Historically, politicians who remain in power for an extended and excessive length of time eventually become corrupt. King George III, for example, was in power for 60 years, from 1760 to 1820. Those years also contain the American Revolution. King George, after being in power for so long, drove a small colony across the sea to revolt due to his corruption and greed.
As most American citizens are aware, presidents of the United States remain in office for four years. After that, they need to be reelected. If they get elected for the second time, however, they are unable to run for a third term. Originally, this was because of the precedent that the late George Washington set. While the American people wanted him to stay president for longer, or even for life, Washington knew that if he remained president for that long, he was no better than King George III back in England.
Without checks, reelections and limits on how many times a representative can be elected, it is all too easy for corrupt officials to remain in office. What fewer Americans may be aware of is that members of Congress can run for reelection for as long as they are physically fit. Perhaps even more startling is that Supreme Court justices not only are in the position for life, but the American public does not elect them.
The system is corrupt. A Supreme Court justice is one of the most important positions in the American government, and the people have very little to no say on who gets elected. When a nominee is appointed by the president, they are in the position for life unless they retire or are deemed too unhealthy to serve. That is absurd. Times change, politics change, and people change, but the average age in the Supreme Court right now is 77 years old. The average age of American citizens is 36.5 years old. The Supreme Court, Congress and the executive branch are comprised, mostly, of old, white men, which does not reflect the diverse “melting pot” that the nation is.
The Supreme Court never needs to worry about being reelected. Justices do not have to consider that where they place their vote could affect whether or not they stay on the court. Some argue this makes their decisions more based directly on whether the matter is constitutional or not, but it only enables racist, sexist and homophobic decisions to be made. Of course, it is not necessarily the fault of the people for having hateful ideals, it is simply how they were raised. The easy solution is to appoint younger justices that still have an advanced knowledge of American law and the Constitution, but also that represent America more diversely.
Congress, alternatively, does need to constantly be thinking about reelection. Members of the House of Representatives specifically need to be constantly “running,” as their seats are only guaranteed for two years. If a member of the Democratic Party, Chuck Schumer, for example, has been in office for a long time, say about 20, it would be hard to boot them from the position. Most American voters are not doing extensive research beforehand and may bubble in the Schumer’s name without being able to name a single thing about him. Others, including Democrats, may see the name Schumer and think, “Oh yeah, he’s done a pretty good job. Let’s keep him in office,” while in reality, most of us have no idea who he is or what he stands for.
Having officials that are not elected or that can remain in office for a very long time mirrors a monarchy or a dictatorship. The American government is a democracy, but as of now, the way that officials are elected is corrupt. The president may be the face of this country, but they do not have all of the power. Our elected officials, often times with lifetime power, secretly wield all the power.
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