Same Old Leaders, Same Old Problems

Artwork by Sasha Smolansky

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By SASHA L. SMOLANSKY

When you see a senior citizen falling, you rush to their aid. You don't, however, think to help them back up only to push them onto a stage and expect them to serve a term in political office.

At 90, Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California, was the oldest member of Congress when she recently passed away while still in office. In her final days she forgot how to execute procedural voting. (An honest mistake, or early signs of dementia?)

Senator Mitch McConnell, 81, a Republican from Kentucky, suddenly froze during an important speech for almost 30 seconds. For the second time in a month.

And our very own 46th president, Joe Biden, at age 80, has been witnessed tripping over himself and his words countless times.

With an ever-aging Congress where moments of senility are becoming more prevalent, the public might begin to question whether an age limit is necessary to take those who are too old and no longer able to fulfill their duties out of the legislative and executive branches.

Our leaders are a direct symbol of our country. Where President Franklin D. Roosevelt once painstakingly concealed his paralysis during a speech, President Joe Biden is now being assisted as he aimlessly wanders on a U.N. stage. 

Now more than ever, America needs politicians who exude strength and mental acuity that can lead us through political strife. However, politicians’ disorientation and incoherent speeches are undermining our nation’s power, thus extending an invitation to our adversaries to exploit our vulnerability.

Straying from the danger senior leaders pose, the element of cruelty must also be acknowledged. 

Do we have no conscience when re-electing candidates who are obviously past the prime of their cognitive abilities? Watching them struggle to walk, make sound decisions, and string together full sentences, what evidence do we have to say that they can even take care of themselves, let alone run a country?

Though ageism is unethical, one must admit that when old age interferes with our leaders’ abilities to make crucial decisions, compromising their citizens’ faith in them, it proves it’s time for them to finally step down.

So why are they still in power?

The average sitting senator is 64, eligible for social security, and still unwilling to retire. Perhaps they believe that no one can handle the job as well as they can. Or maybe they are addicted to power.

The truth is, we are ultimately at fault. 

Living in a free democratic state, we are granted the freedom to vote and appoint into power whomever we want. And the most dependable voting bloc today is the older population. 

Voters over 65 exhibit a higher turnout at the polls compared to younger voters, and they tend to favor candidates who are closer to themselves in age. 

Senior candidates often show commitment to elderly voters’ needs, and they are in turn consistently re-elected by these voters, who know and trust them.

This fosters a generational gap with young Americans, who become frustrated with a government that seems to them to be oblivious to their concerns and the nation’s progress. However, if we want our country’s policies to evolve, the legislature must change.

First, we should enact age limits for running for office. And second, we should have term limits for members of Congress. This will prevent politicians from being able to remain in power for durations exceeding those of some dictators’ regimes.

It’s time to finally let our long-serving leaders retire to allow for a faster, more vibrant shift toward our nation’s future. We, the American people, should not be scared of change.