So here we are, just three old codgers doddering along while trying to make it through the day.  There is, of course, a distinct difference between me and the other two … those guys are seeking the highest office in the land, while I am trying to remember where I parked my car.

As the debate rages over whether “old guys” should be able to run for President, I find myself in a unique position: the three of us are in the same age bracket … Biden is 81, Trump is 77 and I am 79.  That being the case, my advice … one “senior citizen” to another … is simply this: give it up!

Both of those guys are well past retirement age, and they may not be aware of all they are missing out on: … the senior coffee at McDonald’s … the “Early Bird” dinner specials at Denny’s … the right to wear black socks with Bermuda shorts.  Yes, were they to withdraw some of us might miss their constant barrage of garbled messages and malapropisms defying interpretation but I, for one, could cope.

Difficult though it may be to discuss, cognitive decline is a normal part of aging, and is most common in people over the age of 70.  That said, as we go about deciding who we should choose to lead our nation in dangerous and tumultuous times, it is foolhardy to base that choice upon which 80-year-old we believe to be the most competent.

Personally, I think I still, for the most part “have it together” … but earlier this evening I found myself, once again, trying to figure out which of the three remotes will actually allow me to record one TV program while watching a different one.  I shudder at the possibility of a similar level of confusion and dissonance affecting the decision-making of the person charged with managing the nuclear launch codes.

Yes, I know this last is an “over the top” comparison, for the President would always have advisors and senior staff on hand to help manage decision-making in a critical incident.  But thinking back to January 6, 2021, I recall there being a goodly number of high-ranking government officials in attendance at the United States Capitol that day, and we know how that turned out.

It is hard to imagine a job imbued with more physical and mental pressure than that of President.  That said, one wonders at the lack of an upper age limit for those seeking that position.  In other high stress/responsibility professions, workers must retire before any decline in mental or physical capacity might endanger others.  Examples include airline pilots, air traffic controllers, police officers, fire fighters, and members of the military.  In addition, a number of states have retirement thresholds for judges. 

While the issue of possible mental decline in our octogenarian Presidential candidates seems to leave voters with a Hobson’s Choice, psychologists analyzing data collected over a number of years have some good news for us … they have found that a person’s character tends to remain stable over time.  This, for me, is very good and comforting news.

And it makes the choice on election day much easier.