The "institutional memory" thing is about boring now.  Its a great excuse for "I want a lifetime job"

To heck with that.

Get over it folks.  The BEST thing for our government is the removal by time of those who have little business being there.  Knowing HOW to screw your constituents best because you have been there longer is not a good enough reason to let you hang out for a bit.

A little story..

I walked into a commission meeting recently and was feeling relatively prepared with enough knowledge to not make too many mistakes.  But I voted yea on an issue (an Economic Development issue) that I was immediately a little uncomfortable with.  Reason I voted yes?  Great arguments for it.  This was a full board committee with the final vote being a week later by consent calendar.

After a week of consideration and reviewing my own principles and something nagging at me a little, I pulled it from the consent calendar, made my NEW argument, heard the same old argument used a week earlier, and joined the lone no vote for the final passage that happened anyway.

Point being..  Some of those guys in Lansing are pushed into some lousy positions that run contrary to their core beliefs by folks who are great negotiators.

I am a novice to some of the ways these things happen, yet the big picture is a lot more visible.

I don't think that gets solved by letting legislators hang out for more years.  In fact, I believe the tendency to corrupt the newest becomes the goal of the old guard until it is entrenched.