[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 57 (Tuesday, March 28, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H3811-H3812]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                              TERM LIMITS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 4, 1995, the gentlewoman from Ohio [Ms. Kaptur] is recognized 
during morning business for 2 minutes.
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I would ask today whether you would like to 
fly with an experienced pilot or an inexperienced pilot? Or would you 
like to go to an experienced dentist or an inexperienced dentist?
  Today, I rise in opposition to all the proposals that will be debated 
here for term limits on Members of this body as a direct undermining of 
our Constitution. There are many days here when I know I am the only 
voice the people in my district have here in the Congress of the United 
States, and I know that I am better, I am smarter, I am more 
experienced than I was when first elected.
  I think it is important to say for the record that the problem of 
politics in Washington isn't the number of years that people are 
elected. It is the amount of money that is being put into campaigns, 
trying to influence people's views when they get elected here.
  Campaign financing reform is not in the contract. It is one of the 
important missing elements in the contract. It does not matter if you 
serve here for 6 years or 60 years. If we do not limit and control the 
money that is controling this political process, term limits won't 
matter.
  For you say in whose interest is it to have term limits? In whose 
interest is to have juvenile representation here, to have constant 
upheaval where Members do not even know one another on the floor?
  There has been a two-thirds change in this Chamber just in the last 6 
years. In whose interest is it to have this place in constant upheaval?
  We have had turnover. People have been thrown out of office. But, for 
one, I do not want to give up John Glenn in the Senate. Who knows more 
about the defense of this Nation? Or Ralph Regula of Ohio on trade or 
Sam Nunn and Jack Murtha on defense?
  Or even though I do not agree with these gentleman, John Chafee in 
the Senate and Bill Archer in this House on tax and budget policy? Or 
Pat Leahy on agriculture or Nicky Rahall on mining or Alan Simpson with 
that acrid sense of humor that sometimes keeps us in balance here or 
Olympia Snowe in the Senate or Lee Hamilton or Dale Bumpers or Ron 
Dellums or 
[[Page H3812]] Richard Lugar on foreign policy or Jerry Solomon on 
veterans?
  I, for one, do not want to undermine the Constitution. I, for one, 
want a blend of experience and people who cannot be bought in this 
Chamber.
  I do not support term limits. It undermines the Constitution, and we 
ought to stand up for what is right for the American people and once 
and for all put a limit on campaign spending.


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