One thing many of us complain about year in and year out is the age of members of Congress.
The reality of that has hit again, with Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), one of the most influential Democrats in office, having suffered a stroke this past week.
Talking Points…
- Hoyer suffers a stroke
- Age is a real problem
- Analysis
Hoyer has been serving in Congress since 1981, which I believe is a problem in and of itself. These are the people pushing term limits for Supreme Court justices, yet they want to remain in their seats until they literally drop dead. To that exact point, Hoyer reportedly suffered a stroke over the weekend, and he is now recovering. He is expected to return to work sometime over the next week or so.
Hoyer's spokesperson and deputy chief of staff, Margaret Mulkerrin, broke the news earlier this week, stating:
"Mr. Hoyer has responded well to treatment and has no lingering symptoms. He expects to resume his normal schedule next week.
"Mr. Hoyer's wife and family extend their deepest thanks to his medical team."
And in case you were wondering, yes, Hoyer is running for re-election, which he announced in January, stating:
"I believe I have more work to complete on behalf of my district, my state and my country.
"I am blessed to have the good health, strength and enduring passion necessary to continue serving my constituents at this decisive moment for Maryland and America."
This is not a report blistering our elderly, but it is a report that is blistering the elderly in Congress. Lifelong politicians are not what our Founding Fathers envisioned. Congress was supposed to be a melting pot of society… the rich, the poor, business owners, and the like. The people representing their districts were supposed to have skin in the game, but that is not the case now. People get elected to office to get rich, and they get planted in their seats and stay there until they drop dead.
The 118th Congress showed an average age in the House of 57.9 years, while the average age in the Senate is 65.3 years. In and of themselves, those numbers are not overly concerning until you see the saturation of 70 and 80-year-olds in office that are driving that average age up.
In the House, we have 12 members who are 80 or older, 66 who are 70-79, and 56 who are 65-69. These are all people who would likely be forced to retire in any other industry, yet we continue to elect them to office.
The Senate is even worse percentage-wise. When the 118th Congress started, four members were 80 or older, with two of them being 89. Thirty members, nearly half the Senate, were 70-79. And there were 17 who were 65-69. So, the majority of members were over retirement age. Only two members were in their 30s, and merely eight were in their 40s.
Some will say that with age comes experience and knowledge, and that is true to an extent, but Congress is a different animal. Being a member of Congress is supposed to be about representing the people of the state and district. I think having a few elderly members in Congress is a good thing, but they should not be dominating the population of Congress.
The problem is that when you have a Congress that is dominated by retirees, they cannot relate to the very people for whom they are supposed to be legislating. How in the world can people like Steny Hoyer, Nancy Pelosi, and Mitch McConnell relate to millennials? Hoyer's statement about running for re-election tells us everything that is wrong. Being a member of Congress is not about personal accomplishments; it is about representing the people of your district. Sadly, virtually everyone in DC is there with a personal agenda rather than an agenda that will serve their constituents. They are narcissists who cannot let go of power… and the American people are paying the price for it.
