No, I don't want to pass on any undue stress, but I do think the way to start this out is to tell you the truth. We will all die someday. Most of us don't know what day that will be luckily, nor do we want to know. If we are fortunate, we will have the opportunity to grow old.
My goal is not to bore you about me but it's easiest to illustrate what I'm about to say by using me as an example. I'm a 65-year-old man come this April. I exercise every day despite having severe joint issues. If you don't use it, I'm here to tell you, you will lose it.
My resting heart rate is 68 my blood pressure is 122 over 78. I do not take any medications on a daily basis. I have only rarely touched alcohol in the last 25 years, and I have not enjoyed tobacco for over 30 years. I would be healthier if I lost 10 pounds, although I tell myself I need those reserves in case I get ill.
My grandparents all lived into their late 80s. My father died at 76 of congestive heart failure because he was a two pack a day smoker. His brother lived into his 90s. My mother died in her mid-70s of a brain tumor.
So why are these things important? We all make a silent assessment of how long we may live and what the quality of our life will be, based on our behaviors. I figured that I should make it to 85 with reasonably good health, both mental and physical. I often forget names so don't be offended if I ask your name twice. This is not cognitive decline I've been this way my whole life. Ask me about a house I remodeled 20 years ago, and I can describe the whole thing to you, including what picture you had on your living room wall.
I have some very dear friends who are much older than I am. Bud is about to turn 84 and he just retired a month ago from his position at a local dealership as a courtesy driver. He needs help doing some things, but he lives on his own, still drives, and does not need help with his private affairs. I've known him since he was about 60 years old. In his mid-70s his cognitive abilities started to decline; I know this because I had those conversations 10 years ago with him. Another friend had the misfortune of her mother dying of Alzheimer's. Her mother was in her early 70s.
Now that you have all this backstory let me get on with what this is about. We never know when our serious cognitive decline will start. Sometimes it's slow and steady and other times it's fast and unforgiving.
There's a couple of hard truths about growing old. Usually, you're the last one to realize you are cognitively declining, or maybe the last one to admit it. The second truth, nobody wants to let go of their identity especially when that identity gives them so much power and control. Why, as a nation should we take such risks with its leadership that we depend on so much to get the problems of this country solved.
I agree that the best and the brightest aren't always the wisest till they get some time under their belt and discover what's truly important. I do not think any one person's lust for power should override the needs of our citizens to be safe and secure knowing someone is competently managing our country. I think it would be safe to say that only a person with cognitive decline could look at our present leaders and say they feel comfortable with their decisions moving forward.
Majority leader in the senate is Chuck Schumer who is 74 years old, he will be 78 when his term ends. Minority leader Mitch McConnell is 82 years old and will be 84 when his term ends. House of Representatives Minority leader, Nancy Pelosi is 84 years old and up for reelection this fall and will probably win. President Joe Biden is 82 years old seeking reelection. President Donald Trump is seeking reelection. If he succeeds, he will be 78 years old. I take the position that every one of these people is proof that power corrupts when you're old.
Furthermore, when you get old, you're the very last person to want to give up that power that's so deeply rooted in your identity. It is for this very reason that I think we should have an amendment added to our constitution that simply states no person shall serve their country in the federal government in any capacity past the age of 74. The risk is simply not manageable. When I say no person, I mean every position available whether it be elected or appointed or just employment.
This would give us stability in the Supreme Court since we would know when they have to retire, instead of waiting for one to die. I do not think a federal judge should be allowed to sit on the bench and make judgment on people’s lives until they die a natural death. These people do not own these seats of power. They belong to the people and they certainly do not belong to their corporate overlords, the one percent that I keep talking about.
The next topic is term limits for Congress. An amendment should be immediately proposed to Congress restricting any one person from serving more than 12 years in Congress in one’s lifetime. The term for the House of Representatives should be extended to four years, with half the house up for reelection every two years.
This would greatly reduce the corruption forced upon the American people by career politicians. Although the framers of our constitution were brilliant people. There is no way they could've predicted what has happened to us in the last 70 years.
Thank You,
- MICHAEL HUMMERT