Richard not happy with term limits

Add Speaker of the House Ron Richard, R-Joplin, to the list of politicians who think it is time to scrap term limits.:

"There's always a vacuum up here. There's always someone seeking power," Richard said. "If the legislative branch doesn't get it, forces outside the building might set policy."

Over time, Richard said, lawmakers develop the institutional knowledge and personal fortitude to become powerful enough to stand up to the executive branch and the hordes of lobbyists who try to influence legislation. But when term limits force out elected officials before they get properly seasoned, he said, the vacuum sucks the power right out of the Capitol.