Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Diane Finestein
Date:	4/18/2022 4:45:18 PM

Who is 88, has concerned several of her colleagues with her memory issues.  Apparently, in recent meetings she has had to be reintroduced to people particpating several times during the course of the meeting.  And apparently blames her staff about not beling briefed on things that they briefed her on.  

So when this is made public, she of course insists that there is nothing wrong with her memory and that she is doing an outstanding job representing her constituents.  It's the recent loss of her husband's fault she can't remember er, stuff. 

And who jumps in to support her claims - why of course it is another 80 year old - Nancy Pelosi, who seems to struggle herself.  

So what is keeping Diane Feinstein insisting that she is doing a great job and not retiring?  She's a wealthy woman - but she is also elgible for her pension, having served over 30 years; her health insurance; and whatever other bennies members of Congress get as they go out the door.  Well, she wouldn't have the power, she wouldn't have people kissing her butt, or hanging onto her words.  

At what point should these people be barred from running again and shown the door into retirement.  She's far from the only one in Congress who is in her 80s.  I think we need to re-establish a mandatory retirement age.  I remember when there was a mandatory retirement age of 70 - but of course that went away when age discrimination was invented.  

Name:	wix -	Reply
Subject:	Question??
Date:	4/18/2022 6:30:06 PM

Do Fed Gubment employees have a max age retirement law?  Does their retirement program base on service years, age, or both?  Not picking, just don’t know…

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Question??
Date:	4/18/2022 6:54:46 PM

Not anymore.  Mandatory retirement was done away with.  But yes, retirement is based in part of your top salary and years of service.  The base is 50% and once you get around 40 years, it goes up to 60%

Name:	lucky67 -	Reply
Subject:	Question??
Date:	4/18/2022 7:10:49 PM

I should have skipped the army & run for Congress in 1971-- I'd be a multi millionnaire 

Name:	wix -	Reply
Subject:	Good Lord!!
Date:	4/18/2022 7:20:21 PM

So you are saying Fed Gubment could be run by 90 year old slimy politicians, AND 90 yr old GS12s who have been ruining everything they touched for 60 years!  I really did not realize that.

Name:	MrHodja -	Reply
Subject:	Diane Finestein
Date:	4/18/2022 8:14:56 PM

A long time ago I thought 70 year olds shouldn't be allowed to drive.  As I "matured" and looked around at what was going on around me,  and more importantly what was going on inside me, I realized that people lose cognitive and memory functions at different ages.  I also learned that the more a person is involved with activities that require reasoning, deduction, remembering, and other such "cerebral" things, the more that person avoids his or her grey cells getting crusty and/or becoming non-functional.  That is a big reason I still work.  There is a history of dementia in my family on my Mother's side, and I will do everything I can to not follow in their footsteps.

My work environment requires constant assessing, recalling management fundamentals and lessons learned over almost 55 years since I left college, devising ways to make people agree to a particular course of action, and teaching younger folks how to be effective workers. I did "retire" for several months about seven years ago and could tell (and my family observed the same as well), that I was losing the mental edge.  Thank God, a former customer called me one day needing help and I joyfully jumped back into the fray.  My one-person LLC just got another six month contract extension, so it looks like we will keep on keeping on as long as the inhales and exhales keep coming.

Back to the subject that started this thread, if I am not mistaken Chuck Grassley of Iowa is about the same age as Feinstein and he is sharp as a tack.  I only hope to be in half as good a shape at 88 as he is now!

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Diane Finestein
Date:	4/19/2022 8:37:16 AM

Well, you raise a good point.  Not everyone ages mentally at the same rate.  I've known people who were forced to retire (back when there was such a thing) at 70, when the people involved didn't want to retire nor was it necessary based on their mental acumen.  But when people observe that your work is slipping and you clearly are struggling remembering simple things and you are 88, perhaps it is time to retIire and enjoy the grandchildren.  

Many years ago, I worked for a SES that was a nice old man, but when anyone went in to brief him, he would close his eyes and appear to be asleep.  It was disconcerting because it wasn't clear whether he was just closing his eyes, but was following the conversation or whether he was sound asleep.  A couple of years later, he was forced out when they brought a General in on top of him.

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Good Lord!!
Date:	4/19/2022 8:39:24 AM

Yes, it is true that there is no mandatory retirement at any age or grade.  

Name:	MrHodja -	Reply
Subject:	Diane Finestein
Date:	4/19/2022 9:44:48 AM

Funny you say that about the gent with the eyes closed.  When I worked on the airborne command post I briefed a retired four star Army general, Stillwell I believe was his name, who appeared to nod off during the brief, but every now and then he would open his eyes and ask a question that indicated he heard every word of the brief.  

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	Diane Feinstein
Date:	4/19/2022 11:58:28 AM

The reality is that being a Senator is a pretty cushy job with all sorts of perks like insider trading information that her husband has used to get them millions of dollars of additional wealth....probably tens of millions.  Kind of hard to give up that power and wealth-generating ability once you have it.  For most of them the staff does all the work and they just preen for the camera.   Easy to do when you don't need executive function....which is why I have never liked former Senators as President.  

Name:	Talullahhound -	Reply
Subject:	Diane Feinstein
Date:	4/19/2022 2:00:43 PM

There has got to be a reason why people fight over a job that pays $176K a year.  I have a feeling there are even more perks than we can we know about.  

Name:	MartiniMan -	Reply
Subject:	Diane Feinstein
Date:	4/19/2022 2:12:55 PM

There's a reason people go to Congress as paupers and if they manage to stay there any length of time they become multimillionaires.  I firmly believe it is primarly because of insider trading and other sweetheart deals that are not available to ordinary American investors.  Corporations buy influence by giving them inside information that allows them to cash in on their position.  And it must be worth it because the quid pro quo makes it worth it.