The past four decades paints an unflattering picture of our legislators, an increasing number of whom use their time in office as a career, rather than for meaningful public service. In 1977, the average age of Wisconsin state senators and representatives was 43 and 42, respectively. By 2007, those averages had jumped to 55 and 50.

One reason they are, on average, getting older: The Wisconsin Legislature has one of the lowest turnover rates in the nation. Incumbent legislators have lost only 5% of general elections since 1963.

There’s little evidence that long careers are the result of hard work. Since 1991, the Legislature has averaged 1,697 bills per session, or 25% fewer than in the 1970s. In 1961, the Assembly and Senate together met 369 days. In 2005, that number dropped to 141 — a reduction of 62%.

In order to infuse the Legislature with fresh — and younger — minds, Wisconsin should do what 21 other states have done and implement term limits.

Opponents of term limits claim they reduce the Legislature’s "institutional knowledge." They believe that with term limits in effect, it will be the unelected staff and bureaucrats who have all the power.

Yet it’s not too difficult to see all the problems the current Legislature has gotten us into with their "institutional knowledge." The state recently ran a $6.6 billion deficit, in large part caused by myriad budget gimmicks utilized in prior biennia. Even after raising taxes by $3 billion in this budget, the state has been left with a $2.1 billion deficit in the next budget — before a single child walks into a school building. It seems the only "knowledge" the Legislature has perfected is how to run the state into a fiscal ditch.

Others argue that we already have term limits – they’re known as "elections," in which we can vote incumbents out. Yet only 5% of incumbents in Wisconsin have lost over the past 44 years. As soon as legislators take office, they begin voting themselves advantages that make it almost impossible for challengers to beat them. They spend millions of dollars in taxpayer money sending out "newsletters" that are completely indistinguishable from campaign literature. They are granted legislative staffs who work around the clock to make them look good. They control the redistricting process, so they get to pick who their voters will be. And perhaps most important, they continue to be paid by the taxpayers while spending eight months campaigning in election years — a luxury regular working stiffs who might want to challenge them can’t afford.

In order to implement term limits, Wisconsin legislators would have to take the nearly unprecedented step of imposing them on themselves. A recent poll showed that 72% of Wisconsin residents support term limits, which usually sends the Legislature scrambling to pass a bill. If 72% of Wisconsin residents supported requiring underwear be worn on the outside of clothing, the Senate and Assembly would pass that bill in a week.

Yet despite overwhelming public support, term limits in Wisconsin remain a long shot for obvious reasons. Legislators just can’t let go of their jobs. Voters should demand better and push for 12-year limits on legislative terms — unless they’re happy with the product they’re getting now.