By Ray Cardello for September 10, 2023, Season 21 / Post 47

This article is challenging to title as it is both sensitive and maddening. All of us have watched grandparents, parents, and even ourselves age to the point where simple tasks are no longer automatic. We have seen muscle memory fail, and even memories fade. In some cases, we have had to step in and make hard decisions that limit a loved one’s liberty for the safety of them and others. That choice may be taking car keys or, sadly, placing them in a facility to cater to their specific needs. The aging process can be cruel if we are fortunate to live long enough to get to that point, but the truth is, it is life, and sometimes, we need to face it and make the best choices for all. The circle of life can be both beautiful and cruel, and understanding it is not always possible. Having God and loving people in your circle will help guide us through this life path.

The life expectancy in America has hit a speed bump for reasons that would be a topic for another article. Still, our nation’s leaders are aging to levels never before seen in our history. Many still appear at the top of their game in their eighties, and others we know are shadows of themselves pushing on into their nineties when they should have stepped aside. Whether these people are on your side of the aisle or the other, you would like to think they have their circle of loved ones to help them see it is time to leave public life and enjoy time for themselves with their families.

Some of us see a need for term limits for many reasons, including preempting the hard decision to leave. Still, the other option is observing our leaders and using our votes carefully to ensure we have sound, wise leaders to guide our great land. We have seen in recent elections we cannot rely on the electorate to make the right choices, and Pennsylvania in 2020 is a good example. Not only did the voters elect a Senator who had experienced a life-threatening stroke and was clearly not in control of his faculties, but they also re-elected a candidate who had passed away a month before the election. Maybe we give the electorate too much credit to think they can make good decisions.

We are watching and wondering who is allowing Joe Biden, Diane Feinstein, Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, and even a relatively young John Fetterman to stay in office today but also announce intentions to run for another term in 2024. Whatever their motivations, they must be counseled to rethink their decisions. Those choices are not suitable for them and certainly not for the American people. Power changes people and attracts people who bring their own motivations into one’s circle. The political game in America has become a source of wealth for politicians and their families and staff, and wealth corrupts some people to look beyond the purpose of their positions and to allow greed and more power to become their motivations. I fear this is where we are in 21st-century America. Our forefathers warned us not to let the government get too large for its good, and we are seeing their fears come to fruition. Our government is no longer for the people but despite and at the expense of the people. We, the people, cannot be only a slogan but a cause to force us to retake control of our government, and that starts by using our votes to replace lifelong politicians and their machines. If we make good decisions, which is a very big if, we may save this incredible republic for future generations. If not, we become a part of the problem rather than the solution. We, too, have a good deal of power if we use it wisely.