"When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, Sir?" I'm introducing this quote before its author because I want the message evaluated on its own, regardless of the messenger. The quip belongs to John Maynard Keynes, the 20th Century British economist for whom Keynesian economics is named. While those on the political right are no fans of Keynes or his economic theories, they would do well to consider those words or perhaps these of Ralph Waldo Emerson, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines."
Even though the Constitution makes no mention of limiting congressional reelection, let's say that none of our Founding Fathers imagined an elaborate federal government with career politicians. I'm not sure what if any relevance this bears on today's society. They didn't imagine a telephone either, let alone a stealth bomber or a Google search. To say the least, our country has changed dramatically since the 1700s. If you ran a roadside vegetable stand you wouldn't have a staff attorney on your payroll, but if your little produce business grew to be the size of Del Monte Foods, you would not only have a lawyer on your staff, you would have a team of them. Responding to changing needs and circumstances shouldn't be confused with abandoning sacred principle, while refusing to recognize and adapt to change may be nothing more than maintaining a foolish consistency. When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, Sir?
Oh how the facts have changed! Based on 1790 census data, the entire United States at that time was less populous than most current states and even some counties. Comparing real GDP numbers, meaning economic output figures that have been adjusted for the purpose of valid apples to apples comparison, at the time George Washington took office, our economy would produce less in the eight years of his presidency than our economy produced on the day of President Obama's inauguration. The world's largest air force is the U.S. Air Force and the world's second largest air force is the U.S. Navy. This is not your great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather's United States.
Mayberry, N.C. may have done just fine with a small volunteer fire department but that wouldn't work for Chicago. Mayberry's law enforcement had a total force of two, one of whom, Deputy Barney Fife, was issued only one bullet, which he was ordered to keep in his pocket instead of his pistol. I don't think that would work for New York City. Take a look around, Goober; we're not in Mayberry anymore. We have the world's largest economy and the world's most powerful military. Like it or not we're major players on the global stage and managing the purely domestic affairs of this vast and extremely complex nation is no mean feat either.
Americans dislike government but rational Americans also concede that government is necessary. The work of our elected officials is difficult, sophisticated and important. Doing it well is beyond the ability of most people. Why then would anyone argue that this work should be done exclusively by dilettantes rather than at least some professionals? No one would say that Warren Buffet must leave the investment world after 12 years or Lee Iacocca shouldn't be allowed to make a career in the auto industry. If we need a job done, it's an act of sheer lunacy to systematically exclude the most qualified candidates from consideration.
I really didn't intend this piece to be about term limits as such. I'll take that topic up in a future post. My point here is to reject the reasoning that since our founders pictured society a certain way, we should be barred from altering that vision in any way lest we betray some core value. By 18th Century standards our constitutional democracy was remarkably enlightened, but we certainly had room for improvement. More to the point, as circumstances evolve, we need to be nimble enough to respond to a changing world.
