Now I'm thinking that the slow moving clock that was bothering me earlier today must have been a good thing as I read the news tonite that Arlen, I'm switching parties because it'll save me my job (maybe), Specter lost in his race in Pennsylvania.  That's one.

There are still other incumbents that need to lose or otherwise retire and move on so that we can get some new people into the Senate and House to replace them, but each one that is replaced is a good start and together will add up to several (hopefully) and hopefully finally really bring some change.

For too long we've had the same bunch of idiots and mess-makers in Congress and for too long everyone always aimed at the elected representatives from everywhere else rather than their own home state, but for once voters in a state -- one that surprises me a little, though this really was forecast for a while now -- booted their own guy and opted to replace the old and tired with someone new.  Great for Pennsylvania, now hopefully it'll become a pattern that much of the rest of the country follows.

Enough of lifetime appointments to elected positions.  The only lifetime positions we should have (and even those scare me) are to the U.S. Supreme Court (and perhaps other judgeships).  Politicians should face the old methods used in the military, "Up or Out" (or whatever it was called), where you were either promoted or not kept in the service.  There should be nationwide term limits of something near say 24 consecutive years in any one position.  After that you must be out of office for at least one term but then could run for a position you previously held.  That would give voters a chance to plan for replacement of a beloved representative as they'd know in advance that after so many terms a replacement must be found while also giving the voters a chance to decide if the replacement is as good as or better than what they had previously.  Meanwhile the person that had to move up or out could run against someone else for another position if they still wished to serve the public, and the persons they were running against would be facing that same up or out requirement so eventually there should be openings for them to try for anyway encouraging persons that want a lifelong career in politics to keep advancing.  Think of it this way, if someone won local office and served there for say 4 - 6 years, then moved up to a more regional office for 4 - 6 years, then on to statewide office for 4 - 8 years, they've already put in between 12 and 20 years in those positions.  Add another 24 years for offices on the national scale and you have someone that has put in between 36 and 44 years serving the public.  If they are able to go on to another position at the national level they'll get up to 40 - 68 years of service time in.  Assuming some minimal amount of educational time, we're talking of someone that would be 17 - 24 years old at the time they first get elected so at the end of that 40 - 68 years we're looking at someone that is well up in age and should be home enjoying retirement not taking out their sexual frustrations on the U.S. taxpayers

Anyway, again, Specter losing is a start.  Now if we can have voters in a few other places follow that lead.