Hanging on with the Death Grip of Her Bony Fingers, Real-Life Skeletor, Nancy Pelosi, 83, Re-Ups on House Seat
Term Limits Needed Now More Than Ever
Unless you’re in Rip Van Winkle mode — 20 years asleep — you know one of America’s most iconic cities, San Francisco, has become a craphole. Call it Craphole, U.S.A., if you will. With urine, feces and the used syringes of drug addicts littering streets, the name fits. California Representative and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 83, who represents San Francisco, announced this month that she will run again for office. Or, in perhaps a slip of the tongue, she says she has “agreed to stay on another term,” assuming it’s a foregone conclusion that the position is hers.
Nancy’s vision — delusional — includes turning other American cities into Craphole Cities. Per her tweet:
“Now more than ever our City needs us to advance San Francisco values and further our recovery. Our country needs America to show the world that our flag is still there, with liberty and justice for ALL. That is why I am running for reelection — and respectfully ask for your vote.”
Nancy’s announcement that she wants to turn all American cities into San Francisco should be one more impetus for Americans to demand term limits. There are other reasons we need to elevate the term limits issue now, including to restore the concept of public service in public service. It should be anathema to every American citizen that many elected officials enrich themselves by way of public office. There is insidious, deep-rooted corruption, nowhere greater than in the Biden presidency.
Contrast today’s “public servants” to those of the past. For example, President Harry S. Truman, after leaving office, returned to Independence, Mo., with his wife Bess to the humble home they’d had since 1919 when they married. I was struck by the simplicity of their life when I visited the house several years back.
Today’s presidents are quite different. The Obamas have multiple homes, including an $8.1 million house with eight bedrooms in Washington, D.C., a seven-bedroom house with nearly 7,000 sq. ft. valued at $11.75 million on Martha’s Vineyard and another three-acre, multi-million-dollar property on Oahu. The Obamas still own their Chicago home too.
The Presidency made the Obamas very, very rich.
Residing in one of the most expensive cities in which to live in the U.S., Nancy Pelosi and husband Paul are worth an estimated $120 million to $290 million today, depending on the source. According to Open Secrets, the Pelosi net worth was an estimated $115 million in 2018, up from $101 million in 2013 and $24 million in 2009. Plus or minus the accuracy of various reported numbers, clearly the Pelosi family net worth is (1) a lot and (2) has trended significantly upwards the longer Nancy has been in elected office. The annual salary of a member of the U.S. House of Representatives is $174,000; for Speaker of the House, $223,500. Pelosi served as speaker from 2019 to 2023. Pelosi has been in elected office since 1987, or for 36 years.
A Twitter post conveyed probably what many Americans think of career politicians who feed at the government trough for decades.
“When I saw BREAKING: NANCY PELOSI… notifications on my phone my immediate assumption was that she had kicked the bucket. The fact that octogenarians like her and McConnell refuse to retire is not only selfish, but it also damages the institution they claim to represent.”
In 1951, a two-term limit was established for the Presidency, but no limits were set for Senate and House members, although term limits of six years for members of Congress were discussed in 1945. So while term limits for members of Congress have been discussed for years, we still have career politicians, like Pelosi, hogging seats, seemingly convinced the positions are theirs forever — or ’til death parts them.
In more recent years, an amendment to the U.S. Constitution was proposed in 2017 to limit the number of terms members of Congress could serve. In January this year, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), along with 43 cosponsors, proposed term limits via H.J. Res. 11.
Congressman Norman said:
“With the evident abuse of power that has taken place in Congress the notion of term limits is basic common sense. Many of my colleagues have drifted so far from the reality of the people they serve by turning ‘representative of the people’ into a lifelong career. Members must be willing to not only enact laws, but return to their respective districts to live under them.”
This month, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) accused House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) of not adhering to terms agreed to in January this year during the fight for the position of House Speaker, including pushing forward on term limits. Whether Gaetz’ push will have an impact or not is to be seen. But change cannot come too soon.
Pelosi has held elected office for nearly four decades. Among others past their expiration dates are Sen. Mitch McConnell (81) — now showing health issues impacting his job performance — in office for nearly five decades; former San Francisco mayor Dianne Feinstein (90), the oldest U.S. senator (only a few months older though than Chuck Grassley) and visibly displaying cognitive issues after a stroke (if not before) which kept her out of office for months after holding public office for 45 years — except for a brief period; Sen. Grassley (90), in public office since 1959; and Rep. Maxine Waters (85) who has occupied a seat in the House of Representatives for 17 terms and been cited for ethics violations and was named one of the 15 most corrupt members of Congress by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
An argument can be made that there’s value to having lawmakers in office who have experience navigating Capitol Hill, but there’s a much stronger argument to be made on the other side. Too many senators and representatives have used their positions to become ridiculously wealthy through the years. They’ve used the power of their positions to enrich themselves, which means decisions are made based on their personal interests and aggrandizement, not the interests of America and Americans. “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” said Lord Acton, a member of the British Parliament from 1859 to 1866. There’s little evidence that isn’t true when looking at some of America’s elected office holders. So, putting in place time limits may curb the scheming time to devote to personal enrichment.
As Dr. Robert W. Malone, commentator on current leadership and events, recently wrote:
“We are surrounded by narcissists, opportunists and cognitively compromised octogenarians posing as leaders.”
To reiterate, this is a long overdue course correction for America. U.S. citizens are ready to see term limits implemented. A University of Maryland poll this year found that 86 percent of Republicans and 80 percent of Democrats support a Constitutional amendment to set term limits.
After term limits, Americans need to take up minimum age requirements for running for a House or Senate seat. The poster child for why that is needed is Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. Our educational system isn’t producing the best and the brightest, so the combination of working and learning over time might make up the difference! And after that, as presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy proposed, raise the voting age to 25. Reason: again to education.
But, for right now, it’s time to focus on term limits!
Maria Fotopoulos writes about the connection between overpopulation and biodiversity loss, and from time to time other topics that confound her. On FB @BetheChangeforAnimals and givesendgo.com/calliescathouse.
