Term Limits

You must read this article. 

Today marks the two year anniversary of Ed Martin's replacement as chief of staff for former Gov. Matt Blunt. 

Hours after his ceremonial pardon of a Thanksgiving turkey, Blunt was repeatedly asked to explain Martin's departure. Blunt refused to offer direct answers, and then finally said:

"If you're confused then that's my intent."

Martin's departure came in the wake of intense criticism about how he handled the firing of Scott Eckersley, the former staff attorney who said he was fired after advising Blunt’s office not to delete emails. After dismissing Eckersley, Martin "orchestrated a taxpayer-funded character assassination unlike anything ever seen before in Missouri government."

The legal battle of the email records and Eckersley's wrongful termination suit would eventually cost taxpayers more than $2 million.

Speaking last night about why he thinks term limits are a good idea, former Matt Blunt Chief of Staff/Congressional Candidate/MO GOP Chairman Emeritus/Serial Tax Waster Ed Martin said he supports limiting Members of U.S. House to four two-year terms, and would sponsor a Constitutional amendment in Congress to make that happen. In fact, he said it would be "one the first things" he'd file.

Hotflash from Show Me Progress was there and has the video:

Senator Bond and I don’t agree on many things. But here’s one where we do: term limits. Bond said, “...term limits decimate the leadership of our General Assembly” and I agree. Here’s why:

So news broke on Friday that Scott Eckersley's wrongful termination suit had been settled. Defendants Matt Blunt, Ed Martin and three other former staffers finally settled the suit, but only after it cost the state $2 million to resolve. After such a long, embarrassing ordeal, you might think that Ed would lay low for a little while.

You would be wrong.

Why lay low when you can get your name in the paper for a major non-event like writing a letter?

Speaker Ron Richard doesn't like term limits. Leaving aside the fact that his own rise to power is the direct result of term limits, I'm really perplexed by this:

Richard said term limits are becoming almost a daily discussion in the Legislature because of how they’ve changed the nature of debate. He believes there is less respect for the traditions of the Capitol because of them, and that the Legislature has ceded control to forces outside the building.

“There’s always a vacuum up here. There’s always someone seeking power,” Richard said. “If the legislative branch doesn’t get it … forces outside the building might set policy.”

Richard is the freaking Speaker of the House. What's stopping him from addressing the problem?