The Times reported gravely that term limits force legislators "to gravitate toward small-bore projects that can be done quickly, rather than anything visionary that would take years to achieve." Disregard the dubious idea that "visionary" legislatures are desirable, and disregard the fact that term limits always allow legislators to serve for "years" -- usually at least six and often eight or more. But consider the Times' supposedly alarming example of Tacoma Councilwoman Connie Ladenburg.

Now in her second four-year term, she advocates something that the Times presumably considers visionary and not a bit small-bore -- a $2 million pedestrian and bike trail. Ladenburg lamented to the Times that she thinks "this is crazy" because, "If I go away, and it's not completed, what will happen?" Well, either the trail will be completed or it won't. Presumably, if the good people of Tacoma want it, it will be, in which case she will not have been indispensable, which will also be true if they do not want it completed.

The Times dutifully reported that 37 governors, 15 state legislatures and nine of the 10 most populous cities have term limits, which remain popular with the people who imposed them: "Recent ballot initiatives to alter them, including one in California in February, have failed."

Two amusing arguments against term limits are that political novices are too susceptible to the wiles of lobbyists, and that term-limited legislators, worrying too much about their next jobs and too little about their current ones, are constantly in campaign mode, thinking of the next election rather than the next generation. The idea that when term limits are absent, these difficulties are absent is refuted by one word: Congress.

"Make no mistake about it," said Bloomberg when announcing his intention to revise the law without seeking the permission of the public that enacted it, "I still think term limits are a good thing." Just not for him, not now, in these "tough times." Yet again, the political class' reaction to term limits is a powerful, indeed sufficient argument for them.