The notion that public service is a public trust seems somewhat naïve in today’s political climate. Today, Lord Acton’s assertion that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely is axiomatic. As of this writing, Dick Morris’ Catastrophe – a book that catalogues mind-numbing abuse of power – resides atop the New York Times bestseller list. Most of that abuse flows from entrenched interests, which have normalized an atmosphere of cronyism and outright corruption among our elected officials.
Americans know that success is predicated upon fresh ideas. A baseball team will hire a new manager after a prolonged period of stagnation. So, too, people want new public servants when the economy is stagnant or when the country seems to be otherwise drifting in the wrong direction. A frequently cited antidote is that of term limitations. But such legislation is unlikely to be supported by the very entrenched interests it would seek to restrict. So such legislation simply languishes and dies. And the public continues to suffer.
A new organization called the Alliance for Bonded Term Limits (ABTL) has formed to explore a process that could put term limits into effect without having to pass term limit legislation – and, in the process, bring integrity back to the legislative branch. Their plan is to support candidates who will voluntarily bond their promises of limited tenure in office by use of their personal assets. These assets will be forfeited to charity if their promise is broken.
ABTL has now applied for recognition as a Part 501(c) (3) organization. It will exert a non-partisan effort because its founders recognize that corruption is not limited to one political party. It is a problem in all political parties. In fact, former Senate majority leaders Bob Dole (R-Kansas) and Tom Daschle (D-South Dakota) are members of the same lobbying firm. Their firm, by the way, drew eight million dollars in lobbying fees in 2008.
More than anything, ABTL is an educational organization. Its leaders are dedicated to a mission that is focused on researching facts and identifying useful courses of action. That research will demonstrate clearly that the perks of office are such that re-election has become the only priority of many of our elected officials. Furthermore, abuses of power that are fueled by a sense of entitlement among our elected officials simply get worse the longer they stay in office. Term limits are not the panacea for all of our problems. But they are an effective solution to many of these abuses.
This country does not need a new Constitutional Amendment or a new federal law to breathe new life into a corrupt Washington establishment. It needs ordinary citizens who will travel to Washington with new ideas derived from real-world experience. And it needs them to return home after a finite time in office. In other words, our nation needs the citizen legislatures our Founders expected. It needs to make extinct the corrupt ruling class of elite career politicians who have created the current economic collapse and compromised the well-being of future generations.
I’ve decided to support ABTL by making a tax-advantaged gift. I’m hoping others will do the same. And I refuse to support any politician who does not, from the onset, commit to limited tenure in office. There’s no other way to ensure such a commitment than by signing an agreement forfeiting a massive percentage of personal assets for a breach of that promise. And that forfeiture should include assets accrued before and after taking office.
It’s time to replace the glib assertion “My word is my bond” with a new one: “My bond is my word.” We all know that money talks. And career politicians need to take a walk.
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Mike S. Adams was born in Columbus, Mississippi on October 30, 1964. While a student at Clear Lake High School in Houston, TX, his team won the state 5A soccer championship. Mike Adams graduated from C.L.H.S. in 1983 with a 1.8 GPA. Mike Adams was ranked 734 among a class of 740, largely as a result of flunking English all four years of high school. After obtaining an Associate's degree in psychology from San Jacinto College, Mike Adams moved on to Mississippi State University where he joined the Sigma Chi Fraternity. While living in the fraternity house, his GPA rose to 3.4, allowing him to finish his B.A., and then to pursue a Master's in Psychology. In 1990, Mike Adams turned down a chance to pursue a PhD in psychology from the University of Georgia, opting instead to remain at Mississippi State to study Sociology/Criminology. This decision was made entirely on the basis of his reluctance to quit his night job as member of a musical duo. Playing music in bars and at fraternity parties and weddings financed his education. Mike Adams also played for free beer.
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Upon getting his doctorate in 1993, Adams, then an atheist and a Democrat, was hired by UNC-Wilmington to teach in the criminal justice program. A few years later, Adams abandoned his atheism and also became a Republican. He also nearly abandoned teaching when he took a one-year leave of absence to study law at UNC-Chapel Hill in 1998. After returning to teach at UNC-Wilmington, Adams won the Faculty Member of the Year award (issued by the Office of the Dean of Students) for the second time in 2000.
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After his involvement in a well publicized free speech controversy in the wake of the 911 terror attacks, Adams became a vocal critic of the diversity movement in academia. After making appearances on shows like Hannity and Colmes, the O'Reilly Factor, and Scarborough Country, Adams was asked to write a column for Townhall.com.
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Today Mike Adams enjoys the privilege of expressing himself both as a teacher and a writer. Mike Adams is also an avid hunter and reader of classic literature. Mike Adams published his first book, Welcome to the Ivory Tower of Babel, in 2004. His second book, Feminists Say the Darndest Things: A Politically Incorrect Professor Confronts "Womyn" On Campus, was published in 2008.
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