Perhaps one way to get legislative bodies to term-limit themselves is simply to ask them. So far this gimmick just asking has been effective only with individuals. A number of congressmen have voluntarily limited their terms, for example, and many self-limiters even step down from office on schedule.

I’m thinking of folks like Tom Coburn and Mark Sanford. But can you get a whole city council to agree to cap their tenure? Maybe you can in smaller towns. At least it looks like a possibility in Surfside Beach, Florida. Several people attending a recent town council meeting asked council members if they would pass term limits on themselves. It hasn’t happened yet the council has only agreed to consider eight-year term limits. I give it two thumbs up and look forward to the sequel.

The mayor, however, is opposed. “You can’t buy experience,” he says. Well, mayor, the question is what experience are we trying to hire, not buy outright. If I lived in Surfside Beach, I know I’d want public servants with a variety of experience. With wider experience, a new council might behave a little more responsibly. The current council’s idea of fiscal conservatism, for instance, is to spend “no more than $1000″ on a study to determine whether to use the space on Ocean Boulevard between 16th and 17th for flower pots or for parking spaces for golf carts.

A thousand dollars to figure that out? Um, guys, just pay me 50 bucks and I’ll make this decision for you in two minutes.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.