Recipes for Dictatorship

Recipes for Dictatorship

Indefinite political terms are recipes for dictatorship.

Sometimes, someone can be so charming, that many folks lose all common sense. The fear of something new or of innovation brings such discomfort, that many of us would prefer not to proceed for fear- of perhaps what we might discover.

Imagine if Thomas Edison were perfectly content with just candlelight. Imagine if Christopher Columbus had chosen to live his life just within the boundaries of Portugal, if Alexander Bell had not given us the intrusion of telephones. Envision Louis Pasteur, Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill and Golda Meier. Today, thanks to Bill Gates, we simplify tasks with Windows. Mr. Gates’s billions now plant seeds in many places. Imagine our lives had it not been for those few yet important changes and how they’ve impacted our world. Yes, there is always room for improvement. Progress is good and no one should impair advancement.

Political term limits are also good. They open the door for challengers to bring in new ideas and to make continued progress. Political term limits are set forth for valid reasons. We should not amend them just to suit any particular individual. Term limits restrict the number of terms politicians can serve in a particular office. Term limits prevent indefinite terms, protect against dictatorship and ensures political challengers. Term limits are not reserved for politicians that are not liked.

When we remove term restriction on the number times a politician can stay in a particular office we invite corruption, complacency and we exclude challengers. When we do it on a personal request, we undermine the democratic system- the very core that the restriction is set forth to protect. Most importantly, the removal of political term restriction is undemocratic and it is the perfect recipe for dictatorship.

A term limit self-corrects and it is inclusive, it prevents dictatorship, abuse and complacency. Everyone should advocate for restrictions on the number of terms that politicians can remain in office. The world has enough Fidel Castros, Hugo Chavez and Russian style government. Political term restriction is not only for politicians that we do not like; no one should be excused