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To view this on the COS website, click here [[https://conventionofstates.com/news/america-s-elite-ruling-class-of-dinosaurs|america-s-elite-ruling-class-of-dinosaurs]]


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====== America’s elite ruling class ======


Podcaster Joe Rogan recently offered a cynical take on America’s elite ruling class.


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|Podcaster Joe Rogan recently offered his cynical take on America’s elite ruling class, describing politicians as “narcissists, psychopaths, and sociopaths that have embedded themselves into the system.”\\ \\ “They all feed off each other and help each other,” he said, “and they’re all insider trading. When they leave office, they get paid to speak in front of bankers and make a half a million dollars. We’re overrun by sociopaths.”\\ \\ So true. Rogan only failed to consider one thing: //do they ever actually leave office?//\\ \\ In a system that rewards egotism over servant leadership, “experience” over public service, and theatrics over results, federal officials have become everlasting squatters in the nation’s capital. If they crave attention, if they covet the camera’s gaze, if they consume public resources with abandon, why leave? Why //not// make a career out of glutting oneself at a table subsidized by the taxpayer?\\ \\ The narcissists and psychopaths have taken over Washington, and they’re not about to decamp. \\ \\ Young voters often cite this as a point of frustration. Support amongst younger demographics for term limits and a maximum age cap for elected officials hovers around 90 percent and 80 percent, respectively. And it’s no surprise why.\\ \\ Our last president, Joe Biden, was born in the same year (1942) as Bob Ross, Stephen Hawking, Paul McCartney, and Muhammad Ali; he’s older than //Casablanca// and D-Day and was born closer to Abraham Lincoln’s second inauguration than his own.\\ \\ Chuck Grassley, a sitting United States senator, was born the same year (1933) that Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany, Franklin D. Roosevelt became president, and construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge; he was born closer to John Tyler’s presidency than the modern day. After serving in the House of Representatives, Grassley was sworn in as a senator in 1981 —  the same year that the original Donkey Kong arcade game premiered and a year before the first IBM personal computer was released. He has held that seat ever since.\\ \\ Next up in the lineup of longest-serving current members of Congress, Senator Ed Markey served 20 terms in the House before entering the Senate in 2013. He won his first congressional office in 1976 — the same year that Jimmy Carter won the presidency, the Eagles released //Hotel California//, and Sylvester Stallone starred in //Rocky//.\\ \\ Amazingly, the combined tenure of the six longest-serving members of the legislative branch (that doesn’t even include Mitch McConnell!) is older than the United States itself; the combined tenure of the top ten members (that doesn’t even include Nancy Pelosi!) is older than most of William Shakespeare’s plays. In the House alone, the top ten representatives have served a total of 204 terms, while the combined age of all 100 senators in the 119th Congress surpassed 6,200 years. Notably, just two senators in the ancient museum of dinosaurs were younger than the median age of the American people. \\ \\ The point is clear: American politics is plagued by a structural age problem. It’s not that older politicians can’t bring wisdom and life experience to the government. But when they have spent decades isolated from reality, they simply can’t claim to represent the common man.\\ \\ It’s time for term limits; time to forcibly retire those who would seek to make a self-serving career out of “public service.” The Convention of States application for an Article V convention to propose amendments limiting federal spending, power, and terms of office offers the best route to make that happen. Sign the petition below to show your support.\\ \\ #|PETITION_WIDGET{petition_tag:comms_blog_NA_09/23/2025_america’seliterulingclassofdinosaurs09232025;coalition_id:;anedot_url:}|#|


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|  __Page Metadata__  ||
|Login Required to view?  |No                  |
|Created:                 |2025-09-23 17:00 GMT|
|Updated:                 |2025-10-14 07:00 GMT|
|Published:               |2025-10-06 15:00 GMT|
|Converted:               |2025-11-11 12:06 GMT|
|Change Author:           |Jakob Fay           |
|Credit Author:           |                    |