Why Congress Needs Age Limits
One complaint I have always had was that (almost) everyone in politics seemed way too old to “get it”. Looking at the data, I find this suspicion to be mostly true.
At the start of the 117th Congres, nearly 16% of its members had been born before 1950, and a full 38 (7.14%) before the end of World War 2. 36 of the initial members of the 117th congress inhabited earth while Hitler was still alive. Think about it.
Some more mind-bending data for you about the 117th congress:
- 40% born before any human object launched into space, not launching humans into space, just anything (Sputnik 1, Oct 4th, 1957)
- 50% born before the first American manned space flight (Freedom 7, Aug 5, 1961)
- 85% born before Apple was founded (April 1, 1976)
I am not saying these people are not the best fit for the job they have been elected to do. I am saying there is a large gap in what they have experienced in their life and some of the issues we face today and in the future.
There are benefits to having walked so long in this life. There are experiences some of us today can not even imagine. Coming of age in a time of MLK and the civil rights movement will change the way you see the world. Seeing those first space missions unfold in real-time will shape your views (Not enough to increase NASA funding, but I will save that for another day). There are lessons from our past that we do not want to forget. But there are also problems we face that have come about very quickly and that will impact us for generations to come.
Topics that will require some thought from our national government include internet privacy laws, global warming, cryptocurrencies, artificial intelligence, automation of work, cybersecurity, and much more. I think we all saw examples of this lack of any attempt at research or understanding when Mark Zuckerburg testified in front of congress.
We must have people that can grasp what are basic concepts for anyone under 40, I want more people representing us that actually represent us.
In the 2019 ACE Demographic and Housing Estimate, the largest share of the US population was in the age range of 25–34. The senate rules state you must be 30 yrs old to hold a seat and in the house, you must be 25. At this minimum limit, across both bodies, only 13 members fall into this category. A mear 2.44% of all elected members of the 117th congress DIRECTLY represent the majority of our country when grouped by age.
Another interesting bit of data is that the average age in the senate has increased in each of the last 4 congresses. We seem to be headed in the wrong direction. I thought this is probably due to too many re-elections, so I looked it up. Data compiled by Ballotpedia shows 96% congressional reelection rates in the Nov 3, 2020 election. This is insane to me, the odds of the people in office always being the best candidate for the job is statistically not possible. There are so many people in the US we need to find ways to make running for office more accessible for younger people who don’t have the connections or resources. Getting fresh, new ideas in there will help bring a true diversity of thought. (I will also explore the occupations of all our elected officials in a future article, this is another reason we have some of the issues we see today.)
I am in this younger eligible age range, 32 going on 33, and that at 25 I thought I could be in congress because I knew best. I also now know this was wrong, I was a young dumb mouth breather, and for the most part, still am. However, I am much better suited to make knowledgeable decisions today than I was 7–8 years ago. I do think there is merit to this and this accumulation of knowledge, experiences, and skills will keep pushing me forward to be a better husband, friend, employee, coach, leader, and person as I age. There however will come a point where things will be invented, new markets and economies will emerge and I will no longer be able to keep up or know what is what.
I don’t know when that point will come but it will come for us all. I think just as we put a minimum age on our representatives, we also need to put a maximum. There are things we don’t know when we are 20 that make us bad representatives and decision-makers for the country just as there are things we know or don’t know that make us bad representatives once we are over a certain age. There should always be improvements to the health and wealth of this country. This should extend the years of good health and cognitive ability, so this upper limit should be more open to change every 10 years with the census. Right now I would argue that 75 years old when you take your seat is probably a fair number for this limit. I think having a 50-year window to be in congress should be enough.
This would have only taken 11 people out of the 117th Congress but 11 more people of a younger generation could bring a new fire to congress and get things done that represent who we truly are. Also, note some of the 40 and under crowd in the house prove everything I have written here wrong and that sometimes younger just means dumber. I think the most divisive characters in the office today are at the extremes of this age range. Which scores 1 for the upper limit at least.
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