It’s a truism of the term limits movement that power-hungry career politicians are not going to like, support, herald, endorse, promote, uphold, abide by or otherwise protect and defend the principle of definite limits on their tenures in office.

Term limits may be consistent with democratic principles. Foster electoral competition. Enable wider participation in government. Curb political corruption. But, hey, of what relevance are such salutary features when your own gluttony for personal power is at stake? Eh?

The ultimate expression of this attitude may be found in swell-chested dictators like Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. He’s in the news for his latest push for socialism and power consolidation. He’s just won another term as president. He has also just announced that he wants to scuttle Venezuela’s presidential term limits. Big surprise.

But the nay-sayings of tin-pot dictators express only the most extreme of the anti-democratic attitude we see plenty of here in the states. Career politicians are constantly seeking to trash term limits that their own constituents lawfully enacted. In the United States, though, voters tend to have a better shot of beating the power-mongers.

Look to Tennessee, where the state Supreme Court just ruled that the term limits in Knox County, passed in 1994, are indeed valid. Back in March of 2006, the County Election Commission refused to remove the names of the twelve term-limited commissioners from the ballot.

Now Knox County government must follow the law. As laid down by the people.

At long last!

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.