News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Ask HN: Should we have an age limit on running for office? by Mountain_Skies on Thursday March 19, 2020 @10:26PM (#22633964)
No. Candidate ages aren't secret and the voters have their chance to have their say when they vote. Age limits on lifetime appointments however would be a good idea as medical science keeps people living longer and often beyond the time of peak mental reasoning.
Re:Ask HN: Should we have an age limit on running for office? by James_Henry on Thursday March 19, 2020 @10:29PM (#22633985)
With this line of reasoning, would you be in favor of getting rid of the minimum age for running for office?
Re:Ask HN: Should we have an age limit on running for office? by Mountain_Skies on Thursday March 19, 2020 @10:58PM (#22634233)
As long as the candidate had reached the age of majority, yes, I'd be fine with the few minimum age restrictions that exist being removed. In the 18th century information spread slowly and very unevenly. If a 20 year old wants to run for the Senate and the people of their state want to be represented by a 20 year old, I'm fine with that. There's no hiding that a 20 year old is 20 years old.
Re:Ask HN: Should we have an age limit on running for office? by meowmeowmeowww on Thursday March 19, 2020 @10:38PM (#22634054)
I agree with this reasoning, but the two party system + our primary process means I have limited say in the options (and rarely like them).
Re:Ask HN: Should we have an age limit on running for office? by smt88 on Thursday March 19, 2020 @10:47PM (#22634128)
The remedy for this is ranked-choice voting, not legislating against the types of candidates you dislike.
Re:Ask HN: Should we have an age limit on running for office? by meowmeowmeowww on Thursday March 19, 2020 @11:06PM (#22634304)
Totally agree. I guess I’m just feeling desperate b/c I don’t see a path out of our current political structure. Maybe liquid democracy could overcome the impasse?
Re:Ask HN: Should we have an age limit on running for office? by smt88 on Friday March 20, 2020 @08:19AM (#22636928)
One of he problems with getting out of our political structure is that most people are afraid of too much change at one time. That’s why Biden will have won the Democratic nomination despite being significantly to the right of his own party. Even good change can be scary when you have a lot to lose.