discuss Should There Be Age Limits for Elected Officials?

[Yama]

When Biden stepped down from a presidential race and voucned for Harris, it came as a relief to many people because they though he was too old. Interestingly, many world leaders are over 70 (our prime minister is 72 and president is 80), and a lot of people argue that there should be age caps on politicians. Would this bring fresh perspectives, or does experience outweigh age concerns?

 

[Apsara]

Age limits for elected officials can ensure that leaders reflect the evolving needs of society. I think they might promote fresh perspectives, especially as younger generations face different challenges. Age should not be a barrier, but ensuring fair representation across all generations seems essential.

 

[Maina]

Yes, there should be age limits for elected officials, and I believe the maximum age should be 60. This ensures that leaders remain in touch with the perspectives and challenges of younger generations while bringing in fresh ideas and energy to governance.

 

[Harsh World]

Yes, and it should follow similar age guidelines that the military has in place because, like the military, you need to be as sharp while running a country.

The age limit should be a mandatory of 66 years. However, since a lot of federal agencies require high leadership such as Under Secretaries and Secretaries, we should treat them as the military Officer level equivalent of the flag officers at the pay grade of O-9 for 66 years old and 38 years of service as an Under Secretary, while a Secretary could be the paygrade of O-10 for 66 years, extendable once or twice for 4-year terms by the President, for a total of 40 years maximum service. The only time an Under Secretary could go above 38 years of service is if they are selected by the President to serve in a Secretary position, which they could only ever serve for one four-year term due to their age before being forced into retirement.

For all elected positions, it should be the maximum Social Security age of 67 by the time you assume office. So, you could get into office on your 66th birthday and 364 days but be forced to retire at the end of your term as you would be 70-71, not getting the maximum of terms (2 in the instance of President) because you would be over the maximum age for a second term.

We shouldn't have 90-year-old Congressional Representatives. We just shouldn't. I don't care if that's ageist as they made the laws for Federal workers to follow that are much less, so why should they be treated any differently? Unfortunately, that would require a Constitutional amendment to happen though, and those 90-year-olds are the ones that would have to vote it through.