Was this something to be celebrated? Should the voters of West Virginia take pride in the fact that they kept on sending this man back to Washington?
The cynical side of me says that no one - Republican or Democrat - should ever serve more than 50 years in Congress. In fact, I think that 10 years is too long.
Yes, I favor the unpopular idea of term limits. If the president can serve only eight years, then why shouldn’t members of the House and Senate serve the same?
Great leaders like Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln came to Washington to serve the public good - not to serve themselves. Today members of Congress want to stay there for as long as possible. Why?
Why? Because they have a comfortable job. I just wish you and I had all the perks they do. When it comes to something like health care, they have the best that taxpayers’ money can buy. If you can get re-elected often enough, you are entitled to a nice pension.
There was some talk one time about the need for term limits concerning Congress. That idea didn’t get too far because neither Democrats nor Republicans wanted it. When it came down to putting it into effect, there were few takers.
Again, if I had my way, congressional men and women - like the president - could serve only eight years. After your eight years are up, go out and get a real job like most people have to do.
In my opinion Sen. Byrd has served 48 more years than he should have. Yes, the people of West Virginia are probably happy about it. They sent him there to get all the pork he could for his state. After 56 years, he has indeed brought home the bacon.
I used to believe that there was a real difference in Republicans and Democrats. I don’t believe that anymore. When we send them to Washington, their main concern is to get re-elected. Their real hero is not George Washington. It is Robert Byrd of West Virginia. What a shame.
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