Is there a time limit that attaches to the admonition against speaking ill of the dead? I know Ben Franklin said that after 3 days house guests began to overstay their welcome, though I’m not sure if there is a postmortem time frame for criticizing a deceased politician. Fortunately, this review is technically not about the person as much as it is the practice of “life long” or career politicians.

Senator Robert C. Byrd passed away last week at the age of 92 after serving 51 years in the United States Senate, the longest ever in our history. The good news? 51 years is longer than I’ve been alive. The bad news? That’s longer than a ton of us have been alive.

Now, before the hate mail starts, I spent a huge part of my childhood in West Virginia, believe in the right of a state electorate to elect the politician of their choice and for the most part don’t favor the government exercising a heavy hand. That said, if EVER there was a case that helped to bolster the call for term limits, this would be that case.

Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it’s natural manure.” For me, I take a slightly tangential slant. “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with fresh politicians. After two terms we’ve had enough of their manure.”

The sooner we begin to honestly comes to grips with the fact that any career in the Senate lasting more than two terms serves only the politician, not his/her people, the better off we will all be.

As some in the mainstream Needia have lamented that “we may never again” see a Senator with that type of “staying power” let’s hope they are correct. May Senator Byrd, a fellow mountaineer rest in peace and may we never again elect a “9 term Senator” to Congress.

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