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Our (US) politicians are literally brain dead
Ok, technically we don't know Mitch McConnel is dead, but he's not been seen for 4 weeks since being hospitalized. Especially with what's (not) happening in Congress, I honestly don't see any significant difference whatsoever. And he's still getting paid ($174,000/yr).
This isn't the first time. Kay Granger disappeared for months (still getting paid) until someone discovered she was in a memory care home. It's bipartisan: Diane Feinstein died in office, 90 years young, shortly after she kept missing votes for health issues. The two most recent presidents are over 80 and seem to be having memory issues in office, and 1/3 of Senators are over 70.
And maybe you disagree, but I think it reflects how out-of-touch the US government is. I feel that most of today's politicians aren't qualified to serve in a retirement home committee, yet they're serving in the grand Retirement Home that's in charge of a country with about 350 million people and $32 trillion GDP.
What's actually happening
Allegedly the people in charge of McConnel won't declare him dead because that would trigger a special election, where he could be replaced by Democrat Charles Booker. Except Thomas Massie, a Republican-turned-independent, would almost certainly win if the party endorsed him. My admittedly poor understanding is that the party doesn't like Massie because he doesn't always support Trump and has principles; this is definitely a weakman, but does anyone have a steelman for why a brain-dead (or at best, long-term hospitalized) man is better? I mean, it's not like Congress is doing anything anyways.
Why Congress looking utterly incompetent matters
The United States government is at least supposed to appear to the median idiot to run the United States. What are children supposed to think when they see their 90 year old "representatives" literally die in office? Gen Z is not optimistic (even about their own party, and these are the Gen Z who still respond to polls).
I believe that ordinary citizens consciously and subconsciously look at their leaders for how to act, so leaders' shamelessness trickles down and causes low-level institutions to decay. This isn't a new theory. Why work hard when your politician gets paid more to, let alone adequately represent you, not even show up (or show up last Thursday for 30 seconds)?
And old politicians in general can't really understand young people concerns like AI, social fragmentation, and the HR-ificiation of jobs. I'm not asking for every politician to be young, but for example, more than 2% of the senate to be under 40 and more than 0(%) under 30.
How to fix?
Elect younger politicians.
I don't know what we can do beyond passive, mostly ineffective support. But even party insiders, I don't understand why they don't back younger candidates. They obviously must eventually back newer generations.
Is every potential young candidate as problematic as Graham Platner? 26-year old Davig Hogg could've been the DNC vice chair but was replaced, unofficially for criticizing established (older) candidates for being "asleep at the wheel" (sound familiar?), officially (not a Republican cariature, this was the actual reason) to maintain a diversity quota.
Other countries
Although political disillusionnment seems to be nearly global, other countries have less old politicians. Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are a youthful 73, EU leader Ursula Von Der Leyen 67, Argentina's Javier Milei 55, and the 9 youngest current leaders are under 40 (the 10 youngest since 1795 are...too young).
I'm not sure why the US is so overtly dysfunctional in this area, or if other countries are more visibly dysfunctional in other areas. I'm curious if there have been very young politicians anywhere, and whether or not they've been popular or successful.
I am becoming more and more of a single issue “voter” on the topic of gerontocracy. In quotes because there is no party in the United States that is not actively trying to grow it and give more money to old people at the expense of the young.
In New York there is something called STAR tax relief for homeowners. Households making less than 500k/year get a yearly check that serves as relief for school taxes you pay as a homeowner. If you are over 65, you are a special citizen who gets extra money (means tested at 110k/year, but there’s no such extra relief for younger people who make less than 110k, and yearly income is not really as relevant for older people who don’t need to save for retirement, have probably already raised kids or don’t have any, probably have paid off a mortgage, don’t need to save for a kids college fund, have likely already accrued wealth such that income is effectively meaningless, I could go on). Why? Why do these people get extra money at my expense? It’s supremely unjust and makes no rational sense, other than pandering to a large voting bloc. Pure politics that flies totally under the radar. And our entire society is riddled with handouts like this. Combine this with falling birth rates, higher life expectancy, etc. I feel like a good 70-80% of economic malaise and existential issues facing America could be resolved or greatly ameliorated by just cutting this shit entirely.
Of course it makes sense, boomers are a massive cohort and old people have most of the wealth, and they vote. And for some reason young people seem completely oblivious as to how much of their taxes flow to the old, and suggesting you redistribute this somewhat triggers empathy and accusations of killing your sweet grandma. In some ways this issue is much harder to actively build a coalition around because almost all of us have elderly relatives around and we all expect to one day be in their position and wouldn’t it be nice to retire and have the government pay for everything when we do?
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