LEARN, GAIN NOTICE, FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO NEXT, AND LOBBY FOR THE NEXT JOB

Sounds like the procedure for an ambitious employee looking to get on the fast track to something a lot better, right? That is the case anytime with such folks, but in summertime it becomes especially true for politicians, according to Mark Lane's column today in the Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Reflecting on the eight year term limits that legislators and statewide officeholders are bound by, Mr. Lane makes a great point:

Half the time is spent learning. Half the time is spent positioning for the next job. Term-limit supporters claimed they would create "citizen-lawmakers," a phrase that remains useful for cheap laughs.

It's enough to make you nostalgic for those bad old days of boring, predictable government by entrenched old pros who liked their jobs and felt a little personal stake in a Legislature that worked.