I have to agree with the Old Fart.

Politics in California was nothing but a money contest long before "Term Limits" was ever thought of. In fact, it was the denial of his "party's" campaign money that was one of Willie's favorite ways of relegating his own party menbers to "chewing sand". You hoed to the party line or else; while he alone decided what the party line was. He was even harder on the opposition party.

The practical reality was that because of his ill gained tribute money, all those Assemblymen from both parties represented him - not the public that supposedly elected them!

Term Limits did not backfire at all. Fact is, Term Limits just plain wasn't strong enough medicine for what ails Caliphonyia - sort of like taking an aspirin for a cranial hemorrhage. It just had too many loopholes; as they now play musical chairs with the same old hacks remaining in power - just in different offices.

The best medicine of course, would have been for the voters themselves to stop returning these idiots to office - start demanding some real time-tested common sense, instead of the feel-good babble we keep getting.

Oh, but the money! If you don't have lots of money, nobody will ever hear your message to know you're even running. Thus corruption sets in even before anyone starts his campaign; you gotta get it from somewhere. But even all the money in all the world, will only buy short sound bites - only time enough for feel-good babble. So what chance does common sense have, of ever being heard! NOTTA! NOTTA! NOTTA!

Now suppose the news media really did their jobs - actually reported all the news. Instead, of considering the deeds and campaign rhetoric of only a few to be news-worthy (we hear nothing of the rest); suppose they actually reported all the facts about all the campaigners, all the time - both the pros and cons of each. What if we actually did hear all - in depth - in the news?

Maybe then, politicians would not have to sell there souls to the highest bidder to be heard at all, by the people. We could then maybe vote more intelligently.

Term Limits is not the problem. IT'S THE DAMN NEWS MEDIA that is the problem - and perhaps there are also too many products of public education, with heads too full of mush to know politicians will lie through their teeth to get votes.