Ostomy Memories on Gerontocracy

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HenryM

Are politicians really necessary? I speak here of politicians in a pejorative sense, as our current crop of self-important, special interest-courting, party-line hugging politicos exist these days. Notwithstanding our constant reference to our form of government as a democracy, anyone paying attention knows it is no longer true and, in fact, may never have been true. Lincoln’s oft-quoted line about government “of the people, by the people, for the people” sounded good, but has never actually been an accurate description of the manner in which the U.S. system has been operated. In today’s stark contrast between the haves and the have-nots, especially with a chief executive who pretends to be a man of the people but who is actually quite the opposite, Lincoln’s fine words sound naïve at best.
What this country needs is a GERONTOCRACY. A government run by old people would effectively eradicate many of the most obnoxious and corrupt aspects of our current system.
Old people selected to be representatives of their jurisdictions would not have specific terms of office. They would simply serve until death or debilitating illness incapacitates them. Constant preoccupation with fund raising and re-election would cease to be an issue. Lobbyists might even become extinct.
Old age is a condition which, because the elder has survived many decades of the onslaught that life throws one’s way, a respect for the human condition has naturally evolved over time that produces a degree of empathy and respect for others that is simply not present in most self-aggrandizing pols. Still, to serve in a representative capacity, because some older folks may not have learned these important traits, there must be a written and verbal examination that would expose and disqualify those unfit for office, and there must be a relatively simple recall procedure for outliers with inappropriate agendas.
Let the present crop of self-serving hypocrites go back to doing whatever it was they did before they got voted a place at the public trough. In a gerontocracy, with a minimum age qualification of sixty-five years to start, we’ll let our senior citizens apply their well-earned humane perspective to solving what ails our country.

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Bill

Hello HenryM.
I do like your reasoning in principle about a gerontocracy. However, in my experience, old people are generally only an older version of younger people. I have long argued that, in this modern era of telecommunications and online voting, politicians should be made redundant and the ‘people’ should be allowed to decide on everything via the technology available. However, I realise that even this approach is unlikely to be effective and fair, as long as the media outlets are owned and controlled by those who have a vested interest in an unfair society.
I have come to believe that we need a world-wide ‘constitution’, to establish the principles of a ‘moral-order’ for the human race, which is enshrined in equitable (fair and impartial) laws, which would apply to both the rich and influential as well as to the poor and disadvantaged. The UN declaration of human rights goes some way down that path, but it is often circumvented and ignored by the rich and powerful and it doesn’t go far enough in terms of moral issues such as greed, inconsiderateness, unkindness, etc.

It has always been a bone of contention with me, that the world’s religions have all (more or less) agreed on a framework for moral issues. Yet, they have not been able to influence the politicians to translate that into laws, which would control the likes of them and their cronies.
Most of our laws have been designed and constructed by the politicians with the backing of the rich and powerful, so that they are either exempt, or can circumvent the very laws that they have made.
I have been particularly impressed with the way that they have defined ‘theft’ so that ‘profiteering’ in businesses, banks, wages, rents, etc, are not included in this category of lawlessness. Thus, these people are allowed (and sometimes encouraged) to steal from others with impunity.

I have written many rhymes trying to express my views on this subject, but below is one from 2015 (before the Trump regime) , just to show that it was going on long before he brought it out into the open so blatantly.

Best wishes
Bill

WEAPONISERS.

Bully strategies don’t happen
only with the overt weapons
such as with a gun or knife
to ruin someone else’s life.

Of course, they’ll use the tools of war
for that’s what they have made them for.
But these are battle deciders
mainly used on outsiders.

The tanks and bombs and the arms race
would seem a must to be in place.
To defeat the epitome
of what they call an enemy.

But in civilian life it’s true
they still will want control of you
so, it will need a different skill
and this would look like overkill.

They have a need to dominate,
take the lead and then dictate.
But if they kill or maim us all
their basic aims go to the wall.

There would be nobody that’s here
to be the subjects of their fear.
So, they use other weaponry
to keep us all in helotry. (serfdom)

They have used hypocrisy
to weaponise democracy,
using laws with wile and stealth
to feed greed and excessive wealth.

But even on a smaller scale
bullies often will be male.
Using other forms of strength
to bully others at some length.

                        B. WITHERS 2015

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HenryM

One thing that Trump proved over the past four years is that things such as statutes and constitutions are worthless pieces of paper when ignored and when the putative enforcers look the other way.  As for the gov't by old people idea, we still have to deal with oldsters like Trump, Chuck Grassley, Mitch McConnell, and their ilk, so it's really only spittin' up wind, isn't it? 

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