There you go again.” Ronald Reagan said that to Jimmy Carter in that famous debate. But he could have been talking about California politicians and special interests and their obsession with term limits.

They’re back, once again trying to gut the state’s voter-approved and re-approved term limits law. Get this: They’ve launched a new initiative, which they’re pretending will toughen the law.

Currently, a legislator can serve three terms in the Assembly, six years; and two in the Senate, that’s eight years. The new tougher term limits would allow politicians to stay double that in the Assembly, 12 years, or 50 percent longer in the Senate, again up to 12 years.

Did you miss the toughening part? Well, the proposition does decrease the current 14 years allowed in both houses down to 12. It’s 12 years overall. Few legislators serve in both chambers and leaders are more than willing to trade a decrease in both for a big increase in one, the better to bottleneck power longer.

That’s why it’s being pushed by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata. In fact, the measure had to be re-written and re-filed to make certain it would fully grandfather Perata. You see, he’s already managed to maneuver, with a judge’s help, into his ninth year in a senate limited to eight years. Now, if his initiative scheme works, too, he’ll hang around 14 years.

Oh, such mighty term limits . . .

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.