should there be an age requirement for prez of U.S.?

[Adagio]

I don't see why there should be an age requirement for being pres. I trust old guys just as little as young guys

[Winston]

I'm in favour of both the age and GOP requirements.

[DRoseDARs]

Originally posted by Winston
I'm in favour of both the age and GOP requirements.

I agree. At a minimum, a candidate should be 35 or better and if they are a member of the Republican party, they should be required to go through extensive psychological evaluations before being allowed to hold sharp scissors.

[molly bloom]

A mental age requirement.


That should rule out any more linguistically challenged chimpanzees and accident prone gum chewers.

[Sandman]

Scrap the age limit, and scrap the requirement to be born in the USA as well.

[Proteus_MST]

I don´t think an age requirement might be necessary,
but an IQ requirement would be nice.
Something like at least 110-120 on the WSAT Scale.

May have prevented some people from becoming president

[Lancer]

Douglas Adams had some nutjob in a hut on some remote planet as galactic president. It worked because he had no agenda, no cronies, no profit motive, and it was funny to boot.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Lancer
Come and eat rice with us.

And pork! Philippino pork is delicious. --And there's always the occasional tourist.

[Darius871]

Wasn't there some crappy kids book about this very topic?

[Lancer]

Originally posted by Zkribbler


And pork! Philippino pork is delicious. --And there's always the occasional tourist.

It's only Sloww, no pork or fat tourists for him!

[Traianvs]

Originally posted by Dis
nuke special interest groups. I like that idea.

Speaking of, election campaigns should be publically funded (I have no idea why they aren't), no campaign contributions whatsoever.

Yes, totally!

PS: Talking about the second bit, the first is a bit too for me

[OzzyKP]

I think you all know my opinion on the OP so I don't need to explain which option I voted for in the poll. But I'll address the comment about special interests.

We are all special interests. Everyone hears the word "special interest" and they think of some evil, shadowy corporation with briefcases full of money, but that isn't how it works.

If you have a pot hole on your street and you talk to a few of your neighbors about it and you guys decide to all go to the city council and complain, surprise, you're a "special interest".

"Special interests" are how we communicate with the government. They are essential to a healthy democracy. Read deToqueville. Democracy requires more than just showing up to vote once every year or two. You need to maintain contact and influence on the government between votes as well. Hell, even if all you do is vote, how do you decide who to vote for? You have a busy life and aren't going to call up the city/state/federal clerk to get everyone's full voting record to sift through. Special interests do that work for you.

You sign up with the group who align with your interests (Sierra Club, ACLU, NRA, etc) and they'll let you know exactly how they voted on issues you care about. Plus they make it easier to make your voice heard between election days as well. Who to call, when to call, what bills are coming up for a vote, etc.

Special interests help lawmakers too. Most lawmakers are not policy wonks. Even the good ones might only know about a handful of issues, but if you are an elected official you are asked to decide on hundreds of different issues. You need to know what the facts are and what the people in your district think about the issue and how they will be affected by it.

All special interests provide this valuable service. Whether they are citizen groups like the ACLU or corporate interests, they have a stake in this society and an area of expertise that helps those in power make decisions.

As for public financing... you guys think politicians are corrupt so you are going to let these corrupt politicians decide how to fund campaigns from the public coffers? Have you seen how biased, partisan and corrupt gerrymandering district lines has become? Giving politicians the keys to their own funding will just result in their finding any way possible to help themselves and hurt their opponents. Lets keep that power with the people.

[Darius871]

Kids are irrational and uninformed fools that shouldn't get anywhere near the level of responsibility conferred by the Presidency. I wouldn't even be comfortable with their insidious influence polluting the ballot box.

[Provost Harrison]

But is age a suitable prerequisite? I've come across people more wise and capable at 15 than some at 50. In the end it ends up being very arbitrary.

[Japher]

My God... I can't imagine Sloww and Lancer in the same room. Well, I can, but it's not pleasant.