No term-limited legislature in the land is full of happy campers. But Maine’s politicians have staged a camp insurrection. They’ve shoved an eleventh-hour measure onto an off-year election ballot to extend their terms from four two-year terms to six two-year terms, eight years to twelve.

Why? There was no rising popular demand to keep them in their positions longer. Voters passed term limits in 1993 with a 68 percent majority; there’s been little clamor from citizens since.

The clamor comes from the politicians themselves. They don’t want to lose their jobs.

Even politicians who support term limits as they run for office often change their minds. But we do see some happy exceptions. In Maine, one of them is former state Senate President Rick Bennett. He’s the kind of politician one can also safely say is a citizen activist. Bennett and other opponents of the effort to weaken term limits have formed a group, “No More Than Four,” to fight the ballot measure.

Bennett says: “I find it personally rather offensive that the Legislature would seek to undermine the citizens’ expressed will.” He adds: “If people want to change it, let the public go out and get the signatures and put it on the ballot themselves.”

Many Maine politicians disagree. But contrary to their assumptions, they’re not in office to serve themselves. They’ll be reminded of that fact in a couple months, when voters say No to Question Five.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

• Episode Number: 1913
• Publication Date: 10/10/2007