There should be a max age someone can be to be president

@sissy15 (12269)
United States
March 28, 2024 12:32pm CST
Another possibly unpopular opinion I'm about to state is kind of a run off of my last post. I believe that if there is an age restriction about how young you can be to be president there should also be one for how old you can be to be one. I feel like we need to lower the age restriction for how young you can be and make it so you can't run to be a president past the age of 65. I get people don't want someone who doesn't have a fully formed brain making big decisions for an entire country but the same needs to be said of older people. As we get older our brains aren't what they once were. People slow down and older people often become more forgetful. Not to mention it seems insane for someone who is about to leave the world to be able to dictate what happens to the world that is left after they have left it. I get sometimes they want to leave behind a legacy and make it a better place for those they care about but sometimes the world changes and they are trying to force old ways in a world that no longer exists. You can't always apply the way you were raised to a new generation because the world has changed too much for it to work. Sometimes you need to accept change and try to implement things that will work in a changed world. Not to mention as you get older your health declines and you may be leaving office before you had planned. There are so many reasons older people probably shouldn't be in charge of higher government positions. I know it's an unpopular thought but it scares me to think what these people could do at their age that could hurt the rest of us long after they are gone. I have a great respect for my elders but this is the one area I don't feel like they should be in charge. At the very least they should have to get regular memory tests to make sure they still have their faculties about them.
10 people like this
7 responses
@sabtraversa (12961)
• Italy
28 Mar
I guess life expectancy wasn't as high back when they wrote the Constitution. Thanks to Biden there's no way your opinion is unpopular now. Seriously, I haven't yet met anyone who likes him, poor Democrats. Setting a max age shouldn't be discriminatory either as there's a min age already. But there should be a law that removes a President from office for concerns regarding health.
3 people like this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
28 Mar
I don't particularly like Trump either. I have honestly felt very conflicted while voting the past several times I've voted. We need better candidates. I am not a Democrat or a Republican as I have views on both sides of the fence and I just feel we haven't had a good choice in a while. That said you're right they didn't have the greatest life expectancy back when they wrote the Constitution although that also makes me wonder why they had a minimum age because back then people were dying so much younger I'm surprised they would have capped the age although I'm not sure if that was set then or later. I also agree that there should be a law that removes a president from office over health concerns.
2 people like this
@sabtraversa (12961)
• Italy
28 Mar
@sissy15 I think if you survived war or childhood infections you were good to go, voting age was also higher compared to now for some reason. Well, that was about 21, not as high as 35. There are more than just two candidates, I don't know if the 'third parties' are any better as nobody seems to care they exist, but they do exist. It looks like the majority of voters are too lazy to vote in a way other than 'by color', not minding who the candidate is. We have about the same problem here, but I'd rather draw a unicorn on the ballot than 'figure out' who the lesser of the two evils is.
@TheHorse (205919)
• Walnut Creek, California
29 Mar
Biden's body is old, but his mind is still fit. Trump is a mess. But I assume you already knew that.
1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (85565)
• United States
28 Mar
I think Biden and Trump are too old to be President too. I don’t know if I wouldn’t make the highest age 67, the official retirement age in the country, but certainly not over 70 like these two. I know it sounds ageist, and I hate that, but it’s true. I wouldn’t lower the age to be President though. I want my President to have some genuine life experience before they run my country.
2 people like this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
29 Mar
I feel 65 just because they serve for four years by the time they get out they'd be close to 70 which is why I say that. as far as lowering it I don't mean by a ton. definitely no lower than 30. I feel like while experience is important there are definitely younger people who could handle some of those situations and who while young may still have experience it really depends on a person's background. I hate being ageist too but sometimes there's a reason to be concerned. I think there are younger people out there who know more than we give them credit and would be more likely to have the health to handle the stress they'll be under. Did you ever see how much presidency aged Obama? There's a lot of stress involved that I feel a younger person could handle but I don't think we should let someone in their 20s he president. I just feel we could lower it by a few years. I feel like older people do offer a lot of knowledge and experience and would be great mentors to Future presidents but maybe shouldn't be presidents themselves.
@TheHorse (205919)
• Walnut Creek, California
29 Mar
Yeppers. Experience is good. Cognitive decline is not.
1 person likes this
@kareng (54895)
• United States
29 Mar
They should be tested for memory at any age! The one in there now needs to retire or be removed because of the declining health and memory!
1 person likes this
@kareng (54895)
• United States
29 Mar
@TheHorse He probably can't remember that he really did lose, just won by cheating.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (205919)
• Walnut Creek, California
29 Mar
But he is still bitter that he lost the 2020 election.
1 person likes this
@kaylachan (57804)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
28 Mar
You also know, while the Us. requires a person to be at least 35-years old (if they are a natural born citician) or that plus seven years (if they are imigrats) Then you have men who are in their earlist, 50's before the thought crosses their mind to join the ovel office. And, that's on the young end. Many wait to get more experience under them. With the exception of Trump, and maybe one or two others. All of our prisidents also had years of militery background before trying their hand in congress, either on the state or federal level. So you don't have as many younger people viaing for the job. If you put an age gap on how old a person can be, before they can no longer run, that might mean we have far more unqulified people in the Ovel office, because they wouldn't have the experience. While this worked out well for Trump, other presidents benifited from this expereience.
2 people like this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
28 Mar
I understand that but I also feel that with age comes limitations. Yes, experience is key as is education which is why I understand not letting some 18 year old run the country (one of the only limitations I would agree should be in place for someone young just because of experience). I feel like after 65 a person's brain really starts to slow down and a lot of issues arise making it difficult for them to handle the office accurately. When I say lower the age requirement I meant to probably around 30. Experience is great but what good is experience when your reactions to things are slower and there's a greater possibility you'll die in office? I mean, it's true anyone could die in office but the chances increase with age. Yes, they have a protocol in place for that but you don't get to choose the vice president the person running for office does. You could like the person running for office but despise their vice president (I've had this exact issue when voting a few times) when someone older is running you know there's a decent possibility they could die while in office so it's important you like their vice president. There have been amazing presidents who have been older but I feel like anymore it's becoming a risk as I look at Biden and Trump both of whom seem to sometimes struggle with memory. Neither Obama nor Clinton served in the military and while depending on who you ask they seemed to do as good of a job as anyone could do and they were both two of our younger presidents. I feel like yes experience is a great thing that there are still people out there with less experience who could do a decent job. I also feel like a person who comes from poverty or a more difficult background would do much better than someone who came from a more privileged background because they would understand the general public better and yet there are a lot of presidents who came from wealthier backgrounds. No matter the circumstances there are always going to be exceptions to every rule. Maybe making there an age when a person can stop running for president would rule out some amazing individuals but the same thing could possibly be said about making an age requirement to run because as I said there is an exception to every rule but it also would rule out some people who shouldn't be running because of age. As I said at the very least there should be regular testing after a certain age to make sure someone is mentally fit to be president. The chances of someone's memory declining or developing dementia is greater with age. I wouldn't be opposed to having some of our more elderly politicians around as mentors for those running. I feel like older experienced people do have a place in the world but I also feel like putting them in office may not be the best place for them after a certain age.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (205919)
• Walnut Creek, California
29 Mar
Many of us want younger pople in power. Have you watched Trump's and Biden's recent speeches?
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
29 Mar
Sadly I have, it's a bit ridiculous. I read a whole article where doctors are concerned that Trump is exhibiting symptoms of dementia. They say Biden is showing signs of getting older which is better than dementia but probably a good sign he shouldn't be running either. They need to get some better candidates running.
@MarieCoyle (28710)
29 Mar
I've been screaming about this for years now. All public offices need age limits, AND term limits. Congress and Senate were not designed to be a career. We end up with people who have been in office for way, way too long, they are way past retirement age, and it's just time to retire! I honestly feel it's a power trip thing--they get used to being fawned over and the prestige that comes with the position, and don't want to leave.
1 person likes this
@sissy15 (12269)
• United States
29 Mar
I one thousand percent agree. I feel like the longer they're in those positions they also start to forget what it's like to be the people they're trying to represent. They get used to the money and power. Sometimes they just need to retire and let someone younger take over.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (28710)
29 Mar
@sissy15 Term limits and age limits, they need to be in place as soon as possible, with NO exceptions!
@Deepizzaguy (94626)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
28 Mar
I am in agreement with you about having an age limit for being POTUS since with great power comes great responsibility.