Daniel Freedman: Should Jesus and Mark Zuckerberg Be Barred From the White House?

June 14, 2011

Forbes
By Daniel Freedman

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“Alcibiades, when I was your age, I talked just the way you are talking,” – Pericles.

“How I should like to have known you, Pericles, when you were at your best.” – Alcibiades

 

If instead of Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Tim Pawlenty, Sarah Palin, or any of the other likely 2012 presidential contenders, Americans could pick any historical figure (in their prime) to be president, the minimum age requirements for the office (you have to be 35 or older) would bar some of the favorite choices, including Alexander the Great, King David, and Jesus. It would also bar some of today’s young Americans whom future generations may come to admire for their creativity, like Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg.

The rationale behind minimum age requirements is that people (usually) get wiser with age, pick up real-world experience, and gain a mastery over a range of subjects. Young people, it is said, are more likely to excel in one specific area. In the U.S., the ages deemed mature enough for political office are: 25 for the House of Representatives, 30 for the Senate, and 35 for the White House.  

It does, however, seem undemocratic, and even un-American, to limit voters’ choices in this way: Why not let them decide if they want the “wise” 45 year-old or the “inexperienced” 32 year-old? And while it may be true that…

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To read the full article please click on the link below:http://www.forbes.com/sites/danielfreedman/2011/06/14/should-jesus-and-mark-zuckerberg-be-barred-from-the-white-house/

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