Term limits protect against others' candidates

In a recent letter to the editor, the writer disparages the notion of term limits as "telling me that I'm not smart enough to vote out poor elected officials ..."

Term limits are not about the wisdom of the voters, they are about checks and balances.

There are 535 members of Congress. At best, you have a say in electing three of them. There are 177 members of the Illinois General Assembly, At best you have a say in electing two of them.

A while ago, my Illinois representative explained to a town-hall meeting why she voted for Mike Madigan to be speaker of the House. She reasoned that since his election to speaker was inevitable, she would be in a better position to obtain benefits for the district by going along with it.

I have zero votes in the 22nd District in Chicago, I cannot vote for or against Mike Madigan. All I can do is watch my state representative admit to being influenced by his power to reward or punish.

Term limits are your protection from the other guy's candidates.

Lou Eisenberg

Buffalo Grove