Contra term limits …

JAN LINN'S solution to the political stalemate in our country today will not work ("On not mimicking the religious right," July 24). Take it from a Californian: term limits are not the answer. If there is a more dysfunctional legislature in this country than the U.S. Congress, you will find it in Sacramento. Here term limits mean that few lawmakers have the requisite experience and negotiating skills to write good bills and enact fair laws.

California lawmakers end up relying even more heavily on lobbyists to research and draft legislation. They then leave government to work for those same lobbying firms, and the corruption continues. The voters, in exasperation, turn to the initiative process, also bought and paid for by special interests, which gives us ballot blowback: unintended consequences and budgeting madness. A better answer is publicly financed campaigns and proportional representation.

Rebecca Irelan

Novato United Methodist Church, Novato, Calif

COPYRIGHT 2007 The Christian Century Foundation
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning