In October 2008, the New York Times came out unequivocally against term
limits. They must be removed 'to serve the larger cause of democracy.'
[Perversely, this was a case where they were recommending that elected
officials go against the popular will as twice expressed by electors.]
But, this was to support Mayor Bloomberg. In the case of President
Chavez, the New York Times demands that the people maintain term limits [presumably to 'serve
the larger cause of democracy']. See below.
October 1, 2008
Editorial
The Limits of Term Limits
The bedrock of American democracy is the
voters’ right to choose. Though well intentioned, New York City’s term
limits
law severely limits that right, which is why this page has opposed term
limits from the outset. The law is particularly unappealing now
because
it is structured in a way that would deny New Yorkers — at a time when
the city’s economy is under great stress — the right to decide for
themselves whether an effective and popular mayor should stay in office.
Partly for this reason, and partly to extend their own political
careers, a majority of City Council members are thinking about amending
the city law to allow elected officials to serve three consecutive
terms instead of two. That would permit Mayor Michael Bloomberg to run
again in 2009 and could also prolong the service of council members and
other senior elected officials. Mr. Bloomberg, who is expected to
announce on Thursday that he will seek a third term if he can, likes
the idea a lot.
We do, too. But we would go further and ask
the Council to abolish
term limits altogether — not to serve any individual’s political career
but to serve the larger cause of democracy.
It makes a lot of people uncomfortable to legislatively rewrite a
law that voters have twice approved at the ballot box — in 1993 and
1996. It makes us uncomfortable, too, and we previously took the
position that any change should be left to the voters. But we have
concluded now that changing the law legislatively does not make us
nearly as uncomfortable as keeping it. It is within the rights of the
Council, itself an elected body, to do so.
Term limits are seductive, promising relief
from mediocre,
self-perpetuating incumbents and gridlocked legislatures. They are also
profoundly undemocratic, arbitrarily denying voters the ability to
choose between good politicians and bad, especially in a city like New
York with a strong public campaign-financing system, while
automatically removing public servants of proven ability who are at a
productive point in their careers.
The City Council members who want to change the law are not alone. A
survey in The Times last month found that at least two dozen local
governments are suffering buyer’s remorse about the term limits they
adopted, mostly in the 1990s. One common complaint is that they force
politicians to focus on small-bore projects that can be achieved
quickly rather than visionary ideas. The constant churning also
diminishes accountability in governmental institutions like the City
Council.
Most places that are trying to relax term limits are likely to do
so via the ballot box, with several referendums due in November. There
is a chance that a vote on the issue could be organized early next year
in New York in conjunction with special elections to the City Council.
But such elections do not attract many voters. In the end, a vote by
the Council is probably the most democratic way to address the matter.
It is worth repeating: This is a rule that needs
to be abolished.
If the voters don’t like the result, they can register their views at
the polls.
------------
Editorial
Venezuelans’ Right to Say No
Published: February 13, 2009
Hugo Chávez apparently doesn’t believe
Venezuelan voters, who just more than a year ago rejected his bid to
eliminate the term limits that are blocking his continued rule. On
Sunday, he is giving them another chance. For the sake of Venezuela’s
democracy, they should again vote no on changing the nation’s
constitution.
Mr. Chávez became president
10 years ago as a champion of the poor and promised to combat
Venezuela’s vast inequities. He has since turned into a standard-issue
autocrat — hoarding power, stifling dissent, spending the nation’s oil
wealth on political support.
His supporters now control the
National Assembly, the Supreme Court and the nation’s oil monopoly. He
has nationalized large swaths of industry. When the opposition won the
governorship in the state of Miranda last year, Mr. Chávez’s government
transferred control of state clinics and hospitals to the national
health ministry.
The government has attacked unsympathetic
unions, harassed human rights advocates and clamped down on free
speech. In a scathing report released in Caracas last year, Human
Rights Watch said Mr. Chávez’s policies “have degraded the country’s
democracy.” Mr. Chávez responded by sending armed security agents to
abduct two Human Rights Watch representatives from their hotel and put
them on a plane to São Paulo, Brazil.
Polls suggest Mr. Chávez’s
bid to change the constitution is running ahead. Still, he is becoming
more desperate as the collapse in oil prices has sent the economy into
a tailspin, curtailing his ability to finance social programs that have
sustained his popularity with the poor.
He and his supporters
are increasingly resorting to intimidation. Mobs have occupied the
municipal government headquarters in Caracas, which is run by the
opposition, and lobbed tear gas canisters at the home of a TV executive
who has been critical of the government and others. The leader of one
hard-core group is threatening “war” if Mr. Chávez loses, according to
news reports.
Voters should not yield. Mr. Chávez needs to be reminded that
Venezuelans believe in their democracy and cherish their right to say
no.
--
Michael A. Lebowitz
Professor Emeritus
Economics Department
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6
Director, Programme in 'Transformative Practice and Human Development'
Centro Internacional Miranda, P.H.
Residencias Anauco Suites, Parque Central, final Av. Bolivar
Caracas, Venezuela
fax: 0212 5768274/0212 5777231
www.centrointernacionalmiranda.gob.ve
mlebowit@xxxxxx