Earlier today, Dianne Feinstein (US Senator from California) died at the age of 90. She was still in the US Senate even though it was obvious to everyone around her that her mental abilities had declined drastically. She refused to retire, and those who wanted her to retire were accused of "ageism" and "ableism".
Ableism? If you're in a position to make decisions that affect the lives of 300+ million people, and you're zoned out all the time because your mental abilities have declined, then you're no longer qualified for the job.
FDR was president while he was in a wheelchair. His mind was sharp. He may not be able to walk, but he was mentally able enough to make decisions in one of the most stressful times in US history.
Deion Sanders had multiple surgeries recently and had a few toes amputated. It isn't "ableist" to say he can no longer play in the NFL. But he is still mentally able to coach college football at Colorado.
As for ageism, well, if we had term limits for members of Congress, Dianne Feinstein would've been gone from Congress a long time ago. She was first elected to Congress in 1992. That was 31 years ago. If we had a term limit of 2 or even 3 terms, Feinstein would've been gone from Congress a decade ago. She would've been able to spend her last years in retirement receiving the best possible care without the pressure of making decisions that affect the lives of us all.
The U.S. Supreme Court should also have term limits. Currently, Supreme Court justices can stay there for life. Democrats were in panic mode when Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) died in office in 2020. She was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1993. If Supreme Court justice had 10-year or even 20-year term limits, RBG would've been retired before 2020.
But because RBG had a lifetime appointment, people begged her to retire before the 2016 election so that Barack Obama had a chance to appoint her replacement. RBG refused to leave, Trump won in 2016, RBG died in 2020, and Trump appointed ACB (Amy Coney Barrett) as the replacement.
In my opinion, Supreme Court justices should have 10-year terms. That way, the current president would be gone by the time that justice finishes the full term. And nobody can say for sure (though many of us, including me, make all kinds of predictions) what the exact political trends will be in 10 years. The Supreme Court justice, once appointed, can just focus on fulfilling the duties in those 10 years. No need for people to beg old Supreme Court justices to retire before the next election. No need for old justices to stay in office and hope to still be alive before their favored political party regains power.
Who knows, I might still be alive at age 90. There's a chance my mental ability might decline by then. But my grandma lived to age 91, and when I talked with her a few months before she died, she was able to engage in conversations just fine.
Either way, I definitely plan to retire long before age 90. At that point in my life, I just want to relax in my final years before I move on to the after-life.
