Like everything, term limits has it’s pros, and cons. Back in the day I helped the Libertarians spearhead the term limits law in Colorado, and yes, it got co opted by the Republicans. This was one time however when the Utilitarian came out in me.
We cleaned out so much dead wood and big government, I am the world types that I thought we had reached near political heaven…
That lasted about a handful of years and then we had to come to grips with the fact that now we didn’t have the quantity, nor the quality of freedom loving people willing to take a pay cut to serve in the Colorado legislature. (It barely paid minimum wage.)
Tabor was passed along with other laws that actually repealed laws that restricted the liberty and freedom of the people of the state. Private property laws were also reinforced. But then the inevitable happened.
I posted this in response to a thread over at Texas Fred’s. There are times when something appears to be the absolute best solution to a problem. Only to find out later that it really just backfired.
My wonderful adopted home was invaded. By miscreants from my actual home state, New York City, Chicago, and so on. Those people Californicated Colorful Colorado. Leftest of the worse sorts were elected, and most if not all the gains that had been made in the cause of freedom were abolished, or made toothless. Laws were passed that would insure that freedom loving people would have a difficult time getting elected, and gerrymandering reached heights that make the firestorm about that in Texas look like a schoolyard spitting match! Laws that take away your rights forever for less than felony behaviors or severe mental illness got their starts in Colorado during this time. Calling taxes something other than taxes started there as well.
And getting anyone elected that thought otherwise in any place besides conservative strongholds became all but impossible.
My point in all this is to remind everyone that most things in life have a double edged sword effect, and term limits is right there with all the rest of the unintended consequences.
How often must people be reminded that the grass is not always greener on the other side of the hill?
Tags: Colorado, election 2012, ex post facto law, News, Politics, Tabor Act, term limits
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