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I don't think there should be a maximum age, let the voters decide.
For what its worth, I don't think there should be a legal minimum age either that excludes some adults, I'd say 21 would be a good statutory minimum to run for president.
However, I'd think twice about voting for someone under 40 or that would be over 80 in office. If there's a 30 year old with really good ideas and a really good head on their shoulders, I'd consider it. If someone was going to go into their 80s in office but was in excellent health, I'd consider it.
Then if that is the case how is 35 as the minimum age not age discrimination?
I think the courts have held that minimum ages are acceptable, but that seniors can not be excluded. I can think of lots of minimum age requirements. There is voting, alcohol, cigarettes, military service and more. Can you think of a job that has a cut off for maximum age? Anyway, I am not a lawyer or law maker, so I don't now the answer. I just said it may be.
I think the courts have held that minimum ages are acceptable, but that seniors can not be excluded. I can think of lots of minimum age requirements. There is voting, alcohol, cigarettes, military service and more. Can you think of a job that has a cut off for maximum age? Anyway, I am not a lawyer or law maker, so I don't now the answer. I just said it may be.
In Pennsylvania, judges can't run for retention and district justices can't run for reelection once they turn 70. They can still serve as a senior judge, which means they cover for other judges on an as needed basis.
Then if that is the case how is 35 as the minimum age not age discrimination?
Quote:
Originally Posted by miquel_westano
I think the courts have held that minimum ages are acceptable, but that seniors can not be excluded. I can think of lots of minimum age requirements. There is voting, alcohol, cigarettes, military service and more. Can you think of a job that has a cut off for maximum age? Anyway, I am not a lawyer or law maker, so I don't now the answer. I just said it may be.
[moderator cut: Please keep your responses respectful on this forum, as per forum-specific rules. Thank you.]
This is one reason - and one reason only - that the 35-years-old minimum age for President is not and can not ever be unlawful age discrimination.
The reason:
It's in the [moderator cut] Constitution!
[moderator cut] The Supremacy Clause in Article VI? The Constitution is supreme. It trumps all laws. It trumps itself, meaning that any amendment - such as affixing new qualifications for President - supersedes any previous entries in the Constitution, with but one exception as laid out in Article V - that no state may be denied equal representation in the Senate. (there was another exception, but it had a sunset clause re the year 1808).
The Constitution could be amended to require the President to be a 17-year-old left-handed albino female Zeus-worshipper and that - by definition in the most literal sense - would be constitutional.
Last edited by Rachel NewYork; 06-23-2020 at 08:58 PM..
Just as the minimum age to run for president is 35, should the U.S. state that the maximum age to run for president is age 70 (they cannot turn 70 before the election). If a president turns 70 during their first term, it would make them uneligible to run for second term. Even in good health, 70 + is too old for the stress of the oval office.
[moderator cut: The age of any participant in this thread is not to be considered pertinent to the debate. Please do not ask anyone's age.]
The amount of stress that a person can tolerate is between that person and his/her physicians, and I think we all know that stress is no respecter of anyone's age anyway. Everyone of any age from babyhood onward can be susceptible to stress and we have plenty of horrific knee-jerk reaction examples throughout history of how poorly many young adults deal with even minor stress let alone with the kinds of stresses that a more experienced oldster is capable of dealing with without blinking an eye. We only need to look around us right now to see how poorly and in some cases criminally and explosively that so many young adults are dealing with the stress of lifestyle changes they've had to endure for the sake of all society during the past 4 months of global pandemic. From what I'm seeing it's the elders that are dealing with it with the most dignity, patience and wisdom.
70+ is not too old for a healthy, stable, SANE person to sit in the oval office and deal with the stresses that come with the office. And if an old person is not sane and gets put into the oval office anyway then that bad mistake is a burden that rightfully sits on the shoulders of the people who put the president there, it's got nothing to do with the age of the president.
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Last edited by Rachel NewYork; 06-23-2020 at 08:54 PM..
I think I would support the limit to match up with social security eligibility date. And I am somewhat concerned with help but mostly concerned with making sure we can develop a bench of leaders. And if people have careers spanning too long into life - people who will be most impacted (by potential lifetime) by the legislation won’t have an opportunity to impact it.
[moderator cut: Please keep your responses respectful on this forum, as per forum-specific rules. Thank you.]
This is one reason - and one reason only - that the 35-years-old minimum age for President is not and can not ever be unlawful age discrimination.
The reason:
It's in the [moderator cut] Constitution!
That is why we have the amendment process for the constitution. I was not arguing if it was constitutional.
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