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McConnell and Feinstein episodes raise age concerns about US leaders
(www.washingtonexaminer.com)
this post was submitted on 30 Jul 2023
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I would be happy with a voting age of 16, serving in public office at 26 and no voting or serving in public office at 70.
Sixteen year olds have the most skin in the game from the standpoint of having to live with the consequences of election outcomes. Sixteen year olds were allowed to vote in the Scottish independence referendum for exactly this reason.
Full brain maturation (fronto-cortical pruning) is not finalized until 26.
The incidence of cognitive impairment goes up significantly at 70 years old.
No voting at 70? Wow. That seems so tragically disrespectful towards the people in our community we should be regarding as our elders. I think you are exaggerating the extent of mental decline with age pretty significantly and not appreciating the benefits. One of the most politically active and motivated people I know is in her 70s.
16 year olds may have the most skin in the game, if one can handle such generalized statements, but clearly the thing that teenagers lack is perspective and experience.
Not all elderly people are Mitch McConnell, just like not all young people are George Santos.
Not that I agree with an age cap, but respect for elders isn't really a value among young Americans. Like, we know that the idea that old people are inherently wise is a farce.
I'm sure it's valued more or less across different sectors of the young American population, but yeah I think it's pretty widely recognized that our culture doesn't really treat our elders well. And we should feel ashamed about that.
Nobody is inherently anything, but everything is the way it is for a reason. There's a reason why respect for one's elders is a nearly universal maxim, to the extent that it extends beyond our species, and to disregard that ancient principle is to invite disaster. Old people aren't the problem.
Why are elders deserving of more respect than anyone else? Other than reference to tradition, which was often formed by religion ("respect your elders" is from the bible, old, but not nearly ancient history) which was in turn used to cement power and money in a few old folks running the religion.
Surely the young deserve the same respect as the old, it isn't like age makes you smarter or better able to handle new situations. It can mean you have wisdom but age alone has no bearing on that.
You can also respect someone but realize that they no longer understand what is going on in the world. I respect my grandfather who flew spy planes during the cold war, then came home and was an anti war activist. Do I think he should run for office today? Absolutely not. Vote? Honestly probably not. He's certainly not able to make an informed decision anymore. But I will visit him when I can, take care of him as best I can, hear his stories, and learn from those stories as I can.
In this threads context young people don't get to serve in office or vote but elders get to vote and serve until the day they die. This has directly and indirectly created a feeling of disenfranchisement with young (literally under 50 at this point) folks that shows itself in all aspects of politics.
Your belief is that respecting elders is unique to Christianity? That's simply and obviously untrue. Painfully so when you compare the way the dominant Christian culture treats its elders compared with how First Nations cultures treat theirs.
It is incredibly agist. Plenty of 70 year olds are fully mentally cognizant still. Not allowing them to vote on things like NHS issues seems unfair when entering a time of their life when they'll be using that service more.
I'm 65 and would happily take a hit for the team. I just retired from 30 years as a family doctor, and I see how people just start progressively losing their mental edge after 70. Not absolutely every single one, but most folks.
An alternative would be a test every voter takes to be able to vote. DMV-like 30-question multiple choice purely on facts of civics and current events. I don't see that happening given the history of poll tests in our country.
Why 26? If an 18 year old can work full time, shouldn't they also be able to serve in government. It's not like you have no stake in the social contract until 26.
Brain maturation (fronto-cortical pruning) is not complete until 26 years of age.
Ever notice how you can work at 16, vote and be drafted/enlist at 18, drink at 21 but can't rent a car without a co-signer until 26?
Now you know why. Car rental agencies don't study human neurophysiology, but they damn well know there's a difference between people who rent their cars before and after 26.
None of that matters, if an 18 year old has a stake in society by paying taxes, working full time, etc. Then they should have access to the workings of that society if they can get people to vote for them.