SHOULD UNION COUNTY, NC COMMISSIONERS BE LIMITED TO TWO TERMS?

An open letter from Byron J. Ward, Ph.D. with a personal response from myself, Oscar Y. Harward

SHOULD UNION COUNTY, NC COMMISSIONERS BE LIMITED TO TWO TERMS?

Should the number of terms a politician serves be limited? In the 1940‘s the United States Constitution was amended to limit the President to two, four year terms. That followed President Franklin Roosevelt’s election to a 4th term as President. President Roosevelt died in office while serving his 4th term. I discussed term limits with a friend of mine a few years ago. He felt they were unnecessary because we can just vote the politician out of office if we no longer want his services. Have you noticed how well that works? Consider Senators Kennedy and Byrd as examples as well as our own Senator Helms.

Politicians are usually indebted to two groups. One group are the folks who financed their election, who bought them their job. The other group are the people who voted for them. It is apparently a tough balancing act to take care of both the people who elected them and those who paid for their election. If they want to be reelected, they must vote for the things that the people who paid for their election want, like keeping the four billion dollar government subsidies for big oil. They must also get all the goodies they can for the people back home who voted for them. The longer the politician is in office, the more powerful they become and the more goodies they can deliver back home.

The United States was founded on citizen representation, not professional politicians. That is why some people think we need term limits for those who represent us in government. This is why I recently wrote a letter to Mr. Jerry Simpson, Chairman, Union County Board of Commissioners stating that I had been informed that some of the Commissioners were in favor of limiting each Commissioner to two terms. Limiting the service of each Commissioner to two terms would provide opportunities for the County to benefit from the services of an expanded group of people. I am sure there are many people in Union County with a wealth of great ideas on how to utilize the Counties resources for the benefit of all its residents. Here is an opportunity for the Commissioners to provide positive leadership for the benefit of the residents of Union County by establishing limits of two terms.

Submitted by:
Byron J. Ward, Ph.D.
April 29, 2011



Open Response By Oscar Y. Harward To Byron J. Ward, Ph.D.

Clean open local communities practice (un)limited terms by elections.

By Oscar Y. Harward

One once said, “Government closest to people governs best.” Well, you do not get much closer to the people than (y)our local Union County, NC Commissioners.

In Election Year 2010, as well as in many previous elections, Union County, NC voters have demonstrated their preferences to “re-elect incumbents” for some while “rejecting other incumbents” for re-election for others.

Voters are regularly choosing their rights to extend or curtail the political life’s individuals in public life.

Money is not everything. If so, in 1994, Michael Huffington (former husband of Arianna Huffington) spent $28 million of his own money in a failed effort to become a CA US Senator.

In General Election 2010, Billionaire and GOP CA Gubernatorial nominee Meg Whitman spent millions of her own wealth in a failed effort to become CA Governor.