Is Congress too old to be effective?

We can’t seem to agree on much these days. On just about every issue, Americans seem to be split down the middle. But one thing on which there is consensus is that our political leaders simply aren’t getting things done. Gridlock has become the norm. It seems our current system of government largely isn’t working. It could be because those we elect to public office are too old to be effective. Just look at those in positions of power. Our President is 79 years old. If he were to run again and win, he would be 86 at the end of his second term. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is 88, but plans to run for another six-year term. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is 82. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is 80. In fact, this is the oldest Senate in American history, with an average age of 64. That is nearly retirement age, but half of our U.S. Senators are older than that, and rarely do they fade away gracefully. There is no age limit for serving in Congress, but maybe there should be. Commercial airline pilots have a mandatory retirement age of 65. Perhaps Congress should consider similar rules. Because its clear that our current system just isn’t working that well.