Age vs Wisdom #245
By Hank Silverberg
Ageism
How old is too old to be president, or Senate Minority Leader, or Speaker of the House, or a Supreme Court Justice?
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| (How old is to old?) |
McConnell had a concussion in March when he fell at a Washington hotel and was absent from the Senate for a few weeks. He has never really been the same since.
There's a great deal of political maneuvering over when and if he should resign, as there has been with California Senator Diane Feinstein who also has some serious medical issues. She is 90.
Republican Presidential candidate Nikki Haley has actually made age an issue in her campaign. She started talking about Nancy Pelosi (83) and President Biden, who is 80.
Now she added McConnell to her list. Appearing on Face the Nation Sunday on CBS, Haley reiterated her call for a "mental competency test" for anyone older than 75 in Congress or the Presidency. Haley, who was U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. under President Trump, was specifically talking about national security issues and how other countries view our leadership.
"You see what happened with McConnell, you see what happened with Feinstein. We have too many issues going on that we need to start making sure that we do this. And these mental competency tests are easy. It's saying, 'say four words that start with the same letter. What city were you born in? How many grandkids do you have?' These are things that people should be able to answer."
Notably excluded from any of these comments was her old boss Donald Trump who is 77, though when questioned about that omission, she said everybody should take such a test and that she is willing to do so. Haley is 51.
I'm 68. Maybe I am not as quick and snappy as I was ten years ago, but many people are totally competent both mentally and physically well into their 80's. In fact, I am so alert that I can tell you for sure I would never want to be president.
But this issue will become bigger as the Baby Boomer generation continues to work longer and live longer. We need to judge politician's skills like everyone else, but I am not sure competency exams are the answer. Feinstein is not running for re-election. McConnell needs to retire. Pelosi has not yet announced her plans, but probably should retire as well. Biden has had his moments and Trump, well, he's been incoherent since he first walked down that escalator in 2015.
Biden, as President, gets regular exams and so far, his physician says he's healthy.
Trump? Well, we know he took such an exam during the pandemic and didn't do very well.
Haley has made this a political issue which is a bit hypocritical, since members of her own party have talked about raising the retirement age to 70, 75 or even 80 in some cases for those now in their 20's.
How is that going to work? They use a competency test to take our jobs away, but then we can't get Social Security until we are 80? This is typical Republican logic or rather illogic.
That said, there does needs to be some straightforward talk on this issue like the discussion many families have at the kitchen table over whether it's time to take the car keys away from grandpa. Not yet for this grandpa!
Transcript: Nikki Haley on "Face the Nation," July 30, 2023 (msn.com)
Mitch McConnell’s Senate Future Is in Doubt After Health Episode - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Nikki Haley calls for changing retirement age for Americans currently in their 20s | CNN Politics
Shedding Some Light
That old light bulb in the guest room lamp may soon be a collector's item. Starting August 1st, it will be illegal to manufacture or sell incandescent light bulbs.
Everyone will have to purchase LED or compact,
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| (LED, and fluorescent bulbs) |
The Department of Energy says LED lights give you more lumens, use 75% less energy, last 25 times longer than old incandescent bulb, and will save an estimated $100 a year in most homes.
The new bulbs cost $5 to $7 compared to the old type, which cost $2 to $3 per bulb.
The aggregate savings for Americans will be about $3 billion a year, and carbon dioxide emissions will be substantially reduced over 30 years.
Of course, not everyone is happy about this. Republicans on Capitol Hill have been screaming that it's government overreach and that it takes away consumers rights to buy the cheaper, less energy efficient, shorter life bulbs. (They apparently think we are all stupid.)
The rules are no joke. Manufacturers who violate the ban could face a penalty of $542 for each banned bulb they make or sell.
But don't worry. No one is coming into your house. If you have the old bulbs already in lamps or in reserve in a closet, you can simply use them until they burn out.
Light bulb ban: DOE's ban on incandescent lightbulbs goes into effect (thehill.com)
Baked Alaska
There is still more evidence that climate change is the real thing. Alaska, often called America's Last Frontier, is experiencing its hottest summer on record.
In Fairbanks, where the average temperature this time of year is usually 72 degrees, the thermometer reached into the 80's each day this past week.
Last Monday it was 90 in Fairbanks which beat an old record of 89 set back in 1968.
In Barrow (often called Utqiagvik) in the northern most U.S. city, typical midsummer temperatures are in the 40's. This week in the city 320 miles north of the Arctic Circle, it hit 74.
The other concern are thunderstorms caused by the weather changes. Last year a combination of hot and dry weather produced one of the worse fire seasons on record. Alaska's Division of Forestry and Fire Protection reported this past week that there were 22 lightning-caused fires in five days.
The North Slope of Alaska is one of the fastest warming regions in the world. Barrow has warmed on average six degrees since 1971, partially because of the loss of sea ice.
Historic Heat in Alaska (nasa.gov)
Even Alaska is facing exceptional heat with highs topping 90 degrees - The Washington Post
Dumbest Quote of The Week!
Many of the dumber quotes I post here come from national figures like politicians or celebrities. This week the quote is purely local here in Virginia where I live. It comes from the Spotsylvania County Superintendent of Schools, Mark Taylor, who was talking about using parent volunteers in schools to boost security after someone managed to get a gun into a middle school last spring. Board members had questioned how that would work. Taylor said there would be background checks done on the parent volunteers. But then he added this comment:
“We’re not picking them up at the southern border and flying them up to do this.”
Taylor, who many parents have complained is not qualified for the job, has run into all kinds of trouble with some of his suggestions. The concept of parent monitors is not that bad. But his comment cited above is racist at its core. Of note, the current Board that hired Taylor is loaded with right-wing MAGA types who want to ban some books and downsize public education.
Spotsy School Board addresses safety, teaching positions and facility use (fredericksburg.com)
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