Plato said, “It is for the elder man to rule and for the younger to submit.” This is called gerontocracy and precisely defines our current government.
Don’t trust anyone over 30
Jack Weinberg coined the phrase in 1964. It was just after the country lost the youngest-ever President of the United States, John Kennedy. Some 50 years later, we have the oldest president ever running the country.
We also have the oldest-ever Congress making laws, spending our money, approving cabinet positions and judges, etc. The number of lawmakers in Congress over 70 has rapidly grown over the past 20 years. It jumped from 8% in 2002 to 23% in 2022.
How did we end up with the oldest Government in history? Half of the country is 38 years old or younger, yet only five percent of American lawmakers can say the same. Congress today is not representative of the American people.
I retired from a successful engineering career in my late 60s when I couldn’t keep up with my younger, energetic, and competent peers. I loved my job but knew it was time to move on. People in government have more incentive to stay than to leave.
Not just elected people but government bureaucrats are placed there and remain thanks to their support of career politicians. How does one man become the highest-paid employee in the U.S. Federal Government, even more than the president?
Don’t trust people over 70
A recent CBS News poll found that 73% of adults in the U.S think there should be an age limit for elected officials. 40% of those believe that the maximum age should be 70 years and is consistent across gender, age, ideology, and race.
The Constitution lays out the minimum age for representatives (25), senators (35), and president (35) but is silent on age limits. The Founders never thought age or term limits were necessary.
Setting a maximum age of 70 for elected officials is one way of addressing this issue. Still, it allows someone to be in office for 45 years. That’s a career for a regular person, but it shouldn’t be for elected officials.
Term limits are the solution
We want the best people, not the most experienced, to run our government. Experience generally doesn’t help the constituents but only aids in the elected official remaining in office. A candidate around 30 years of age is probably mature enough to serve and has the drive to make a positive difference during a limited term in office.
The time is ripe for a constitutional amendment to limit government terms because a majority would be in support.
