1989-1990 Harry Singer Foundation National Essay Contest
Should Terms of Those Serving In The House of
Representatives Be Limited? Why, How or Why Not?
Teacher:
Wando High School, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
1st Alia Peck 
2nd Sharon Strauss 
3rd Robert Folsom
"Some people argue that limiting the terms would reduce the power of
the House. I do not believe that I agree with that. It may even make it somewhat stronger.
There would be new fresh people coming in, new ideas, and the people would work harder to
get the job done before their term is through."
Unidentified Student, Wando High School, Wando, South Carolina
"If the representatives in the House did not hold the viewpoints and
opinions of the people, then they would not be representatives. Re-election every two
years helps the voters to have a say-so in the performance of the president. The more
often the people are allowed a say-so in their government the happier the people will be
and the more informed the representatives will be concerning changing ideas and opinions.
The people give these representatives the power to run this country and without the
consent of the people there could be no government."
Unidentified Student, Wando High School, Wando, South Carolina
"In this case, if someone is doing a good enough job to keep getting
re-elected by the people he/she represents, let them keep doing it for as long as the
people want them to. A government of the people, for the people and by the people--isn't
that how it is supposed to work?"
Unidentified Student, Wando High School, Wando, South Carolina
"People who have been in Congress for forty or fifty years may still
have the same viewpoints on certai issues. That is a scary thought when you think that
forty or fifty years ago, guys sat on the opposite end of the couch as the girl on a
date."
Unidentified Student, Wando High School, Wando, South Carolina
"An incumbent already knows the ropes and can continue almost without
stopping. This means that programs that he/she was working on, will continue to get
attention instead of being put by the wayside while someone is trying to figure what is
going on."
Unidentified Student, Wando High School, Wando, South Carolina
"The older a member gets, the better chance that their decisions will
become wiser. This could also turn in the opposite direction."
Unidentified Student, Wando High School, Wando, South Carolina
"People who have been in Congress for forty or fifty years may still
have the same viewpoints on certai issues. That is a scary thought when you think that
forty or fifty years ago, guys sat on the opposite end of the couch as the girl on a
date."
Unidentified Student, Wando High School, Wando, South Carolina
"...divide the House into sections so that only a part of the House
would go up for reelecxtion at one time, as the Senate does. This would serve the people
better by keeping a majority of Representatives in the House all of the time so as to not
allow confusion and disorganization."
Unidentified Student, Wando High School, Wando, South Carolina
"Bureaucracy is of course unstoppable and inevitable, but it can be
limited by having more civicly minded and responsible individuals as possible enter the
House."
Unidentified Student, Wando High School, Wando, South Carolina
"The new generations are increasingly disillusioned with the
government. They feel that it is bureaucracy and the people who hold office care nothing
for them. Legislators who have held office for many years are often unconcerned with new
and important issues such as the environment, minority rights and many others. Many people
feel left out of the government simply because it does not represent their ideas. Many of
these peoople no longer bother to vote. An alarmingly small number of eighteen-year-olds
bother to register or vote. This helps prevent new people with new ideas from being
elected."
Unidentified Student, Wando High School, Wando, South Carolina
"We, the people of the United States, have been fortunate in the way
of speaking our minds and expressing ourselves. Voting is our way of expressing ourselves
to our government. . ."
Unidentified Student, Wando High School, Wando, South Carolina
"People who have been in Congress for forty or fifty years may still
have the same viewpoints on certain issue. That is a scary thought when you think that
forty or fifty years ago, guys sat on the opposite end of the couch as the girl, on a
date."
Unidentified Student, Wando High School, Wando, South Carolina