Maybe it's time for a change?

Even Trump is getting up there. After Bill C, W, and Obama, I was kind of hopeful that we might be headed for a more youthful look on the White House and instead it has started skewing geriatric again. No issue with someone in their eighties being in power per se but younger voices have their place, too. Canada's party leaders are all Gen Y or millennial at this point.

Quote by Ironic

Senator McConnell had "a moment" yesterday, and had to be escorted away.

Senator Feinstein - 90

Senator Grassley - 89

Representative Waters - 84

Representative Pelosi - 83

Senator McConnell - 81

President Biden - 80

Ex-President Trump, 77, but still an avid liar.

Quote by Seeker4

Even Trump is getting up there. After Bill C, W, and Obama, I was kind of hopeful that we might be headed for a more youthful look on the White House and instead it has started skewing geriatric again. No issue with someone in their eighties being in power per se but younger voices have their place, too. Canada's party leaders are all Gen Y or millennial at this point.

I guess it reflects how conservative US politics really is. There's no room for anything new, including new generations. Well, unless they're very conservative too, such as Gaetz, Boebert and Greene.

Ironic - always picking the low hanging fruit and trying to pass it off as premium grade, top shelf, produce. It always comes off as attention whoring. (not attacking you - just pointing out the obvious)

If Lush were to bring back the Attention Whoring Competition on an annual basis - I'm sure you'd be a top ten finisher yearly. There are some world class attention whores unfurling their wings on our website on a daily basis. Stiff competition for sure, but after experiencing your act for the last 3 years... You have a great opportunity ahead of you!

This has been talked about to death in the past - but those who need to make it happen are the same bastards who keep running for office instead of just showing the rest of us how to term limit themselves - for starters. But we have zero courage in Washington D.C. - so talking will be all that gets accomplished.

Now for an example from the Libertarians of the nation - https://www.cato.org/commentary/how-term-limit-congress

The Cruz‐​Rooney constitutional amendment is similar to one proposed by Cruz two years ago. It would limit senators to two six‐​year terms and congressmen to three two‐​year terms. The measure has three Senate GOP co‐​sponsors. President Donald Trump has endorsed the idea, as has Beto O’Rourke, Cruz’s Democratic opponent last November.

In promoting his legislation, Cruz explained: “For too long, members of Congress have abused their power and ignored the will of the American people.” Term limits, he argued, “offer a solution to the brokenness we see in Washington, D.C.” Rooney cited the “overwhelming” support of the American people.

The latter is true, of course, but matters naught when it comes to an issue like term limits. Any amendment would have to be approved by three‐​fourths of the states, but that isn’t as high a barrier as it might seem. After all, 15 states already term‐​limit their legislators. (Voters in another six states voted to impose term limits, but the legislatures or courts subsequently overturned the measures.) However, the likelihood that two‐​thirds of the members of Congress will vote themselves out of a job by sending forth an amendment is only theoretically above zero. Satan’s demons are more likely to vote to close Hell.

I'm actually in agreement about the change - not because of ageism but because there's a pattern in most sectors of the world of work in which old people are hanging on to jobs that young people need. It's clear that no one in congress or the senate (not to mention executive and judicial branches) is at risk for having to survive on cat food in their twilight years, so my opinion is that they've had their turn, now it's time to make space for a new generation and maybe fall back into more of an advisory role.

Quote by Chryses

edited

McConnell? That geezer who probably had a mild stroke at the podium the other day.

Quote by Chryses

... chuckling ... My post was in re the disability displayed by Senator Feinstein, but you did get the "senator" part correct.

If l had wanted to post about Feinstein I would have. But l really wanted to post about senile-stroked out McConnell. And, your thread was worded so that posting about McConnell, Trump, and any old geezers is wide open.

Should we put an age limit on senators, congress persons, and presidents?

We obviously have too many senile old farts in key positions, and obviously, they're having old age mental incapacities and should retire.

I should think that you, Chryses, not being a spring chicken anymore, would identify a bit more with the political geezer crowd.

It seems from a distance that the entire Congress not only has lost its conscience but its backbone as well. Age only exacerbates the moral corruption of the institution.

Where's the copyright notice?

These threads are open to all members.

Quote by sthtxs

How are over 300 million people fairly represented by 435 House members?

To put this another way, each representative is (by average) representing less than a million people. Or another way, less than 1% of the the total population. What magic number would ensure representation? In any case, as long as you hold on to a polarized two party system, it doesn't matter how many people you elect to represent to you, you'll still end up with this political group-think and antagonistic stalemate.

Eliminate the Federal government in its entirety.Make the states do everything and set a tax rate for corporations and individuals at ten percent of gross income, no deductions. Anyone who makes less than $30K as an individual or $60K as a couple pays no taxes. Make it as simple as possible. Everything except medical car and medication would be taxed a rate of 4.25%.:Why? Because I like that amount for no specific reason. Everyone would have term limits if some kind from twenty minutes to three terms.

Quote by ElCoco
A bold proposal!

A silly proposal, basically calling for an end to the United States as a national entity.

The Confederate States of America fought against the federal system and lost. So, who the hell will abolish the federal United States of America government?

Quote by ElCoco

If it wants to, Congress can.

So, you think Congress can abolish itself, along with the Executive Branch and the Judicial Branch?

Quote by ElCoco

Sure. The Congress could follow the procedure for calling a constitutional convention.

Then there is no chance. I think the federal government is safely intact.

The purpose of the state is administrative. The Constitution lays out the basic framework for how and who administers what and who creates laws.

Quote by ElCoco

The US and the UK governments administrate. The UK government is sometimes called "the nanny state." That's a degree of administration I'd like to visit but not live in.

The US is a nanny state too, but instead for common folks it's a nanny state for big corporations and their wealthy owners.

Quote by ElCoco

The US and the UK governments administrate. The UK government is sometimes called "the nanny state." That's a degree of administration I'd like to visit but not live in.

What!? You don't live in your Nanny's basement!? 😇

And surely, the GOP would love to give up their ability to legislate administer morality, homeland security, and give up administering the billions of dollars spent on self defense contracts to their personal friends.

Quote by ElCoco

The Biden (80 y/o) Administration has provided more than $76 billion in aid to Ukraine, $23.5 billion in military aid.

ElCocko thinks it's literally 23 billion in cash lol

Burn the system down, it’s built on poison. Start completely over from scratch. There’s no saving it.

Every time a constitutional issue is raised everyone argues what the founding fathers intended.

The founding fathers were racist, genocidal, and sexists. They had active disdain for the poor. The Declaration of Independence was written by a slave owner. The fact that we use them as the moralistic base of the country tells you everything wrong with it.

It’s unfixable, and frankly we don’t have any time left. We’re staring down the barrel of annihilation. Climate chaos and food/water scarcity is all but guaranteed for our young generations, the only question is when the shit will hit the fan.

Quote by ElCoco

The Department of Veterans Affairs serves a select group. Since its purpose is to provide lifetime care for veterans, it would fit in the DOD.

That makes little sense IMO. Caring for citizens with certain benefits, some disabled and/or traumatized, and defending a country against foreign aggressors are two vastly different things, each requiring completely different expertise and skills.

Quote by Ironic

#1 That cure's likely worse than the disease.

#2 And when it's time for a change, we change the constitution.

#3 Amendments have fixed constitutional problems before, and they can do it again. If we don't have any time left, why bother trying?

1. I don’t think it’s going to be a choice. When food and water shortages hit it’s going to upend the system fast.

2&3 : This is a change that would need to be done by a large number of politicians. The politicians on both sides are selected, promoted, and work for the rich. It’s a money game, and the poor can’t play. When that truth becomes accepted by enough people, they will not act within the system to change it. They will topple it. It’s happened time and time again throughout history. The American empire will fall like all the others. Climate change and wealth inequality will accelerate this. The scary question is what will that revolution look like and will we be able to survive in a world we’ve upended?

Quote by Ironic

1. So burn it down first? Why do you see that as being better?

Like I said, it’s not going to be an option. What happens when there’s food scarcity and mass death? Climate chaos is a thing that is happening before our eyes. Unbridled hear, crop failures, unprecedented amount of natural disasters. This is just the opening volley scientists have warned us about. We’ve functionally changed nothing and it will get worse, fast.

There’s a limit the people will take, and they will not wait for a government designed to stagnate and unwilling to change.

Quote by Ironic

There's an epidemic of obesity in the US. What mass deaths?

Climate is something that happens over years. Weather is what's happening before our eyes.

What crop failures are you talking about? What unprecedented amount of natural disasters are you talking about?

People in Russia and China and other countries have it a lot tougher than people here, but they're not overthrowing their governments.

Americans like you are already complaining about the number of immigrants. Those numbers will only increase because of climate change.

Russia and China have tyrannical/authoritarian governments. The US does not (yet, maybe after 2024).

Quote by Ironic

There's an epidemic of obesity in the US. What mass deaths?

Climate is something that happens over years. Weather is what's happening before our eyes.

What crop failures are you talking about? What unprecedented amount of natural disasters are you talking about?

People in Russia and China and other countries have it a lot tougher than people here, but they're not overthrowing their governments.

What’s really concerning is how hard people will bury their heads to avoid the obvious truth.

This stuff is on the news daily and people still deny it’s existence. Scientists have pointed out again and again that the weather and climate are changing in ways it shouldn’t driven by pollution.

Crop failures are become increasingly common as a number of factors are rearing their ugly head. Mono cropping and factory farming is inherently unsustainable, these lead to soil degradation and really bad diseases without the natural biodiversity to counteract it.

Then you have climate change drying up water supplies (something farmers are screaming about and ignored). Last year Georgia lost 90% of it’s peach crop. Greece lost most of it’s olive crop due to extreme and unprecedented heat. Produce production in the America’s is down 20% from 10 years ago. These are all new stories on the front page of every non-republican news site

And I’m really tired of the 1950’s style deflect to how hard the starving kids in China argument. It’s dismissive at best, intentionally playing dumb at worse.

Quote by RowanThorn

It’s dismissive at best, intentionally playing dumb at worse.

You’ve reached the crux of the matter. Playing obtuse is all you’ll get from him and the two other posters like him. I strongly encourage you to take your genuine arguments elsewhere. They’re wasted on this lot.

Quote by Ironic

That doesn't respond to my point that there are other countries where the people put up with more problems than we have here.

True, because that part of your statement was rather blank.

Do those other countries not have a tyrannical/authoritarian government? Did those other countries see an attempt to violently overturn democratic election results in the past couple of years, like the US did? Do those other countries have as many guns per capita as the US does (in order to fight off a tyrannical government)?

Quote by Ironic

He posted, “There’s a limit the people will take, and they will not wait for a government designed to stagnate and unwilling to change.“

I reminded him there are other countries where the people take much more, so his assumption isn’t necessarily true.

That doesn't respond to my questions about the nature of those other countries.