European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 05, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday novembers 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 13 commentary George will politicians coming Down with limit phobia and you thought Congress was incorrigible. Stung by criticism a of its profligacy its perquisites its transformation of government into an incumbents Protection machine a and terrified of term limits Congress has reformed. The House of representatives Barber shop is doubling the Price of its taxpayer subsidized haircuts. Why does Congress need Barbers presumably legislators Are so important and so Busy Busy Busy doing urgent work they must economize every minute. Self importance is not a legislative Branch monopoly. On oct. 17, John Sununu whose compulsive behaviour is of clinical interest took another $5,000 a at least a military flight rather than a $284 commercial flight to new York to a dinner. Why he must have a secure voice contacts with the White House during the hour such flights take. Why Well Canada might choose that interval to invade the United states. To whom could the president turn for Wisdom Sununu being out of pocket the presidency Tike most governorships is covered by term limits so no later than 1997 there will be a president not constantly in a secure voice contacts with Sununu. Call it the year of living dangerously. Dare we compound our peril by retiring Congress a seasoned professionals the new York times reverent description of incumbents in an editorial denouncing term limits ? can we risk replacing them with a inexperienced a citizen politicians a who Are a casual amateurs ? those Are the times derisive terms for people who consider congressional service a leave of absence from careers rather than a lifetime career Well How do you think the a seasoned professionals a who have Given us exploding deficits the a amp a crisis irrational agricultural subsidies the crumbling infrastructure the confirmation circuses Etc. A Are doing do you think a a amateurs would do worse the word a a Amateur derives from a word meaning love and often denotes someone who does something for love. Can to have that in Congress. But what sort of a a seasoning shapes today so seasoned professionals Roll Call the splendid newspaper that covers Congress opposes term limits but reports fully much news of the sort that generates support for limits. The Roll Call that reported the haircut Reform also reported the endless Saga of the Senate ethics committee and the Captain of the Keating five a Senate panel fails once again to act on  directly above that Story was one about the House ethics committee seeking Only a an Anonymous list of All House Bank checking accounts that were Over drawn during the Binge of Check bouncing. You want to seek the names of Check bouncers using the Freedom of information act sorry Congress exempted itself from that act As from Many  r. Mears the Senate flinched from granting itself another exemption voting to Grant its employees coverage of All major anti discrimination Laws. Warren Rudman r-n.h., is one of the Best senators and he May be right that the principle of separation of Powers requires exemption. But he said this the Senate should not be exposed to a the whims of a . District  quite right. But who Moc racy a a consequence of Many Laws Congress enacts a should not be a Fate for the private sector either. Limit phobia a fear of being cast into outer darkness the private sector a is gripping some politicians in Texas. Last year 146 of 150 state representatives and All state senators seeking re election won. Members of the last legislature had cumulatively More than 1,100 years in office. Some texans a casual amateurs a want to put on the democratic primary ballot a non binding referendum on term limits. This Mere expression of opinion enrages democratic leaders. They want to require people collecting signatures or signing petitions to swear an oath of loyalty to party candidates. The Texas gop welcomes the referendum in Florida any referendum must receive preliminary constitutional approval from the state supreme court before appearing on the ballot. Congressman Larry Smith has filed a 41-Page Brief asking the court to prevent floridians from voting on term limits. Smiths Brief was written by the House Legal counsel. This perversity a the permanent governing class using Public funds to prevent the Public from seeking to change the governing class a is your tax dollars at work and another reason for term limits. Are term limits an abridgement of democracy yes in the sense that the first amendment judicial reviews and various other constitutional arrangements Are too. But term limits Are a anti democratic Only if democracy is understood crudely As the utterly untrammelled sweep of majorities. Fortunately americans Subtle founders thought pure democracy should be leavened with restraints on pure majoritarian Rule restraints designed to enlarge the probability that popular government will be Good government. Term limits regulate Competition in order to intensify it just As antitrust Laws limit and Channel the sweep of economic forces to stimulate economic diversity. Think of term limits As antitrust policy in politics. C the Washington po9t writers grou Congress must Deal with a major overhaul whittling at privileges that Are part of the congressional image problem a jittery Senate has accepted a Sepa rate but equal Job discrimination Law to let its own employees sue the Boss. But there Are plenty of targets left for 1992 challengers and for president Bush. Bush clearly intends to target Congress the democratic Branch of government in his re election Campaign. Presidents who have done that before usually have dealt with congressional action or inaction a Harry s. Truman in 1948 against a do nothing Republican Congress for example or Gerald r. Fora in 1976 against democratic spending measures he said were wrecking the Economy. The Bush offensive concentrates on Congress itself on the legislature he has called a a privileged class of rulers who stand above the Law a and answer to no one about their spending staff and Perks. That was part of an oct. 24 speech in which he demanded that Congress a submit to the Laws it imposes on others by the end of the year waiving its exemptions from a dozen measures on discrimination overtime sexual harassment and other workplace legislation that covers private employers. Six Days later the Senate passed a civil rights Bill after voting to make its own employees and those in the executive Branch subject to Job protections in that Law and four others. There is a special system for Senate employees but it includes an option to Appeal to a Federal judge a last step Congress always has resisted on grounds that it violates the constitutional separation of Powers. Sen. Warren b. Rudman r-n.h., led opponents who argue that this Bill is unconstitutional too. Unable to beat it they toughened it with an amendment to require that senators and presidents pay any unfair employment damages with their own Money not tax dollars. That is a threat few Bosses face but in a Senate embarrassed by the Clarence Thomas Case prodded by the president and worried about attitudes toward Congress it was the safer Side politically. It was passed 74 to 23. The night before sen. Don Nickles r-okla., had proposed an amendment to end All the exemptions that apply to Congress in More than a dozen Laws. A Congress must no longer Tell the american people that we Are above the Laws which we pass a said Nickles who is up for reelection next year. That one was blocked. Sen. George j. Mitchell a Maine the majority Leader said it was flagrantly unconstitutional and an attempt to exploit cynicism about Congress for Short term politics Elgain. Mitchell then joined the support for a More limited Republican proposal the Senate finally approved. Sen. Charles e. Grassley a Iowa had tried to get it done before to no Avail. But timing and politics were right for a step he said would Deal with an elitist double Standard. The House already has a system for handling Job discrimination complaints and the Senate Bill  cover employees there. Bush also urged More sweeping congressional Reform saying it is increasingly difficult to get anything done in a legislature with More than 300 committees and subcommittees a the actual count is 301 a and thousands of employees. There Are about 31,000 on House Senate and associated government payrolls. The president called it a labyrinth Only special interests and lobbyists can find their Way through. He Hail ridiculed con Gress before As a bottleneck of complexities bickering and inaction. A i Wasny tasking the Congress to deliver a hot pizza in 30 minutes a he said in june complaining that he  get his Bills passed. A that would be revolutionary. Quot then As now democratic leaders called it counterproductive Congress bashing. Speaker of the House Thomas s. Foley said it was a bad rap against Mem Bers of Congress who work 80-hour weeks. Whatever the hours there is no denying the political problem. It impels a term limit movement that will be tested on tuesday in Washington state balloting and if it passes and stands up in court will Force Foley out of Congress after 1994. Quot Congress is an institution in trouble a said sen. David Boren d-okla., urging an overhaul by a special bipartisan committee a plan with sponsors in both parties in both branches. Quot no one doubts  nor is there any doubt that it will an Issue in the coming Campaign. C Tho  Tubb