| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: Politix |
| Elon Musk: Constitutional amendment is needed for age limits for members of Congress |
| 2023-07-29 |
| [Hot Air] There is an age problem in Congress. Some incidents this week prove that maybe it’s time we talk about the aging of our elected officials. The first point should be that people age differently. Some people are sharp as a tack at 80 years of age. Others are not so sharp at 70 years of age. Mental decline is different for everyone. Physical aging can be a problem, too, for politicians trying to keep working and holding on to their power. This week we saw Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell freeze while speaking to reporters. Fortunately, he was surrounded by his colleagues, including Senator John Barrasso, a physician. who was standing right next to him. He was led off by Barrasso and then returned a little later to say he was fine. Still later, McConnell told reporters that the president called to check on him. McConnell made a joke and said he told the president he was sandbagged. Clearly, he isn’t ok. I’m not a doctor, I just pretend to be one here to make a point. McConnell is 81-years- old. He’s been in office for decades. As sad as it makes me to say, he needs to retire. I think that fall he took at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Washington is having lasting effects. The fall lead to a concussion after hitting his head during the tumble. He also broke some ribs and was away from his office for nearly six weeks. Now there are questions about the senator’s health. CNN is reporting that he fell in February in Helsinki. He was with a U.S. delegation there. He tripped and fell while getting out of a car on a snowy day. He was walking to meet the Finnish president. Days later, back in Washington, he fell at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #11 My guess is that the Founders had no concept someone (their era) could live long enough to be this corrupt |
| Posted by: Frank G 2023-07-29 18:50 |
| #10 Maybe, maybe, in the past, there were some who were good enough to serve long. Now, none of em, no way. The only reason the Founders didn't enshrine term limits in the Constitution was that they didn't foresee the sorts of mountebank types that have come after them. |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2023-07-29 18:02 |
| #9 Frank, the Constitution only specifies a minimum age for President. Personally, I am more in favor of term limits for congress critters. Two terms for Senators, six for representatives. If they can't learn their jobs in 12 years, they don't deserve it. Also, the founding fathers did not really plan on politicians for life. |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2023-07-29 17:14 |
| #8 IIRC the requirements for POTUS, et al are specified (or not) in the Constitution. If you want to amend/restrict any of that shit it should require an Amendment. Others may know more |
| Posted by: Frank G 2023-07-29 16:06 |
| #7 Amendment? Not really. Congress can pass a law with an upper age restriction. Only issue with that is they can void that law just as easily later and can't with an amendment. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2023-07-29 14:39 |
| #6 No, no, no. Let the voters decide when an elected official is too old or otherwise incapacitated. Yes, the media conspires to hide it from the voters but they can't hide it forever. By now everybody knows that Feinstein is out of it. Mitch too. And Fetterman. The wonder is that so many people still think Biden is capable. That's some outstanding work by the msm, not to mention Dominion. We'll see it they can keep it going through 2024. I don't believe they can. |
| Posted by: Abu Uluque 2023-07-29 12:25 |
| #5 |
| Posted by: Cholutle Thrans9751 2023-07-29 09:51 |
| #4 The fall lead to a concussion after hitting his head during the tumble. Easy enough to CT for a brain bleed or hemetoma. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2023-07-29 09:10 |
| #3 Non-Gov related testing labs. Is there such a thing? With all the pharma and academia funded by the Gov I doubt you could disentangle that. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2023-07-29 08:56 |
| #2 They’ll probably grandfather the current clown cast like the NHL did with their helmet rule. Feinstein will serve into democratic delirium while the rest of us geezers lose our chance. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2023-07-29 07:09 |
| #1 I like the Idea overall. But not everyone ages the same way, or at the same rate. How about something like: A twice a year random narcotic and/or mental impairment drug test of ALL Elected & Appointed Federal officials? A verified collection process,following strict chain of custody rules. All samples are cross-matched with DNA verified. Tested by 2 independent Non-Gov related testing labs. Plus an annual Mental Health screening. With all test findings certified under penalty of perjury, and made public within 30 days of the test being taken. |
| Posted by: NN2N1 2023-07-29 06:36 |