Term Limits and Accountability: Why Career Politicians Are the Problem

Washington doesn't have a left-wing problem or a right-wing problem. It has a career politician problem. People go to Congress to serve — and then they never leave. It's time to change that.

The Permanent Political Class

The average tenure of a U.S. senator is over 11 years. In the House, it's nearly 9. Some members of Congress have been in office longer than many Nevadans have been alive. They came to Washington decades ago, and somewhere along the way, they stopped representing their constituents and started representing themselves.

This isn't a partisan issue. Both parties are guilty. The MAGA wing and the progressive left disagree on almost everything — except protecting the system that keeps them in power. They fight on cable news, then shake hands at fundraisers hosted by the same lobbyists. The game is rigged, and the house always wins. Literally.

Why Term Limits Matter

The Founders never intended Congress to be a career. They envisioned citizen legislators — farmers, merchants, and tradespeople who would serve for a time and then return to their communities. Somewhere along the way, "public service" became "permanent employment."

Term limits would:

• Break the power of incumbency: Incumbents win re-election over 90% of the time. That's not democracy — that's a monopoly. Term limits level the playing field and give new voices a chance.
• Reduce corruption: The longer someone stays in Washington, the deeper their ties to lobbyists and special interests. Fresh representatives bring fresh accountability.
• Restore citizen government: Congress should be filled with people who have real-world experience — business owners, teachers, veterans, ranchers — not professional politicians who've never held a real job.
• End the seniority racket: The current system rewards longevity, not competence. Committee chairs and leadership positions go to whoever has been there longest, not whoever is best for the job.

Beyond Term Limits: Real Accountability

Term limits are a start, but they're not enough on their own. We need a complete overhaul of how Congress operates:

• Ban stock trading by members of Congress: It's absurd that the people writing laws can trade stocks based on information the public doesn't have. If you want to serve in Congress, put your portfolio in a blind trust.
• Full transparency on lobbying: Every meeting between a member of Congress and a lobbyist should be public record. The American people deserve to know who's whispering in their representative's ear.
• No budget, no pay: If Congress can't pass a budget on time, members shouldn't get paid. Every family in Pahrump, Hawthorne, and North Las Vegas has to balance their checkbook — Congress should too.
• Read the bills: Members of Congress routinely vote on thousand-page bills they haven't read. I'll commit to reading every bill I vote on — and I'll fight for mandatory reading periods before any vote.

Neither Side Will Fix This

Here's the uncomfortable truth: the two-party establishment has no incentive to reform itself. The MAGA movement talks about "draining the swamp" but keeps electing the same insiders. The progressive left talks about "getting money out of politics" but takes just as much corporate cash as anyone else.

Real change won't come from either wing of the establishment. It'll come from Nevadans who are tired of being played — who see through the theater and demand representatives who actually answer to them.

I'm not going to Washington to join a team. I'm going to represent the people of Nevada's 4th District — from Goldfield to Beatty, from Mina to Rachel, from Yerington to North Las Vegas. Period. And when my time is up, I'll come home — because that's how it's supposed to work.