SCOTUS--the return of Court packing...

[Monahorns]

Term limits (or age limits) for justices isn't necessarily a bad idea, it is at least worth discussing.

I don't trust SlowJoebama's team with the first word of an updated ethics code.

I don't agree with any term limits. Limiting the time a person is in government actually makes them more short term focused and more liable to taking what they can out of the people. We want our leaders to have a more long term focus.

 

[BrntOrngStmpeDe]

I don't agree with any term limits. Limiting the time a person is in government actually makes them more short term focused and more liable to taking what they can out of the people. We want our leaders to have a more long term focus.

I'm not sure I agree with that. Our leaders must be re-elected and so their focus is almost always on the next 2-4-6 year cycle/election. They are rarely long-term thinkers with the current process. There are pro's and con's to term limits but on the whole, I think career politicians have mostly been a detriment. And being in office all by itself allows them much more cover and concealment opportunities than if they are forced to leave office. In the fraud detection world we have a principal of mandatory vacations and/or job rotations. This is designed specifically so that misdeeds can be discovered when the fox is away from the henhouse.

 

[nashhorn]

The attempt to have impact on SCOTUS is only the tip of the iceberg coming. Joe’s administration (not him he hasn’t a clue) will make every move they can in the short time they feel they have remaining. Look out.

 

[Sangre Naranjada]

The attempt to have impact on SCOTUS is only the tip of the iceberg coming. Joe’s administration (not him he hasn’t a clue) will make every move they can in the short time they feel they have remaining. Look out.

Are you suggesting Slow Joebama's team will try their best to fundamentally transform America before they are tossed out on their ears?

 

[nashhorn]

Yep

 

[Monahorns]

I'm not sure I agree with that. Our leaders must be re-elected and so their focus is almost always on the next 2-4-6 year cycle/election. They are rarely long-term thinkers with the current process. There are pro's and con's to term limits but on the whole, I think career politicians have mostly been a detriment. And being in office all by itself allows them much more cover and concealment opportunities than if they are forced to leave office. In the fraud detection world we have a principal of mandatory vacations and/or job rotations. This is designed specifically so that misdeeds can be discovered when the fox is away from the henhouse.

Need other ways of holding politicians accountable. In general, term limits forces good people out and all of them to think short. term.

 

[guy4321]

I've definitely heard the argument that if you know you're not coming back (such as due to term limits), you start to *&$% stuff up since you're gone anyway. If you always have the chance to get re-elected, you tend to stay more politically central in your party.

 

[Monahorns]

I've definitely heard the argument that if you know you're not coming back (such as due to term limits), you start to *&$% stuff up since you're gone anyway. If you always have the chance to get re-elected, you tend to stay more politically central in your party.

It's not that they do it on purpose. It is that there is no incentive for that person to care what happens after they are out. Or at least there are more incentives to take as much $ out of the system as possible before you are kicked out. Make back door deals to get a civilian gig.

These incentives exist now, but they are accelerated with term limits.

 

[nashhorn]

It seems to me that you are saying they go in with the attitude of personal gain. I’m saying they go in with good intentions but get corrupted. Makes all the difference in pro or con term limits. I still favor term limits. Heck in my mind it would ‘limit’ one’s time to profit if nothing else and I’m for that. Truth be told I’ve lost all faith in American politics anyway so there is that.

 

[Monahorns]

It seems to me that you are saying they go in with the attitude of personal gain. I’m saying they go in with good intentions but get corrupted. Makes all the difference in pro or con term limits. I still favor term limits. Heck in my mind it would ‘limit’ one’s time to profit if nothing else and I’m for that. Truth be told I’ve lost all faith in American politics anyway so there is that.

If you are in for a long time you at least want the system function long term. If not you are incentivized to get as much as you can as possible.

Everyone is motivated by financial gain to some degree. What I am saying is that the curve is shifted up on average.

 

[Chop]

Biden says Supreme Court reforms are needed to counter an 'extreme and unchecked agenda'

The proposed reforms would tackle presidential powers, term limits and ethics.

www.nbcnews.com

"Biden is scheduled to deliver remarks in the afternoon at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, calling for a constitutional amendment saying former presidents don’t have any immunity from federal criminal indictments, trials, convictions or sentencing, according to a White House official.

Biden also wants Congress to create term limits for members of the Supreme Court, the White House official told NBC News, adding that Biden favors an 18-year term for justices, which he believes would avoid any single president’s having multigenerational influence on the judiciary.

In addition to term limits, Biden will call on Congress to make the Supreme Court subject to the kind of enforceable ethics requirements imposed on other federal judges regarding gifts, political activities and financial dealings, according to the official."

 

[BrntOrngStmpeDe]

Biden says Supreme Court reforms are needed to counter an 'extreme and unchecked agenda'

The proposed reforms would tackle presidential powers, term limits and ethics.

www.nbcnews.com

"Biden is scheduled to deliver remarks in the afternoon at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, calling for a constitutional amendment saying former presidents don’t have any immunity from federal criminal indictments, trials, convictions or sentencing, according to a White House official.

Biden also wants Congress to create term limits for members of the Supreme Court, the White House official told NBC News, adding that Biden favors an 18-year term for justices, which he believes would avoid any single president’s having multigenerational influence on the judiciary.

In addition to term limits, Biden will call on Congress to make the Supreme Court subject to the kind of enforceable ethics requirements imposed on other federal judges regarding gifts, political activities and financial dealings, according to the official."

I think all of these are good ideas. I'd like to see all of these things apply to all of our politicians as well.

I'd like to see one more rule in addition.

After you leave your appointed/elected office, you can have zero contact with the office you just left in any fashion that could in any way be construed as influence peddling.

 

[ViperHorn]

Everything other than the ethics are DOA.

 

[guy4321]

Another one Joe should push for -

All future Congressional raises are put to a federal election every four years as a multiple choice question. "What percent raise do Congressmen and Congresswomen deserve?"
a) -25%
b) -10%
c) 0%
d) 10%
e) 25%

 

[Sangre Naranjada]

a)

 

[Monahorns]

Biden says Supreme Court reforms are needed to counter an 'extreme and unchecked agenda'

The proposed reforms would tackle presidential powers, term limits and ethics.

www.nbcnews.com

"Biden is scheduled to deliver remarks in the afternoon at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, calling for a constitutional amendment saying former presidents don’t have any immunity from federal criminal indictments, trials, convictions or sentencing, according to a White House official.

Biden also wants Congress to create term limits for members of the Supreme Court, the White House official told NBC News, adding that Biden favors an 18-year term for justices, which he believes would avoid any single president’s having multigenerational influence on the judiciary.

In addition to term limits, Biden will call on Congress to make the Supreme Court subject to the kind of enforceable ethics requirements imposed on other federal judges regarding gifts, political activities and financial dealings, according to the official."

I agree. Biden should be thrown in jail immediately after stepping down for stealing an election and the bribery payments he received from Ukraine.

 

[Monahorns]

Yeah. a)

 

[ViperHorn]

I agree. Biden should be thrown in jail immediately after stepping down for stealing an election and the bribery payments he received from Ukraine.

Normal for him. He forgot about that and the documents in his garage (even if they were being protected by his Corvette).

 

[Chop]

If there's one thing everybody needs, it's a lesson on ethics from the Bidens.

 

[mchammer]

 

[BrntOrngStmpeDe]

There is no doubt that the timing of this effort is largely due to the fact that the current court tilts conservative, but that doesn't invalidate the basic premise of term limits. Perhaps we could make the bill non-retroactive.

Dem's are worried that the GOP will engineer the timing of the retirement of the conservative justices such that they will be replaced by conservative justices again. With what is arguably a 6-3 tilt, the Dems would need either a long tenure holding the Senate and POTUS (12 years or so) or they will need a monumentally fortuitous cycle of untimely death or retirement while Dems are in the drivers seat.

This is a McConnell engineered windfall and they are very concerned they won't be able to unwind it for a long time.

 

[Sangre Naranjada]

And I am very pleased they won't be able to unwind it for a very long time.

 

[2003TexasGrad]

Don't Democrats remember that the reason the court is 6-3 conservative is because Harry Reid and the Democrats changed the rules on confirming nominees? Why don't they stop trying to rig the system?

 

[Sangre Naranjada]

Don't Democrats remember that the reason the court is 6-3 conservative is because Harry Reid and the Democrats changed the rules on confirming nominees? Why don't they stop trying to rig the system?

They never seem to think their rigging could ever work against them.

Hoist on their own petard, repeatedly.

 

[Mr. Deez]

Another one Joe should push for -

All future Congressional raises are put to a federal election every four years as a multiple choice question. "What percent raise do Congressmen and Congresswomen deserve?"
a) -25%
b) -10%
c) 0%
d) 10%
e) 25%

People like this idea, but we'd actually be better off if Congress got paid better. Their pay actually kinda sucks. If you're not independently wealthy, it's not easy to afford serving in Congress if you're not corrupt.

What I'd rather see is a modest raise and a $2 million dollar tax-free bonus for each year in which they balance the budget. It's a crazy idea, but it would be the best money our government would ever spend. Hell, it could be a $10M bonus, and it would still be a hell of a good deal.

 

[Mr. Deez]

We don't need term limits for the judiciary. We need to re-learn what a judge's job is. That's the root problem, and the current Court actually is less responsible for that that problem than it has been since the 1930s.

 

[Horn6721]

Mr D
That is a very good idea, to pay them more upfront. Today their salary and expense allotment do not cover living in DC area alone let alone maintaining 2 households
And why not a bonus for doing something that saves our country?
Too bad Elon has not suggested that. He could get attention and support for it.

 

[guy4321]

People like this idea, but we'd actually be better off if Congress got paid better. Their pay actually kinda sucks. If you're not independently wealthy, it's not easy to afford serving in Congress if you're not corrupt.

What I'd rather see is a modest raise and a $2 million dollar tax-free bonus for each year in which they balance the budget. It's a crazy idea, but it would be the best money our government would ever spend. Hell, it could be a $10M bonus, and it would still be a hell of a good deal.

Even if they got paid a lot as Congressmen and Congresswomen, how would a poor soul afford to run for Congress? You'd still have to be wealthy.

 

[Monahorns]

People like this idea, but we'd actually be better off if Congress got paid better. Their pay actually kinda sucks. If you're not independently wealthy, it's not easy to afford serving in Congress if you're not corrupt.

What I'd rather see is a modest raise and a $2 million dollar tax-free bonus for each year in which they balance the budget. It's a crazy idea, but it would be the best money our government would ever spend. Hell, it could be a $10M bonus, and it would still be a hell of a good deal.

I agree in that you have to find a way to incentivize good governance and honest behavior. The current system doesn't do that. The trick is always finding the right way. Your suggestion is a good idea. It would be great if those in power gave a list of options that the public would cuss and discuss.

Part of the solution is culture too. We need to produce more honest/good people in our society for this to work. John Adams explained this long ago “Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

 

[HornHuskerDad]

“Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

That goes a long way in explaining why the liberals hate the Constitution.