to an end. Recently, voter backlash. committees in both the Currently, California’s state’s Senate and term limits law allows Assembly passed bills Assembly members to that would drastically serve for six years, while extend their time in Senators are allowed office. Fortunately, eight. The legislature when the Assembly’s sought to increase the bill came to a floor limits to 12 years, as well vote, they were an as restarting the clock — incredible 24 votes which would have al- short of their needed lowed legislators who two-thirds majority. continued on page 2 I Message from Nebraska Update Paul Jacob page 2 N Initiative Qualifies for 2000 Ballot Integrity First On April 26th, Nebraskans statement commending both S page 3 for Limited Terms successfully individuals and organizations submitted 150,000 signatures for their invaluable support. I They Said It to the Secretary of State’s He expressed great optimism page 6 office. Signatures were col- that the measure will return D lected from 60 of Nebraska’s power from the hands of Candidate Spotlight 93 counties, a total doubling special interests back to the page 7 the state requirement. people of Nebraska. Curtis E The campaign chairman of also maintained that in No- The Weasel King Nebraskans for Limited Terms, vember, when Nebraskans Guy Curtis, issued a brief page 8 continued on page 4 August 2000 Issue No Uncertain TERMS U.S. Term Limits 1 10 G St., NE Washington, DC 20002 http://www.ustermlimits.org Message from the National Director “Give It Back” The White House will soon project a “huge” budget calls spending your money surplus totaling $1.8 trillion over ten years. By the time these days. Just thought you hear this, the projection will have already been you’d want to know that. made, of course. Just so you know I’m working from a Everybody’s forgetting that projection of a projection, not the actual projection. we’ve got a $5 trillion-dollar Who knows whether the money will ever show up? national debt. If the feds do get a couple extra Just because the feds say they’ll be able to collect a hundred billion dollars in any particular year, certain amount in taxes doesn’t mean they’ll do it. can’t they pay down that debt? They could do Maybe there will be a couple recessions in there that anyway, just by cutting all the useless bollixing up the works. Maybe another couple of wars spending on special interests. or “police actions.” Who knows what could happen. I Rather than fighting about how to spend all guess they can safely project that you and I won’t the excess taxes we’re paying — cut spending, cut quit our jobs and go on the dole. the debt, cut our taxes. Give the money back. But suppose the surplus funds do come in. How to Give it back! You’ve got my mailing address, spend them? Clinton wants to expand Medicare. Gore don’t you? wants to fund all kinds of environmental measures. Other politicians have other so-called “investments” in mind. By the way, investment is what Washington Term Limits Safe behavior for legislators to year by the Field Poll and the in California attempt to extend their own Los Angeles Times. continued from page 1 time in office.” The Orange County Register U.S. Term Limits ran ads on wrote, “There's a tendency for had already served the fully TV, radio, and the Internet to people with political power to allowed time to serve 24 addi- educate California voters on the start to believe they are indis- tional years in the legislature. actions of their legislators, and pensable — that their experi- Widespread voter outrage and released poll numbers showing ence and connections make press exposure helped to turn that nearly 70% of California them the only person who can the tide against this sham. The voters continue to support the do the job properly. People Wall Street Journal wrote, “In the existing term limits law rather with such attitudes are pre- absence of a grassroots effort than longer limits. Those results cisely those who pose the most by voters to alter term limits, it are very similar to independent danger when they have posi- is the height of self-serving public opinion polls taken last tions of power.” BOARD OF DIRECTORS No Uncertain Terms is published 12 times a year at an annual subscription price Peter Ackerman Travis Anderson of $30. Third class postage paid, AUGUST 2000 VOLUME 8 NUMBER 7 Steven Baer Terence Considine Washington, D.C. POSTMASTER: Send Edited by Eric D. Dixon Edward Crane Cora Fields address changes to U.S. Term Limits. Contributing Writers: Joe Santuomo Mike Ford M. Blair Hull Christy Wahl Sally Reed Impastato Paul Jacob Term Limits On-Line! A Publication of Kenneth Langone Ronald Lauder U.S. TERM LIMITS and For the latest developments on term U.S. TERM LIMITS FOUNDATION Rob Mosbacher Paul Raynault limits across America, visit our web site 10 G ST., NE, SUITE 410 WASHINGTON, D.C. 20002 Howard Rich Joseph Stilwell on the Internet at 1-800-733-6440 Donna Weaver Bill Wilson http://www.ustermlimits.org 2 No Uncertain TERMS U.S. Term Limits August 2000 Issue 10 G St., NE Washington, DC 20002 http://www.ustermlimits.org Integrity First Stop the Presses! A Politician Gives Up Power by Paul A. Gigot Maybe all politicians aren’t scoundrels after all. that would otherwise be safe for incumbents. A few of them even keep their promises. That’s In the usual Beltway precincts, this means the good news you aren’t hearing this year about Republicans are foolishly being hoist on their own the impact of term limits on Congress. petard. But only in Washington are politicians The typical politician-bites-man story is that admired for a cynicism that covets incumbency three members of Congress are breaking the term- over principle. And just because Washington hails limit pledges they used to win third-rate Caesars doesn’t mean office. The trio — Republicans that the rest of us can’t praise a George Nethercutt (Washington) Term-limit retire- Cincinnatus who voluntarily and Scott McInnis (Colorado) and leaves town. Massachusetts Democrat Marty ments are the Consider Charles Canady, who Meehan — deserve every tomato main reason would typically be settling in for thrown their way. a lifetime Washington career. But the man-bites-pol news is there is any real He’s smart and popular in his that 15 other members have electoral compe- mid-Florida district. At just 46 kept, or are keeping, their word years old he already has sub- to surrender power. This honor tition in the stantial seniority and is well- roll includes one Democrat House of Repre- regarded inside the House. But (Oregon’s Elizabeth Furse, who instead he’s going home after left in 1998) and 14 Republicans. sentatives this four eventful terms. Most would have coasted to re- year. “It’s hard to leave. I think election in this incumbent- I am temperamentally suited to friendly year. this job,” the son of a lifelong Even more encouraging, the GOP’s House Democrat says. “But I had made such a clear, majority is also keeping its 1994 Contract With unequivocal commitment.” America promise to limit committee chairs to six Mr. Canady is a walking rebuttal to the claim years. Some bosses are still lobbying for a last- that careers in Congress must be long to be minute reprieve. But the prospect of serving as a consequential. In eight years he has chaired a mere backbencher has already induced several to subcommittee, shepherded a partial-birth abortion retire. ban to a veto-proof majority and voted to im- The result will be a healthy reshuffling of peach a president. congressional power. Bill Archer (Ways and His term-limited status arguably made him more Means) and John Kasich (Budget) will be missed, willing to take political risks than the typical but others (Tom Bliley at Commerce) will vanish careerist. He led the fight against racial prefer- without footprints. For every sage Henry Hyde ences, for example, before his proposal was am- who must step aside (but not retire), there is a bushed in the Judiciary committee by fellow Bud Shuster, whose departure from Transportation Republican George Gekas. (“A mortifying experi- is a taxpayer godsend. ence,” Mr. Canady says.) Term-limit retirements, in fact, are the main Mr. Canady was also among the most impres- reason there is any real electoral competition in sive and eloquent impeachment managers. Indeed, the House of Representatives this year. Democrats continued on page 4 have a shot at taking at least six GOP-held seats August 2000 Issue No Uncertain TERMS U.S. Term Limits 3 10 G St., NE Washington, DC 20002 http://www.ustermlimits.org Nebraska Initiative in 1994, term limits were again unconstitutional by the U.S. Qualifies for Ballot passed by a margin of 70 Supreme Court in 1995’s U.S. continued from page 1 percent. Term Limits vs. Thornton case. However, the past initiatives But Nebraskans for Limited have the opportunity to vote have been thwarted by techni- Terms have once again com- on the initiative, they’ll triumph calities.