This is unusual in the history of our country. For every Benjamin Franklin who stayed sharp throughout his long life, we have ten other examples of politicians who finished their careers by 60.
Rule of the Over the Hill Gang
- Donald R. McClarey
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 43 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
Suggested Amendment: No one may be elected to (Federal) office under the age of 40 and over the age of 70. Said person shall not have been an employee of any regulatory body within 10 years of taking office. Said person shall have been self-employed in a profitable company for a minimum of 5 years. Said person shall be a landowner of no less than 1 acre. Upon retiring from office, said person is prohibited from taking employment in a regulatory or lobbying firm. Said person consents to an audit of the previous 10 years of financial records, and shall undergo an audit every year while in elected office (Federal level).
It’s not only the geriatrics. Look at AOC and the so-called squad, and Fauxcahontas.
All, except MAYBE Grassley, of the listed were evil idiots since their youths.
Additionally, they’re not the only problem. The people and laser jet printers that ‘vote’ for them are problematic, too.
Add to that the fact that 365/every day is April Fool’s Day and Halloween on steroids.
How many of those wealth increased just like their age? How many became billionaires?
I would take Sowell any day to lead us.
It’s not so much about age as it is character.
The Squad’s problem is they think they can fix “it” if they remove our constitution. And also, just like PF, they look at poor in they have to eradicate it. It’s not so if everyone has freedom- to excel or fail. It also gives people a chance to exercise charity. Socialism doesn’t solve the problem of poverty.
I don’t have a problem w age but I do w those who are corrupt.
One of the cultural tropes of my youth was that the old geezers (WW2 generation) needed to step aside and let the hip Boomers take charge, since they would obviously set things right. Reagan’s election was a big reason for that, with his age constantly being a bone of contention, and the ‘old is backward looking, young is the future’ narrative being a constant mantra. But like so many things from the left, that’s so yesterday’s principle.
I think it’s important to have mandatory retirement and rotation-in-office rules. Biden’s condition provides one reason for that. The other is that there are a certain number of pathological characters in this country who cannot get enough of lording it over others. Emmet Sullivan is, AFAICT, a manifestation of this. The behavior of characters like Feinstein (who seemed fine in her younger years), McConnell, Pelosi et al is quite peculiar and we should not be ruled by peculiar people (or people staying in office because influence protects them from an indictment). What else gets me is that no one in their respective caucuses challenges them. Cycle back to 1958, when the House Republican caucus had been led for near on 20 years by one Joseph W. Martin. The Republicans took a shellacking in the 1958 elections and Mr. Martin was bounced from his position in January. He was 74 years old at the time. So here we have the 81 year old McConnell, who maliciously sabotaged GOP Senate candidates last fall and who clearly doesn’t give a rip about GOP voters and yet he’s returned to his position by 80% of the Senate Republican caucus. It’s another indicator of how insular Congress is (compared to previous generations).
As for Soros and Schwab, they’re Blofelds. The question for the rest of us is the degree to which they can institutionalize their nefariousness.
I want to point out that Feinstein was spending most of her time on the east coast when her husband was dying of cancer. Who does that? It’s not like she needs the work. The two of them had an eight-digit net worth. It was the same deal with Louise Slaughter back in 2013-14. Slaughter ran for re-election the year her husband died and was firing up her re-election campaign yet again when she abruptly keeled over dead in March 2018; she could have retired with a satisfactory pension in 2007, when she was 79 years old. If she wanted to keep working, there’s nothing wrong with selling real estate.
One of the cultural tropes of my youth was that the old geezers (WW2 generation) needed to step aside and let the hip Boomers take charge, since they would obviously set things right.
I remember Gary Hart’s shtick. Hart himself was born in 1936, so a bit of a poseur. His sexual escapades were unedifying. The thing is, as far as I am aware, he lived in Washington only from 1974 to 1987, never joined a lobbying business, and spent his work life practicing law in Colorado bar a stint writing a dissertation in England and another stint in a diplomatic position. He and his wife lived in an exurb of Denver down the road from his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. (His daughter also lives around Denver; she’s regrettably childless and apparently took up lesbianism at some point). Compared to the Clintons and the Bidens, Hart was as clean as a hound’s tooth.
How many of those wealth increased just like their age? How many became billionaires?
Not billionaires, but the number of current and former members of Congress with an eight-digit net worth is a scandal. See the Bidens