A growing crisis in American government is the rapidly aging political class, with a larger number of members of Congress being past 80 years of age, and Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer reaching the age of 83 today, August 15.
This is particularly notable with California Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, who is past 88 years of age, and is clearly demonstrating signs of dementia in many public situations.
Age discrimination is illegal, but once someone reaches past the age of 80, the danger of dementia and other medical issues multiplies, and the issue of Feinstein and of Breyer is alarming, even though so far Breyer shows no signs of decline.
But no government position with such responsibilities should be in the hands of an egotist who never knows when it is time to “pass the baton”, and clearly, Feinstein needs to resign, and Breyer needs to move in that direction before the midterm elections of 2022.
If Feinstein died in office, with the California gubernatorial recall election coming up in September, there is the danger that an extremist Republican hanger-on could end up becoming Governor, and then being able to pick a Republican to replace Feinstein, and making the US Senate switch to the Republican party.
And if Breyer died after an unfortunate majority of the Senate possibly returning to the Republican Party, no replacement would be likely, similar to the Merrick Garland situation and Barack Obama in 2016!
This is intolerable, and there needs to be an understanding that past age 80 or early 80s, it is time for public office holders to leave and allow someone else to replace them, as no one is indispensable, despite their egos!