I used to be pro-term limits. Going to work for the Texas Legislature showed me some things that changed my mind.
First, your average freshman legislator is ignorant - even the "smart" ones. They know issues on a superficial level, but how many really understand school finance, insurance law, water management, or other complex issues? Virtually none, because they've never had to. It's veteran lawmakers who study these issues for years who actually know them in detail.
So what happens when nobody knows these issues? They become dependent on two sources for essential knowledge - the lobby and the bureaucracy. Of course, veteran lawmakers certainly listen to these people as well, but importantly, they can sniff out BS from them because they know the issues themselves and know the trustworthiness (or lack thereof) of individual bureaucrats and lobbyists. Inexperienced lawmakers generally can't do that, and when they're in charge, you often end up with a government on autopilot with the bureaucracy and lobby firmly in charge.
Second, term limits doesn't end career politics and doesn't create "citizen legislatures." The politicians simply move onto other politically-oriented jobs - in the bureaucracy, the lobby, or businesses that are in the sack with government. One of the things I noticed in Austin was how many lobbyists and agency "government relations liaisons" were former legislatirs who were defeated or simply wanted to make more than the $600 per month that the taxpayer gave them. The point is that there's always a system for shady people to exploit.
Third, I never saw any correlation between seniority and corruption. The guys with a lot of power had usually proven themselves to be reasonably honest people before they were handed power. (Keep in mind that legislative leaders don't seize power. Somebody with more power trusts them enough to give it to them). I didn't always agree with their politics, but they weren't crooks. The crooks were usually junior members who were drunk with a little power. Too many term limits supporters confuse perceived idealism (which is often associated with junior members) with integrity and associate pragmatism with sleaziness. Those impressions are largely false.
The bottom line is that we get the politicians we deserve. If we are ok with corruption, that's what we'll get, whether those politicians have been in office for 40 years or 40 days.
Consider California. They have term limits. Texas doesn't. What part of California politics is better than ours? Set aside ideology for a moment. Are California politicians more ethical? Is their legislature less "swampy?" Are they less beholden to special interests? I would argue that the answer to all of those questions is No.
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Last edited: Nov 18, 2018