So when a career politician decides to retire, challengers line up to take his place. Watts became a self-limiter when he signed the U.S. Term Limits Declaration on November 8, 1999. Both before and during his time as an Ohio state senator, Watts has maintained an outside career as a professor of history at Ohio State University. After joining the Republican revolution in 1994, Rep. Matt Salmon, R-Ariz., says he, like others, has no regrets about stepping down after three terms in Congress. After all, that's what he campaigned on.
Term limits make more sense than ever.
You become emboldened and stand up to your own leaders when you know you have only a short time to make your mark. And Salmon has made his mark as a high-profile conservative who frequently battles with the GOP leadership no matter the political costs. In his most recent dispute, Salmon targeted the record number of pork-filled special interest earmarks in Year 2000 spending bills. Salmon differs with Republican leaders who claim the budget won't force Washington to take loans out of the Social Security Trust Fund. In fact, conseravtives frequently tie the amount of government spending to the length of time a member of Congress plans to be in office.