In 458 B.C., the Roman Republic was in crisis and losing a war. The government called on Lucius Cincinnatus, a farmer and former politician, to form a dictatorship and lead the war effort. Cincinnatus assembled an army and won the war. He then resigned his command and returned to his farm.

Cincinnatus’ story is notable because it is so rare now for politicians to turn down power. Today, more than 60 members of Congress have served more than 20 years each. These long-serving career politicians inevitably lose touch with their electors and become more focused on keeping power than exercising it for their constituents. They have made a career out of running for office; they have made it their job to win elections, not to govern.

When the ancient Greeks established their version of democracy, they rotated their entire council of 500 every year. In the Roman Republic that Cincinnatus served so nobly, elected magistrates had terms of one year, after which they could not hold that same office for 10 years.

The founding fathers also believed in term limits. When Benjamin Franklin led the writing of Pennsylvania’s constitution, he included a plural executive that consisted of 12 citizens who served three years, then were banned from office for four. The fifth article of the Articles of Confederation, the predecessor to the Constitution, states that no one shall serve in Congress more than three years in any six-year period. When the Constitution did not include term limits, George Mason declared, “nothing is so essential to the preservation of a Republican government as a periodic rotation.”

Yet here we are in 2012, still with no congressional term limits. This has opened our government to corruption. To win re-election and remain in power, Congressmen need money. In 2010, 85 percent of available House seats and 83 percent of Senate seats went to the candidate that spent the most money. This is where lobbyists come in. A simple quid pro quo arises: In exchange for supporting bills favorable to various lobbyists, Congressmen earn themselves the financial backing of the corporations these lobbyists represent. The result: Congressmen serve the corporations that pay the lobbyists instead of their constituents. Members of the House of Representatives are supposed to represent the districts they come from, but every year they spend working in Washington D.C. is a year away from their constituents. How can they represent a place they spend so little time in?

The solution is simple: Change the law so that elected federal officials may only serve one term. The length of that term should be debatable, but the benefits of this system are not. Officeholders would spend their time actually doing the job they are supposed to, instead of campaigning for another term. Lobbyists would be figuratively neutered, as campaign donations would no longer be a sufficient carrot to hang in front of representatives.

Only 16 percent of the country approves of Congress, yet if the 2012 election follows the pattern of the last 30 years, incumbents will win over 90 percent of the seats available. Name recognition and the monetary advantages that come from holding such a high office means most challengers will not be funded by lobbyists, and only a few will receive significant assistance from their party. Instituting a one-term limit for elected officials would help curb corruption, inject new ideas into our national government and break up the chokehold Democrats and Republicans share on seats.

A version of this article appeared in the Thursday, Oct. 18 print edition. Ian Mark is a staff columnist. Email him at [email protected].