The Geriatric Hat Trick

At what age does someone become out of touch?
Can it be pinpointed to a specific year?
Does it depend on the individual?

Stumbling presidents, freezing senators, skeletoid speakers. These are the people making decisions for us?

Age has it's merits and age has it's limits.

At 18 you are eligible for the draft.
We can trust an 18 year old to fight for our freedom but not to write for our freedom.

25 is the age minimum for Congress.
30 is the age minimum for Senate.
35 is the age minimum for President.

Why is this? Do we simply not trust the youth enough to have the experience to make the right decisions?

Shouldn't young people have more of a say on the policies that will effect their lives longer than the ones who write them?

The Geriatric Hat Trick.

If America elects Biden or Trump in 2024 it would be the 3rd election that went to a candidate over the age of 70.

Not only do health and cognitive abilities come into question, there's the question of whether or not this advanced aged person has their finger on the pulse of the present.

Can you teach an old dog new tricks or are they already set in their old ways of thinking?

The slogan MAGA alone is proof of longing for times that once were. Let's get back to how things were, the good old days.

We have to go forward and not linger on the past.
New blood. New ideas. Age limits. Term limits.
The system that we have in place is ageist, against the youth, the future.

Give the Nosferatu their retirement watches and seal the revolving doors.

a reply to: CloneFarm1000


I think its because in general the boomer generation is full of a lot of very narcisistic people. They believe they know best and that everything that came after them are incapable of doing anything right.

I know it isn't all of them, I know many super awesome boomers, but the ones that are attracted to power are just something else. A dream come true would be to see Pelosi, Mitch, Biden, Feinstein, and many other just retire. They have no business in any leadership position anymore. I will give Trump a slight break because I think he must have something going for him because they all hate him. That is my admitted illogical reasoning for supporting Trump, but even his advancing age bothers me. I think that 75 is when you should quit. I do not care who you are. Give the people coming up a chance. They probably have better ideas or at least fresher and more dynamic ideas.

One of the reasons I think America is in decline is the relentless grip that boomers have on us via political and cultural means. We can see in real time how their inabilty to understand that racism is dead in America is recreating it. Its all people talk about now. I remember not too long ago when almost no one cared about any of this garbage. Now it is all day every day as boomer seem to recreate their 20's and pretend that america is still stuck in the 1960's.

Mate Looking back I was a Certified Moron until I got into my thirties and I have no trouble admitting that .

No one less than Thirty has any business near public office or any real Authority position.

AOC is a prime example , She was raised in the University world of Fantastical Unrealistic Ideals and their are more of her on the way.

originally posted by: asabuvsobelow
Mate Looking back I was a Certified Moron until I got into my thirties and I have no trouble admitting that .

No one less than Thirty has any business near public office or any real Authority position.

AOC is a prime example , She was raised in the University world of Fantastical Unrealistic Ideals and their are more of her on the way.

I do agree with this as well. There are sometimes people in their 20's that have their # together, but usually they dont. So basically leadership (as in real leadership, consequential leadership) is probably best after 30 and should end at 75. I think 45 years is plenty of time in ones life to accomplish good things for society and yourself and your family.

a reply to: CloneFarm1000

Imagine a government run totally by millennials, with millennial ideas and values. I shudder when I think of this. The movie “ Logan’s Run “ comes to mind, as I’m sure they will come up with some kind of mandatory assisted suicide for us old folks.

The future is indeed for the young, from what I’ve seen they don’t want us in it. Socialism is that future, not individual liberties. If that’s what’s coming, I’m glad I won’t be around to see it.

Since the human brain doesn't fully develop and mature until age 25 I'd be uncomfortable trusting the reasoning skills of someone younger.

Any honest person can think back to things they've done at 25 and younger that certainly weren't good choices. Taking chances with the lives of an entire country is a great deal more serious than taking chances with your own and possibly a few others.

I'm not comfortable with anyone over the age of 66 holding office either. Even with a mandated cognitive test every 6 months we all know how easy it would be to buy a pass; Biden is supposedly fit and healthy-perfectly capable of running our country.

The entire focus of all citizens should be getting the corruption out of politics and government before even thinking of addressing lesser issues that stand zero chance of changing with the current state of DC.

JMO

a reply to: Topcraft

The policies we have now breeds the environment in Logan's Run.

The established fear of letting go of power to the next generation...

It's a tale as old as Kronos.

If the older generation would take a cue from George Washington and step aside with self imposed limits of power as a sign of good will, there would be less of a generational divide.

a reply to: asabuvsobelow

Alexander Hamilton.
James Madison.
General Lafayette.
All under 30 when they entered their public roles.

Go back further.
Alexander the Great.
Joan of Arc.

History is peppered with young and capable individuals.

Just because most don't hit their stride until their 30's doesn't mean we should exclude the exceptional ones.

We'd be cheating ourselves.

originally posted by: nugget1
Since the human brain doesn't fully develop and mature until age 25 I'd be uncomfortable trusting the reasoning skills of someone younger.

Do you feel comfortable with 18 year olds serving in the armed forces?

Should we bump up the draft age to 25, in order for our soldiers to have a more developed brain?

Should we conduct scientific research to determine at what age the human brain starts to decline and make that the cutoff age for running for office?

originally posted by: CloneFarm1000
a reply to: asabuvsobelow

Alexander Hamilton.
James Madison.
General Lafayette.
All under 30 when they entered their public roles.

Go back further.
Alexander the Great.
Joan of Arc.

History is peppered with young and capable individuals.

Just because most don't hit their stride until their 30's doesn't mean we should exclude the exceptional ones.

We'd be cheating ourselves.

Naming a Few exceptions to what is otherwise normal for the field is not a good argument .

and Historical Figures that lived a Millennia ago is no argument at all and it's there age that made them so unique to begin with,

and Military service is a whole different animal from Public Service . Politics is the Art of Compromise and decision making both of which require Life Experience.

You are spot on. As we can see by some of the responses by boomers here on ATS. Hell they are so proud it’s in their call sign. Time to move on from that generation. Unfortunately there are still a lot of them alive. And they do go out and vote in numbers greater than the younger generations. I will give that to the geezers. They go out and vote. We have to beat them at their own game. a reply to: greendust

If our young men and women are good enough to fight to defend and sometimes die for this country then they should be good enough to run it as well. Not all will be capable but I am damn sure there are enough out there that can fill plenty of seats in the Capitol. a reply to: nugget1

So these young men and women are only good enough to die for this country??? I hope you really don’t think that. I know you didn’t say it, but you might as well have typed those words. a reply to: asabuvsobelow

originally posted by: CloneFarm1000
Does it depend on the individual?

Yes. There are cases of 100 year olds who still worked every day and by looking you'd guess they were on their 60's. But I wouldn't want that person in the 24 hour hotseat of the US presidency!

We can trust an 18 year old to fight for our freedom but not to write for our freedom.

What would you think of an 18 year old as the supreme leader of China, Russia, Iran? Hope they don't make catastrophic decisions with hot blood and impatience? While having the skills to work at the statesman's level and avoid being made into someone's puppet?

We can have younger members of Congress, but the presidency needs to remain minimum age 35, and without a Constitutional amendment we the people need to be careful with anyone over 70.

Maturity to make sound decisions while holding a public office is what is needed. Age restrictions don’t guarantee it but they do help it.

Armed service with command structure is not the same as political service.

Generals and commanders from 100’s of years ago grew up in a far mor brutal and an unforgiving world. There is not comparison and trying to make one lacks wisdom.

a reply to: CloneFarm1000

Alexander the Great became the king of Macedonia when he was 20 years old. He died 13 years later but in the process he was fundamental in spreading the Greek culture and language across most of the planet.

Alexanders brief empire was noted for its support of exploration, scientific inquiry, rationalism, and stabilization of numerous warring countries.

originally posted by: TacoLoco75
If our young men and women are good enough to fight to defend and sometimes die for this country then they should be good enough to run it as well. Not all will be capable but I am damn sure there are enough out there that can fill plenty of seats in the Capitol. a reply to: nugget1

It's precisely because they are too young and immature and willing to take unreasonable risks that make them perfect to train for war.

The first thing the military does is to strip them of their individuality and train/brainwash/indoctrinate them into being a part of the 'machine'.

We are a sum total of our life experiences, and at 18 a person would be nothing more than a toddler in DC.

a reply to: CloneFarm1000

This is why we have cognitive testing.

a reply to: Topcraft

You do know a lot of us millennials are in our 30s and 40s, right? You might be thinking of gen z, perhaps? Not quite Logans Run, but I do believe if you're over the Social Security retirement age, you shouldn't be holding public office. That's really my only qualm with any older folks in politics; they need to understand that cognitive abilities do slip, some earlier and later than others.

We're not all socialists and don't all want to do away with you. Then again, the only folks you could blame for those mindsets being present are the parents of millennials; they did do a bit of a number on us.

a reply to: asabuvsobelow

speaking of AOC..