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ABTL has been founded by ordinary private citizens who are deeply concerned that many elected officials over time succumb to the high lifestyle and perquisites ("perks") of Washington and cease to represent the best interests of their constituents. ABTL's organizers are not politicians themselves; they are not affiliated with any political party or individual candidate. ABTL hopes to create an effective procedure which candidates for public office may adopt voluntarily to assure voters in advance of elections that, if elected, they will honor their commitment to serve in that position for a limited number of years.
There is no single "core" funder of ABTL. Instead, many individuals who share this purpose have combined modest, voluntary contributions to get the idea moving. ABTL seeks the support of all like-minded citizens to advance its research and educational effort. Individual gifts in support of ABTL's work are deemed tax-advantaged contributions under the provisions of the federal tax code (Section 501(C)(3)). All contributions are acknowledged in writing by ABTL.
Contributions may be tax deductible for federal income tax purposes. The Alliance for Bonded Term Limits has applied for recognition as a 501(c)(3) organization with the Internal Revenue Service. Once our application is approved or denied, we will notify all donors of the deductibility of their contributions.
There have been many past efforts to legislate term limits because there is widespread conviction that such limits would be effective. However, passage of such laws would have to be accomplished with the affirmative support of the same entrenched interests, and they have succeeded in side-tracking or defeating the proposals. It's like asking the fox to set rules for behavior in the hen house. ABTL will provide a framework for any candidate to assure voters of his/her commitment not to become ensnarled in the morass of special-interest lobbying or personal empire building.
The concept of bonding one's performance guaranty is well established. The individual sets up an irrevocable monetary penalty which is enforced automatically if he/she breaks the compact with constituents. The candidate's promise and the forfeiture provisions would be published for all to see before voters go to the polls. No more "Read my lips!" promises, but instead "Read my contract with my constituents."
No! If a bonded term-limit promise is broken, the forfeited amount will go to an identified charitable recipient within the defaulting candidate's election district. The candidate's promise will also include the identity of the recipient upon forfeiture, and voters will know it before the election. It will be in the candidate's best interests to select a charitable recipient which is universally popular among his/her constituents.
Absolutely not. If a Congressman has proven to be very effective over three 2-year terms (which is an ABTL-suggested term limitation) he/she would become a natural candidate for higher office, such as Senator or Governor. Similarly, an outstanding one-term (6-year) Senator might become a candidate for any other national or state office. And, of course, all respected elected officials constitute a pool for selection of the many Cabinet positions, Departmental leadership roles, ambassadorial assignments and other tasks of leadership where experience should be put to use. Rather than losing the services of fine public servants, bonded term limits would tend to assure that there are more proven leaders available to fill all positions of public responsibility.
Exactly! ABTL is about elected officeholders keeping promises with the electorate and finding an effective way to begin cutting back on the "pork" and personal corruption which have become an affront to our system of representative democracy.
You can make a personal, tax-advantaged contribution using the attached form, and you can encourage others to learn about bonded term limits by visiting this web site. Remember, democracy only works when citizens demand that their elected representatives are responsible to their constituents and are in office to serve only that purpose. We must return to those principles. Bonded term limits can help to accomplish that.
