Maximum age for political office; two terms older than retirement. Your thoughts?

Retirement with full pension is currently age 67? (Or how many years of service?) Therefore, what makes the most sense is maximum age for elected office.
Maximum age of 75 y/o to hold the office of president (67+8 years) senate maximum 71 y/o (67+4 years) and house of representatives maxmum age 79 (67+12 years). Instead, to avoid confusion, a general maximum age of 75 years old should be applied!?
Feedback is appreciated. What do you think?

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SunshineGirl · 41-45, F

I was going to say I'm not sure how you could enforce a mandatory cut off in a democratic system, but then saw your comment about the minimum age being 35, which is frankly ridiculous. I think if candidates acted ethically, they would exclude thenselves from standing for office after the official retirement age. In most companies people will step aside from senior roles after that age to give the younger generation a chance and help minimise dusruption from succession planning. I suspect my view will be unpopular, but if you have not already made a significant political impact by the age of say 67, running for office looks a little desperate. I really don't think septuagenarians add a great deal to high politics. There are many better ways in which you can contribute to civil society.

exchrist · 36-40

Enjoy your retirement gramps

peterlee · M

Agism is rife on this site.

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jehova · 36-40, M

@peterlee okay that’s definitely a different concern than here is America. You say no one under 40 votes? That seems very odd to me; are they not having children? I’d say the issue is actually similar the under forty crowd feels unrepresented and choose not to vote at all. Definitely counter productive! Are there no under 40 candidates?
In contrast here in the states there are few candidates under 60 yet most people vote.

peterlee · M

@jehova extremely few under forty vote. And even less under twenty five.
Most of our politicians are in their fifties. Though more in their forties are coming through.

jehova · 36-40, M

@peterlee definitely concerning and the elder ocracy is frightening. Here in the states the president is 80 and shooting for dictatorship. Most of Congress is post retirement age. Yet my generation of approaching 40 are struggling while paying all the taxes these post ww2 era folk continue to waste on entangled alliances and endless war; it seems to equate to pissing contests with weapons.

hunkalove · 70-79, M

There shouldn't be a law about that. We should all know not to vote for anyone over 65. That should just be common sense.

jehova · 36-40, M

@hunkalove the current president was age 78 when he began his second term. Therefore might you agree that a candidate be inelible if they are to be 80 years or older during any part of their term? The exception being for a vp that becomes president.

hunkalove · 70-79, M

@jehova People should just know better than to vote for someone that old.

jehova · 36-40, M

@hunkalove should but wont

trollslayer · 51-55, M

I’d be ok with a maximum age of 80 for all offices, including judges.

Why 80? For the people in my life I notice a significant change cognitive ability around age 80. Sure some remain sharp and vibrant much longer, and some start losing abilities younger, but 80 seems like a median number from my experience. So my feeling is that one should be ineligible for election if he/she will have their 80th birthday before the end of the term.

And why have such a cutoff if voters can choose to not vote for older people? Well, as has been shown advisers and staffers can conceal age-related decline for years and hide that from voters (Reagan, Biden, Woodrow Wilson…)

jehova · 36-40, M

@trollslayer I can agree to this

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