Sunday May 27, 2012

JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

Should there be term limits for elected politicians?

Poll Jul. 19, 2010 - 03:01AM JST ( 12 )

Order by Time Order by Popularity

12 Comments

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MrDogJul. 19, 2010 - 09:54PM JST

Doesn't Japan already have a 1 year limit for prime ministers? ;)
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borschtJul. 19, 2010 - 10:22PM JST

Voting people out of office; isn't that a term limit?
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HonestDictatorJul. 20, 2010 - 01:21AM JST

Better to extend their stay in government because as long as people can vote politicians in and out in a year then the government can't stratagize well IMO because each one that gets voted in has the opportunity to alter or derail something that doesn't fit their agenda. The people can't tell if any of the decisions by the government is really helping them because it may take a few years for it to kick in especially if it benifits the citizens. Sorry if I don't make much sense, still sleepy xD.
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glycol57Jul. 20, 2010 - 05:10AM JST

Better to extend their stay in government because as long as people can vote politicians in and out in a year then the government can't stratagize well

Terms need to be stabilized, somewhere in the three to five year range. Otherwise you're correct, it's impossible to get movement in any one direction and the vote was wasted.

However ONCE terms are standardized, term limits become important. In countries where politicians can be re-elected forever, those politicians usually manage to rig the system to help ensure THEY will get re-elected no matter how badly they do their jobs. There's also the danger of "old-boys networks" where well-entrenched groups combine their power to preserve their precious status-quo. Finally, corruption deepens as years in office increase.

The USA is a good example of why term limits are important. Even though the current crop of leaders led the nation to financial disaster - and promise more of the same - it is proving almost impossible to get rid of them via the popular vote. The old-timers have SO much money at their disposal, SUCH large organizations behind them, SO many friends in the media, SO much ability to find ways of crushing potential opponents and disrupting upstart political parties that government has become essentially their private playground.
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DisillusionedJul. 20, 2010 - 08:06AM JST

NO WAY! If it were so then the people would be stuck with the same loser and the coward wouldn't have any way out when things go awry.
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christa879Jul. 20, 2010 - 09:06AM JST

I'm honestly surprised that someone bothered to ask this question.
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glycol57Jul. 22, 2010 - 07:36AM JST

NO WAY! If it were so then the people would be stuck with the same loser and the coward wouldn't have any way out when things go awry.

A little PATIENCE is a virtue. It is counterproductive to throw out a politician just because they irritated people today ... because they might do good things tomorrow.

Nobody can please everybody ALL of the time, especially when they are charged with making tough decisions. A government that is in daily danger of being expelled WON'T make the tough decisions, WON'T do what needs to be done. They will be cowards, useless, pointless.

Terms of three to five years seem reasonable, and quite common in the world. If Japanese lack patience, go for the shorter end of the spectrum.
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noriyosan73Jul. 23, 2010 - 11:49AM JST

The USA has tried this in several states. The final comment is, "Get out the vote." Look at the issues and vote. It is amazing that, "My elective official (at any level) is doing a good job. The problem is YOUR official is the problem. My official brings the money home because we have real needs. Your official is wasting it."
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noriyosan73Jul. 25, 2010 - 02:16PM JST

Just go vote! My grandmother in Japan is 90 years old. She writes her name on the ballot as a protest movement in an extremely small community. Term limits are a farce. People just move from one position to another. Get up, crawl, walk, run, ride a bike or take a taxi. GO VOTE. DO NOT VOTE ANYONE WHO HAS ALREADY SERVED IN AN OFFICE. Take a chance. My host brother in California is going to vote that way in November. It is the only way to make change occur.
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telecasterplayerJul. 25, 2010 - 02:19PM JST

People don't want term limits for politicians.

They want terms limits for politicians they don't like. You want term limits for that guy in the other district who isn't voting for the stuff you want.

Guess what? Japan and the U.S. (the poll didn't specify specific nations) already have a perfect system of term limits: They're called "elections". If the people are satisfied, they vote for the same guy over and over, and tough luck to the losers. Don't tell me I can't vote for the person I want to vote for. Don't pass laws to limit my freedom of choice.

MrDog: LOL!!!!
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noriyosan73Jul. 25, 2010 - 02:31PM JST

telecasterplayer has it correct. "It is always the other guy." No, it is always the voter who wants to continue to feed at the "public trough" (taxpayers money.) Stop spending Japanese wealth on foreign aid to countries like China and Korea because of some guilt complex, and invest in the Japanese children. Send the students to the USA to learn English. I can host at least two students a year for two weeks if someone will pay for the air ticket. I have already hosted students Austria, Czech Republic, Spain, Germany, Mexico and many from Japan. Guess what. The leave with better English skills that a year in a grammar based Tokyo directed school system. Travel is the best teacher.
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noriyosan73Jul. 25, 2010 - 02:52PM JST

It seems to me that this conversation needs to end. Either telecasterplayer and noriyosan73 are correct or the voters are just going to complain about the situation, but fail to vote. Go ahead and vote for "your favorite" or just let it go. I really wonder if this conversation is among non-Japanese voters or the Japanese voting citizenry. Non-voters can battle it out, but are the real voters going to take action?