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There is a massive Confederate flag flying on private property but overlooking the highway near where I grew up in South Carolina. It has been there for years and is highly visible. I always sigh and have been angry and embarrassed seeing it whenever I visit home.
A court ruling recently deemed that the flagpole holding the flag needs to be taken down as the flagpole height of 120 feet is higher than the max 30 feet allowed by county ordinance.
As an aside, I agree with freedom of expression and speech, and any individual has a right to fly that flag or any others on private grounds if they wish. There are clearly people who do not wish for any of the LGBT+ flags out there to be flown.
The difference in my eyes at least having grown up in SC is I cannot say I ever met any individuals proudly flying the Confederate flag whom I would consider pleasant company. So, I'm considering this a small win from my corner of the world.
Taking the dogs for a biiiiiiiiiig walk, because they’ve been such good girls while Dad’s been working and writing all week. Happy Valentine’s day to Mia and Lady. 🩷
I was planning to publish an essay next week on the need for term limits and age limits, something that is broadly popular with all voters across the spectrum but obviously hated by party leadership. I even stumbled across a vintage clip of a town hall from Susan Collins’s first campaign where someone asked if she would support enacting term limits if elected, and good ol’ Susan said, rather sanctimoniously, that if elected she would leave office after her second term, to thunderous applause. She is now the longest-serving woman in the Senate, having served almost five full terms, and has not indicated that she is considering retirement at the end of her term this year. That’ll make SIX terms, Susan!!! 36 years!!!
My questions for the group: do you believe in term limits and age limits? For all federal offices (Congress, President, Supreme Court)? What would be the magic number? Keep president at 8 years (2 terms)? 18 years for everyone else (9 terms for House, 3 terms for Senate, 1 18-year term for SCOTUS)? More or less? Or something different for each office?
As for age, I’ll acknowledge it’s tricky to talk about. It’s not an assumption that everyone over a certain age is suddenly getting Alzheimer’s. It’s that we are observing the tendency for our system to concentrate power among people who don’t have a stake in the decisions they are making for the next generation. The average Senator running for re-election is 63.5 years old and will hit the Full Retirement Age in their next term if re-elected. And when people do have a mental decline, which is a natural part of aging for everyone, they are often the last people to recognize it. Putting the responsibility on their family or staff to pull the plug on their career is u fair to them, and can have disastrous results (might be a big reason Trump got re-elected). And the campaigns are getting increasingly cruel. I don’t think Trump deserves any sympathy for the mockery he gets for pooping his pants and mixing up Iceland and Greenland, but I do feel bad for older folks who have to constantly hear ageist insults as a normal part of politics.
How would that system work? Something like nobody can be elected if they will turn 75 during their term? What would you think would be best? I’m not an expert, i’m just trying to think of what makes the most sense and is fair across the board for everyone to have the same safeguard. And then of course retirement doesn’t mean you can’t have a role in government. Advise, speak, march, be a voice by all means. But enjoy that time with family, too!