diane feinstein-r.i.p.

[Pink Partridge]

We thought of Pelosi but she's not black...

Correct. So she will be disqualified because of the color of her skin.

 

[TippyThomas]

I'm sensing a theme.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Many employers have mandatory retirement ages

This is illegal. Except in certain cases.
https://www.aarp.org/work/age-discrimination/how-to-fight-back/?cmp=KNC-DSO-WORKJOBS-WJ-AgeDiscrimination-General-NonBrand-Phrase-41182-Bing-AGEDISCRIM-AgeDiscriminationLegalAid-Phrase-NonBrand&&msclkid=de028a0545f1196e790def1269605c0e&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=WJ-AgeDiscrimination-General-NonBrand-Phrase&utm_term=employment age discrimination laws&utm_content=Age Discrimination Legal Aid&gclid=de028a0545f1196e790def1269605c0e&gclsrc=3p.ds

 

[wvjules]

CA would have homeless and drug addicts showing up to congress LOL

I didn't realize California was the only state with drug addicts and homelessness.

 

[soccerdad72]

This is illegal. Except in certain cases.
https://www.aarp.org/work/age-discrimination/how-to-fight-back/?cmp=KNC-DSO-WORKJOBS-WJ-AgeDiscrimination-General-NonBrand-Phrase-41182-Bing-AGEDISCRIM-AgeDiscriminationLegalAid-Phrase-NonBrand&&msclkid=de028a0545f1196e790def1269605c0e&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=WJ-AgeDiscrimination-General-NonBrand-Phrase&utm_term=employment age discrimination laws&utm_content=Age Discrimination Legal Aid&gclid=de028a0545f1196e790def1269605c0e&gclsrc=3p.ds

Nothing in that article references mandatory retirement age.

 

[Kwami]

A mandatory retirement age or term limits would require a constitutional amendment, anyway. Good luck with that.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Nothing in that article references mandatory retirement age.

OK, how about this:
https://www.natlawreview.com/article/mandatory-retirement-can-you-toss-old-guy-out

 

[Moliphino]

I recently saw an interview with Senator Grassley. He seems to have a good grasp on things and doesn't appear to in cognitive decline. The people of his state voted him in, and he certainly has the experience to do the job in his sleep. Many here say having experience is very important to being a Senator, I would say he fills that bill. So, if all of that is true you still think he should be kicked out of office strictly due to his age? Isn't that ageism aka age discrimination?

Yup. Decline can happen very quickly once you reach that age. Retire and enjoy what you have left and let some fresh blood into the senate.

 

[dioxide45]

Nobody, except maybe the president, is becoming wealthy on a government salary. Members of Congress make $174,000 per year and have to maintain two residences. If they're wealthy, then it's because they already had money or because they're making money from other endeavors, such as speaking tours, books, and investing.

Politics isn't something that just anyone can do. A good business manager doesn't necessarily make a good member of Congress. There's really not much overlap in the skillset. Consider what makes one good at business: making money, managing organizations, projects, and employees, and setting out long-term plans. How does any of that translate to government? The government isn't there to make money. Members of Congress only manage a small staff and they usually hire someone else to do that for them. I guess there's some long-term planning involved.

No, I don't want a bunch of wealthy businessmen and businesswomen running the government. We've had enough of that. I want people who know how government works to run the government. People who served as mayors, governors, and senators. People who can build consensus, explain policies to their constituents, deal with emergencies and natural disasters, and who can think about people other than themselves and their own companies.

The government is not a business and cannot be run like one. That would be a disaster.

Dianne Feinstein wasn't perfect, but she was a politician with experience being a politician. She was a city councilor and a mayor before she was elected to the Senate. She'd been through a lot and she knew how things worked. As a result, she got a lot done. I agree that she should have stepped down before the last election, but the people of California didn't seem to have a problem with voting for her again.

Actuall IMO, the government is a business. It has income, expenditures, takes long-term planning and employees. The federal government is the country's largest employer. If it was run more like a business, it would probably be run a lot better. Government does very few things well. In fact, most programs are a disaster with bloated budgets that are out of control.

Members of congress are making money from many other things than just speaking tours, books, and investing. They make huge hauls from donors and much of their investing is based on inside information they get from their positions within government and on committees. It should also be mentioned, that most speaking engagements for active members of congress are more or less to just try and buy influence. Is someone really worth five or six figures to come and speak at some convention? Or is the person or company hiring them to speak just looking to buy something else?

 

[Kwami]

Actuall IMO, the government is a business. It has income, expenditures, takes long-term planning and employees. The federal government is the country's largest employer. If it was run more like a business, it would probably be run a lot better. Government does very few things well. In fact, most programs are a disaster with bloated budgets that are out of control.

No, it isn't a business. The government is not selling products or services. The government is not trying to make a profit. The government does not have shareholders. The government does not have a board and chairman that can dictate the future of the company. A CEO can basically run a company as he sees fit with only the board to keep him in check. The President has no such power. He has to rely on Congress to pass new laws. This is nothing at all like a business. In fact, I think that one of the reasons businessmen struggle so much when they get into government is because they're used to giving orders and having them obeyed, but that doesn't work in government.

Anyway, I disagree with your last point. Take a look at utilities, for example. They're run by greedy companies that don't care about safety, access, or reliability. On the other hand, the government runs the Tennessee Valley Authority and it's been wildly successful. For another example, consider your ISP. We have a handful of greedy companies that set themselves up as monopolies in various areas of the country. When local governments set up their own ISP, costs go down and reliability goes up. You could also consider Medicare, Medicaid, and the VA. The government spends less per patient than private insurance companies do and it works great.

There are plenty of things that the government does well. Not everything, of course. But, not having to make a profit is a really big advantage sometimes.

Members of congress are making money from many other things than just speaking tours, books, and investing. They make huge hauls from donors and much of their investing is based on inside information they get from their positions within government and on committees. It should also be mentioned, that most speaking engagements for active members of congress are more or less to just try and buy influence. Is someone really worth five or six figures to come and speak at some convention? Or is the person or company hiring them to speak just looking to buy something else?

The point is that they aren't becoming wealthy because of government salaries. Their salaries are exactly $174,000, which isn't going to make anyone wealthy. Of course, insider trading should be banned. We probably can't do anything about the speaking tours, though.

 

[pens4821]

Correct. So she will be disqualified because of the color of her skin.

Not sure how these politicians get away with flat out saying they won’t appoint a person of a certain race or gender. Imagine the backlash if Newsom would’ve said he would only appoint a white man.

 

[Kwami]

Not sure how these politicians get away with flat out saying they won’t appoint a person of a certain race or gender. Imagine the backlash if Newsom would’ve said he would only appoint a white man.

I'd imagine that voters would be upset and they'd probably not vote for him in future elections. On the other hand, this promise seems to please a lot of his voters.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Not sure how these politicians get away with flat out saying they won’t appoint a person of a certain race or gender. Imagine the backlash if Newsom would’ve said he would only appoint a white man.

Biden did the same thing when he picked Kamala Harris. In Newsom's case it gets worse. Barbara Lee is running for Feinstein's seat, but Newsom has also said he's not going to pick someone running for the seat. IOW, not Lee. So - a black woman, but she's just keeping the seat warm, and not even interested enough in the position to put themselves in the running? That's offensive on so many levels.

 

[Lumpy1106]

Here's a very real, very scary scenario;
Newsom appoints Kamala Harris to replace Feinstein with an agreement from Biden that Newsom gets named to replace Harris. The Dems then flip the ticket and Newsom is the incumbent President.

yipes.

 

[Babs Johnson]

Nobody, except maybe the president, is becoming wealthy on a government salary. Members of Congress make $174,000 per year and have to maintain two residences.

it’s my understanding that when Joe Biden was a Senator he didn’t maintain a residence in DC, but rather commuted via Amtrak from Delaware every day.

He was such a good customer that the Wilmington, Delaware Amtrak station was renamed for him.

 

[Kwami]

it’s my understanding that when Joe Biden was a Senator he didn’t maintain a residence in DC, but rather commuted via Amtrak from Delaware every day.

He was such a good customer that the Wilmington, Delaware Amtrak station was renamed for him.

That's true, but he's one of only a few senators that could realistically commute. Almost all of them simply live too far away in the states that they represent.

Joe Bien wasn't very wealthy during his time in the Senate, despite serving there for 36 years. Almost all of his wealth came in 2017 and later after he left the vice presidency. Even now, most of his wealth is in the homes that he bought a long time ago. Forbes estimates his total wealth at about $10M.

 

[Kwami]

Here's a very real, very scary scenario;
Newsom appoints Kamala Harris to replace Feinstein with an agreement from Biden that Newsom gets named to replace Harris. The Dems then flip the ticket and Newsom is the incumbent President.

yipes.

Sure. Or maybe Newsome appoints Trump and then Biden lets Trump be president and he picks Kid Rock as his new VP!

I mean, if we're just making up stuff...

 

[BayouQueen]

Here's a very real, very scary scenario;
Newsom appoints Kamala Harris to replace Feinstein with an agreement from Biden that Newsom gets named to replace Harris. The Dems then flip the ticket and Newsom is the incumbent President.

yipes.

Oh. My. God.

 

[adkkev]

Here's a very real, very scary scenario;
Newsom appoints Kamala Harris to replace Feinstein with an agreement from Biden that Newsom gets named to replace Harris. The Dems then flip the ticket and Newsom is the incumbent President.

yipes.

“Flip the ticket and Newsom is the incumbent President “? “Very real, very scary scenario “?

These statements are some of the most ridiculous ones I’ve ever read on this forum.

 

[Ms.Minnie]

A mandatory retirement age or term limits would require a constitutional amendment, anyway. Good luck with that.

Exactly, this would also apply to Congress not getting a paycheck during a government shut down. This would also require a constitutional amendment. It should be done in both cases, but it will probably never happen. It's like asking the fox to leave the chickens alone while they watch the chicken coop. Unfortunately, probably wouldn't happen.

Yup. Decline can happen very quickly once you reach that age. Retire and enjoy what you have left and let some fresh blood into the senate.

I guess it's up to the voters as others have said.