Term Limits Needed
I love change. I applaud the youth as they enter the world of politics and take charge of their generation. Most of them are articulate, have empathy, want to make a positive difference, and most importantly, understand where the world is going.
The masters of the universe, that is, men who are powerful and over 65, believe that their way is the best way. They have made their mark, their money, and want everyone in the room, perhaps the world, to listen to them. They know better, having been there and done that, so heed their advice. The problem is that their advice is based on how the world operated when they were leading the pack. The world has changed.
My father was a bit like that. He attended the best schools in the country, graduated with a PhD at 22, but when it came to our education, he decided it wasn’t worth it so much. So, if you attended a community college, that would be fine. Arrogance is one word that describes this behavior, characterized by always believing oneself to be the smartest person in the room.
Look at our politics. Schumer and Pelosi can’t utter the words, ‘I will not run again,’ and they should not at their age. Biden should have. People’s fear that Zohran has never managed anything is well-founded, but when Cuomo took over Hudd at 36, he had not managed anything either. When Obama became the President, did he have enough experience?
An elderly master of the universe asked the question to a group last week: what will AI do for education? I believe AI will be a significant benefit to education. Fewer teachers can teach larger groups, allowing each child to learn at their own pace and follow their own curriculum. Fewer teachers means that each teacher can make more money. Wouldn’t that be great?
The supposed wise sage in the room said that the unions won’t let that happen. Perhaps the unions wouldn’t have caved to this 20 years ago, but the world has changed significantly since then. You have to continue to negotiate with unions (a vast, unfortunate, and powerful organization that cares more about the money in their pockets and maybe the teachers, but definitely not the students), which will be forced to shift in an ever-changing technological world. Things change, new people come to the table, period.
If we all listened to the been there, done that, masters of the universe that think they know better than the younger generation, who is willing to take risks and sees the world through a different lens, then how would we ever move forward as a society?
Term limits are needed, it is time for the elders to retire.