Over three-fourths of Americans think there should be a maximum age limit for elected officials, according to a CBS News/YouGov survey.

  • RedditWanderer@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    He means that people have different rates of cognitive decline than others, so if you like this 70 year old politician and he’s great, why not?

    I think that’s ridiculous. Term AND age limits would make much brighter futures. We should be electing officials that will have to live under the shade of the trees they planted, which is not the case for most US politicians today.

    • hoshikarakitaridia@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      Yeah the slippery slope makes no sense. I get that there isn’t a precise date to determine the start of cognitive decline, but why not just put an avery one as a limit in the law then? We do it for expiration dates as well.

    • Rodeo@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      If there were age limits it should be well below the point of any cognitive decline, because it’s also about having younger people in power who can think and plan on a scale of several decades, because that’s how long they have left to live.

      I’m thinking like 50.

      • TechyDad@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        The problem with setting the age limit too low is that people of that age range might not feel represented.

        To give an example, I’m 48. One of my upcoming concerns is retirement. Will it be able to afford to retire? Will I need to work part time after “retiring” just to survive?

        If every politician in a position of power was too young, retirement might not seem to them to be an important issue. After all, when you’re 30, retirement seems forever away. They could enact policies that are great for people under 40 but devastating to people approaching retirement.

        That’s why, while I definitely think politicians like McConnell and Feinstein should have retired long ago, I’m leery about setting too low of a forced retirement age.

        • WarmSoda@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          Also, you do want people with experience there. Having a rotating door of only young people doesn’t really help anything.

          • Rodeo@lemmy.ca
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            1 year ago

            The door wouldn’t be rotating anymore than it is now.

            And what’s your source on young people not helping anything? All the times in US history that we made the most progress were under young Democrat presidents.

            • WarmSoda@lemm.ee
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              1 year ago

              I didn’t say young people don’t help anything. I said having only new young people all the time doesn’t help. Having people with experience is a good thing.

              • Rodeo@lemmy.ca
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                1 year ago

                Do you think JFK had no experience? He became president at 47. Did he “not help”, as you put it?

                Your claim is not only vague but has also been presented without any reasoning.

                • WarmSoda@lemm.ee
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                  1 year ago

                  Why are you trying to argue? It was a general statement I made, I’m not presenting a case study.
                  Chill out, goddamn.

                  • Rodeo@lemmy.ca
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                    1 year ago

                    Because the statement you made doesn’t have sound reasoning.

                    In other words, you’re wrong.

        • Rodeo@lemmy.ca
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          1 year ago

          I’m 31 and I’m pretty fuckin concerned with retirement. Because if I’m not now, I’ll probably never be able to.