Out With the Old
How old is too old? How long in power is too long? These questions, among others, have been raised in response to the passing of Senator Dianne Feinstein. After a term riddled with emergency absences and health concerns, Feinstein passed on Sept. 29 at the age of 90. During her lifetime, Feinstein was a source of inspiration for many, with a great deal of accomplishments to her name. Feinstein served as the first female mayor of San Francisco in 1987 and later went on to be a Senator for over 30 years (Associated Press). Despite being repeatedly asked if she would consider retirement, Feinstein resolutely held onto her seat, leading skeptics to wonder if age limits–and term limits–should be introduced to the Senate.
“[90-years-old] is too old [to serve in the U.S. Government],” Government and Advanced Placement Psychology teacher John Hangartner said. “However, [if an age limit is set], people are going to challenge that. If the people still trust the person and vote for them, [then] there should not be an age limit.”
Despite the fact that age limits would be impractical to impose, the fact remains that the Senate is aging rapidly. The median age in the Senate is 65 years old, the highest it has ever been (National Public Radio). This stands in stark contrast to the average age in the U.S., which is currently 30 years (NPR). With such a vast gap between the people and their representation in government, doubts are arising about how representative that government truly is of the general population. Furthermore, political views vary widely between age brackets, with only 10% of people aged 18-29 describing themselves as business conservatives, compared to 32% of those over the age of 65 (Pew Research Center). The discrepancy in political views between generations has major implications for such an elderly Senate, especially in such a polarizing political environment. Thankfully, measures other than age limits can be used to bring the age of the Senate closer to that of the average citizen, with term limits being another popular option.
“There are both [benefits] and [drawbacks] to term limits,” U.S. History and Advanced Placement U.S. History teacher Colette Dunn-Kottke said. “[They lead to] a better rotation of people in and out, [introducing] new opinions. [However], it takes a lot of time and experience to learn the workings of the federal government.”
While it is true that establishing term limits on the Senate would introduce a series of challenges, it is abundantly clear that the benefits of doing so would far outweigh the drawbacks. Imposing term limits would lead to new voices being heard, new perspectives considered and new leaders furthering social progress. Additionally, term limits would satisfy the issue of age in the Senate. Without a term limit, 98% of Congress incumbents maintain their position (Al Jazeera). Therefore, term limits would curtail the disproportionate presence of the elderly in the Senate, and invite more youthful voices to partake in the discussion.
“I always love encouraging young people to vote,” senior Nathan Brown said. “Youth voices are some of the most underrepresented voices in politics. If [younger generations did vote], we would be listened to more, things would be so much better for [us] and Congress would take us seriously.”
At a time when political participation is of utmost importance, the lack of term limits in Congress stands as a barrier to democracy. All voices, not just those of the elderly and the privileged should be both heard and taken into consideration. By mandating term limits, more equal representation can be ensured and a just world for all can be created.
