Tag: Old Age

Time To Eliminate The Congressional Gerontocracy

Gerontocracy? Yep the rule by old farts.

I have a pet peeve, I know I have many, but this one is paramount in our government….it is time for the reform of Congress to begin and please start with the amount of old farts that stumble through the governing process.

Let’s look at today’s Congress just a few things….Pelosi age 84 falls and has to have a hip replacement, then there is the head GOPer in the Senate, McConnell age 82,  who over the last few years has fallen multiple times that last time in messed up his wrist and now we have a sitting Representative that is in a care home….let’s not forget about the senile old fart that was over 100 years old and still serving in Congress…..

Concerns that elected officials in Congress are too old resurfaced over the weekend following news that retiring U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, 81, has been residing at a senior living facility, according to her son. Granger has not cast a vote since July.

On Friday, the outlet The Dallas Express published an investigation into Granger’s whereabouts, reporting that Granger (R-Texas) is currently living at Tradition Senior Living in Fort Worth, which provides memory care services. Granger’s son, Brandon Granger, said that his mother is not in the memory care facility, but he said she does reside at Tradition Senior Living, according to The Dallas Morning News. The outlet also reported that her son said she has been “having some dementia issues late in the year.”

Reacting to the news on Sunday, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) wrote: “Kay Granger’s long absence reveals the problem with a Congress that rewards seniority & relationships more than merit & ideas. We have a sclerotic gerontocracy.”

“American gerontocracy, on both sides of the political aisle, is an absolute embarrassment,” wrote the journalist Mehdi Hasan on Saturday.

The journalist Ken Klippenstein echoed these remarks. In a post on Bluesky he argued it shouldn’t be taboo for the media to point out when elected officials appear to be impaired by age. “Part of why the gerontocracy exists is because the news media is so squeamish about calling this stuff out,” he wrote.

According to a breakdown from The Washington Post in 2023, the median age in Congress has been trending upward in recent decades. Last year, 48% of all members of Congress were Baby Boomers, and 19 lawmakers elected to the 118th Congress are members of the Silent Generation, meaning they were born at some point between 1928 and 1945.

After the 2024 presidential race, during which President Joe Biden stepped down as the presumptive Democratic nominee following a disastrous debate performance that sparked widespread concerns that he was not fit to run, there was some reshuffling of the Democratic leadership on congressional committees which saw younger lawmakers take over. However, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), 35, was unsuccessful in her bid to be the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. She was bested by 74-year-old Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.)

Pod Save America co-host Dan Pfeiffer indicated that the thinking that drove some members to favor Connolly is also what was behind Democrats’ loss of the White House on November 5.

“Valuing seniority over political and messaging chops is exactly how Democrats got into this mess in the first place,” he wrote on X in mid-December.

(commondreams.org)

Time for this to be addressed……even the presidency is full of old farts with lots of backward thinking….this country needs forward thinkers not old farts grasping at the past.

Anything to add?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Getting Old Sucks!

It is Sunday and I usually post some obscure question or delight my readers with something entertaining….but today I would like to post on something that we all must go through in our lives….aging.

When we are young we do not think about grow old until one day you realize your reflection shows wrinkles you did not know were there and you start growing hair in places it did not grow before…..and when you get up from sitting and your body sounds like a bowl of Rice Krispies–Snap, Crackle and Pop.

I was doing fine until about 55 I broke my leg, 2 operations, then I lost 4 toes, then I was diagnosed with diabetes then I was told I have 2 types of cancer and then there is the treatments…..so when I say ‘getting old sucks’ I mean it.

Old age gives you a new mindset and of course the contemplation of one’s mortality…..but we can soldier through if we just rethink old age.

Whether you are a Gen Zer entering the workplace or a boomer entering retirement, there’s no denying the fact that you aren’t getting any younger.

But does the thought of growing old sting? Even though aging often has a negative connotation, it doesn’t have to.

Western culture tends to define aging as a gradual physical decline — associating it with aches, pains and a foggy memory — and becoming out of touch with a fast-paced society (e.g., the internet meme “OK boomer”). We are led to believe that our best days are a summit that will pass us by.

But when we look at the science of aging, fundamental pieces of this negative narrative start to vanish.

Alan Castel, a professor of psychology at UCLA, is an advocate for aging victoriously. “Our own attitudes about aging do influence how we age,” Castel says, “so if you think positively about what can happen as you get older, then you might be active and healthier, and you might live longer.”

In his book Better With Age: The Psychology of Successful Aging, Castel cites a study in which researchers used Catholic nuns’ diary entries from when they were in their 20s to determine their levels of happiness. Of the most cheerful nuns, 75% lived to age 80, but only 40% of the least happy nuns lived that long. The happiest nuns lived about 10 years longer than the least happy nuns.

Castel uses this example to support his view that there are things you can do today — whether you’re 25 or 65 — to live a happier, healthier and longer life.

https://100.ucla.edu/impact/its-time-to-rethink-aging

Getting older is not the end of the world, but it is getting closer, we need to knowledge the aging process and learn to cope.

That is all for me today….enjoy your Sunday and as always…..Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

North Dakota Has The Right Idea

But it does not go far enough.

I have along with others have been saying that there needs to be age limits on our elected official as well as the Supreme Court….it is time to get the old farts with old ideas into a nursing home and find some fresh blood for our leadership.

Tuesday’s GOP primary in North Dakota is now over, and the victors are celebrating. Nestled in with those announcements is one regarding a “high-profile initiative” that voters also passed: Candidates out of the Peace Garden State can’t run for US Congress (so neither the Senate nor the House) if they would turn 81 years old at any point during their term, per the AP. Axios reports that this appears to be the first state to impose a measure like this, with both that outlet and the New York Times noting the vote comes against the backdrop of the conversation on how old President Biden (81) and former President Trump (turning 78 on Friday) are as they run for the Oval Office again.

The ballot measure would effectively amend the state’s constitution. Still, lawmakers concede that the move will likely be challenged in court, as a 1995 Supreme Court ruling determined that states “cannot impose additional restrictions, such as term limits, on its representatives in the federal government beyond those provided by the Constitution.” Although there are age minimums laid out in the US Constitution—25 for the House, 30 for the Senate—there’s no cap on the max end.

Jared Hendrix, a GOP politician from Fargo who helped spearhead the North Dakota initiative, thinks his state is only the first to move in this direction, especially since US opinion polls over the past few years show that a majority of Americans would be all for maximum age limits. “I think it’s very possible that if we pull this off here, other states will follow,” Hendrix said before Tuesday’s election, per the Times.

This should turn into a movement nationwide….I feel it would be best for the country.

Term limits also means number to times they can run for office…making so they cannot skip to another election to avoid the limits as well.

Then we need to work on making candidates resign from their present job to run for another office….that could open up some room for fresh blood.

The country needs help and the system as it is now is absolutely no help….time to take a hard look at change….real change not some vague BS they call change.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–20Mar24

There is new evidence that the up and coming generation have nothing in the bank as they approach that magical time known as retirement…..

A new survey shows just how much of a struggle it will be….

A new survey on the saving habits of Americans reveals some stark truths for a large number of people:

  • 28% say they have saved nothing for retirement, according to the GoBankingRates survey. The breakdown for that by age group: 18-24 (28% have nothing saved); 25-34 (30%); 35-44 (35%); 45-54 (33%); and, maybe the most surprising, 55-64 (25%).
  • 39% do not contribute to a retirement fund.
  • 30% don’t think they’ll be able to retire, period.
  • Previous studies suggest that most US adults figure they will need between $1 million and $1.25 million to retire comfortably, per MarketWatch.
  • In the new survey, 25% of respondents put their retirement goal at less than $500,000; 25% put it between $500,000 and $1 million; and another 30% have it at more than $1 million. The problem is that most people’s savings don’t appear to be on track for these goals. The majority, 71%, would have five-figure savings at best, unless their habits changed. The survey is based on responses from 1,000 people.

This is sad news….but with this economy I can understand it.

I was fortunate that I had a sizeable savings but as the years tick by that wad of cash grows smaller and smaller.

Just thought you should know.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–18Mar24

I have been ranting for many years about the necessity for age limits in our public figures (all of them)….

Well North Dakota has stepped up to be the first (I think)….

North Dakota voters will decide in June whether to prevent people from running for Congress if they would reach age 81 during their House or Senate term, the AP reports. A signature drive successfully added the question to the ballot, Secretary of State Michael Howe’s office announced Friday, and while some legal scholars say the age limit would be unconstitutional, it could lead to a challenge of a US Supreme Court precedent that has held for decades. Howe said the courts may eventually decide the issue. He cautioned against “a blanket approach,” per the North Dakota Monitor.

“I think there are people who are capable of holding office past the age of 80,” he said, “and I think there are people who are not capable of it either.” The ballot initiative wouldn’t prevent current incumbents from running again. The measure could be an attempt to draw a test case to see if the US Supreme Court would allow individual states to set congressional age limits, University of North Dakota political science professor Mark Jendrysik said. The court ruled in a 1995 term limits case that states cannot set qualifications for Congress beyond those listed in the US Constitution, which says candidates must be at least 25 to serve in the House, 30 for the Senate, and 35 to become president. The Constitution sets no maximum age limits.

The measure “looks unconstitutional” under that 1995 decision, said Jason Marisam of the Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota. But a test case against the age limit would need a challenge, most likely from a would-be candidate, Marisam said, which may or may not happen. The chairman of the initiative committee, Jared Hendrix, has said the idea is to avoid cognitive and age-related issues related to elderly officeholders. The measure’s push began last summer during age- and health-related scrutiny of members of Congress. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein died last year at 90 after health struggles, and Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, 82, froze twice in front of reporters.

I say bully for North Dakota….but 81?

I think that is a bit odd….why 81?

My thought is make the mandatory retirement age at 65.

Maybe this will help to wake of the voter that old farts need to be a home rocking on the front porch and waving at passing cars….especially at 81.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

When Is Old Too Old?

We have a president that looks fragile and slow….we have the Senate majority leader who has had a couple of brain farts at news conferences…..the there is Feinstein, the oldest member of the Senate who is having health issues and cognitive brain farts…… these ‘leaders’ (I use the term loosely) are showing their age and their fragility……and now word has come out that Pelosi will stand for re-election….she is 83….

Nancy Pelosi may be well above the median age (58) for members of the House of Representatives, but the 83-year-old Democratic congresswoman has no intentions of leaving anytime soon. Although the former speaker stepped away from any possible leadership post in Congress last fall, Pelosi announced Friday that she plans to run for reelection for her House seat next year, reports the Hill. “Now more than ever our City needs us to advance San Francisco values and further our recovery,” she wrote Friday on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Our country needs America to show the world that our flag is still there, with liberty and justice for ALL,” she added. “That is why I am running for reelection—and respectfully ask for your vote.” Politico notes that Pelosi’s reelection run would “[extend] a 36-year House career and [freeze] her would-be California successors in a long-standing holding pattern.” Per the AP, Pelosi was first elected to the House in 1987 and became the first female House speaker in 2007. She became speaker once again in 2019, a role she served in until last January.

Too damn old!

Time for all these old farts to move aside and let younger leaders step into the fray.

Even so-called liberals are too damn conservative…..we have no leadership on the Left where great ideas come from and then go to Congress and die an agonizing death.

Time for that to change!

Thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Sounds Of Old Age

Another Sunday, another FYI attempt on my part….

I remember as a youngster getting chuckle out of the moans and groans my grandfather would make as he stood or sat down.

What is not so funny is now that I am an old fart I catch myself making the same sounds as my grandfather and my body sounds like a bowl of Rice Krispies…..’snap, crackle and pop’ as I walk in the early morning hours.

I am sure my reader has had a similar observation about the elderly that they come in contact with….but has anyone explained those groans and moans to you?

Well guess what…..I will try.

Haurrrrrrk. Gnnnnnh. Ennnhh. These are sounds people make when lifting heavy objects, removing a splinter, or suffering from constipation. But for many people in their 40s and beyond, they’re also the noises that come out whenever they perform the amazing physical feat of sitting down on the couch or getting up from a chair. So why does it happen?

In speaking with MEL Magazine in 2021, chiropractor Robert Hayden had a succinct answer. “Rising from a chair calls upon core strength of the abdominal muscles,” Hayden said. “The older you are, the more likely you are to have had those muscles ravaged by time; the muscles that would be used to pull yourself to a seated position from recumbent, or to a standing position from seated, are weakened.

“Sometimes, when straining with this kind of effort, people hold their breath in an attempt to augment muscle strength,” Hayden continued. “This may produce a grunting sound when breathing is resumed.”

Both sitting down and standing up require some level of core engagement—maybe not as much as balancing on a ball during a workout, but some nonetheless. By tightening the core, you may exhale with a grunt. Younger people don’t need to brace themselves in the same way, which is why a child can spring up from a sofa and begin dangling from a ceiling fan without so much as a peep.

But that may not be the only reason people grunt in the course of mundane physical activity. It could also be a verbal response to pain or stiffness that often accompanies aging. If you’ve been sitting for a while, muscles in your hips might be resistant to sudden movement. Letting out a nyehhh is reflexive.

https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/why-older-people-grunt-while-sitting-down-standing-up

Now that it has been explained do not laugh for one day you will be part of this phenom.

Enjoy the read and enjoy your Sunday….and as always be well and be safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Growing Old Sucks!

Closing Thought–31Dec19

My final thought for 2019…….

A friend on mine sent me this in an email and since Christmas Eve is a short day for IST….I thought I would share this for my old farts and for the younger so they can grasp what is ahead for them….

Some senior citizens are being criticized for the present deficiencies of our modern world; real or imaginary, present or past, foreign or domestic.     
We take responsibility for all our actions and omissions; we do not try to blame others for our past imperfections, ignorance or failures.

Our generation saved the World from Fascism, Communism, and Racism, while we raised the Standard of Living, Health Care, and Life Expectancy.


HOWEVER,  upon reflection   , we would like to point out that it was   NOT     senior citizens who took:

The melody out of music,

The     pride     out of appearance,  

The     courtesy     out of driving,  

The     romance     out of love,

The     commitment     out of marriage,  

The     responsibility     out of parenthood,  

The     togetherness     out of the family,  

The     learning     out of education,  

The     civility     out of behavior,

The     refinement     out of language,

The     dedication     out of employment,

The     prudence     out of spending,

 

 And, we DO understand the meaning of patriotism, and remember those who have fought and died for our country.  


 YES, I’M A SENIOR CITIZEN !

YES, I’M A SENIOR CITIZEN !

 I’m the life of the party . . . even if it lasts until 8 p.m. 

I’m very good at opening childproof caps . . .     
With a hammer.  

I’m awake many hours before my body allows me to get up. 

I’m smiling all the time, because I can’t hear a thing you’re saying.   

I’m sure everything I can’t find is in a safe secure place, somewhere.  

I’m wrinkled, saggy, lumpy, and that’s just my left leg; but I haven’t made my skin look like wall paper or snake skin.

My ears, nose, tongue, or naval haven’t been pieced with metal rings.

  
I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.  
   
Yes, I’m a SENIOR CITIZEN, and I think I am having the time of my life! 

Now if I could only remember who sent this to me, I wouldn’t send it back to them.


Or, maybe I should send it to all my friends anyway.  
They won’t remember, even if they did send it. 

Spread the laughter

If you celebrate the new year please drink responsibly and do not drive…..

Be well, be safe

“lego ergo scribo”

Closing Thought–10May17

Are you an old fart?

I am and proud that I made it to my 70th year.

It would seem that after a life of work and paying into the system that old age should offer some rewards….not so with this new Trumpcare thing.

There has been much written and much debated about this new plan coming from the cowards of the government….the GOP.

(if you would like to check out the plan before you comment)

Source: Republican Health Care Spin – FactCheck.org

Looks like us old farts will be paying more for our health care under the rules of Trumpcare…..I’m so glad you morons voted for this toad……

The words “somebody’s going to pay” are rarely comforting ones, and when they’re coming from the Health and Human Services Secretary, and he’s talking about whether health care is going to be affordable for older people under the plan he’s endorsing, they’re even more ominous. But that’s how Tom Price bats away concerns that this bill is really bad for older people.

In an interview with “Fox & Friends,” HHS Secretary Tom Price was asked about part of Republicans’ bill that widens the possible ratio of premium prices between young and old people from 3:1 to 5:1, allowing insurers to charge older people more.

“That’s going in the wrong direction,” Steve Doocy said.

“Well, it’s pricing for what individuals’ health status is, and that’s important to appreciate,” Price said. “Somebody’s going to pay for health coverage for the American people, and the question is how do you do that. And right now, what we’re seeing is that the current plan doesn’t work, because you’ve got 20 million individuals out there who’ve said, ‘Nonsense, I’m not even going to participate in this process.'”

Source: Tom Price admits older people would pay a lot more under Trumpcare, says ‘somebody’s going to pay’

This is great news (sarcasm) for nothing is more needed by a senior than a higher medical bill….

Now that I have depressed myself….I think I will take a nap….back tomorrow with more stuff…..chuq

I Feel Safe With The FBI On The Case!

Daily Agitator

First of all the title is…….. SARCASM!  Second, the FBI has been nothing but a political tool for decades….other than that…there are some stories in the news that deserve a special post….and this one rates that special thing….

We entrust our security as a people and as a nation to many agencies among which is the FBI….in the past I have said that it is a real shame that an agency like the FBI needs TV shows like “Most Wanted” to their jobs for them.  I mean there was one guy that had been on the lame for 20 years and he just got tired and turned himself in.  A cracker jack team of crime fighters.

But now there is a new “threat” out there and the FBI is hard on the trail of this dastardly criminal:

An elderly, grey-haired man known as the Geezer Bandit is suspected of robbing five California banks beginning in the summer.

The man, who is believed to be in his 70s, has been robbing banks at gunpoint in the San Diego area, FBI investigators say.

He most recently held up a Bank of America branch on Monday, demanding cash and then taking off on foot.

FBI spokesperson Darrel Foxworth said the septuagenarian stick-up artist is believed to have robbed four other banks in the county since Aug. 28.

He often wears a hat or cap, and was seen lugging around an oxygen tank during one of his capers.

Police aren’t saying how much money the man has stolen so far.

There is a $16,000 US reward for information that leads to his arrest and conviction.

Okay….re-read it!  The man is OLD and dragging his oxygen tank while committing the robberies…..

Now let us talk about it……if these idiots cannot catch this robber…..how confident are you that they can protect us from terrorists?  I have my doubts……you?