Chuck Norris' latest message to the U.S. electorate: John McCain is too old to be president. He even offered up some hare-brained math formula as scientific evidence to prove that Senator McCain would, in fact, die while in office.
Suffice it to say that I found Mr. Norris' message to be...how shall I say...underwhelming. And disappointing. Such ignorant and benighted comments are the reason that American society considers the word "old" to be pejorative. Personally (and perhaps this is because I have more daily exposure to seniors than the average person because of the concentration of my law practice), I find the experience and reflective thought that seniors bring to our everyday life to be highly beneficial to America and it's hard to imagine where our country would be without the counsel of the over-65 crowd. In other words, I do not think words like "old", "senior" and "elderly" are bad words. In fact, I honestly look forward to the day when I can draw on such an enormous wealth of wisdom and experience to apply to my personal and professional life.
No, seniors may not have the physical stamina and endurance that they once had (although I have many clients who are inspiring exceptions to that general rule). But I would argue that the wisdom and insight that seniors bring to leadership positions, whether in government, the private sector or charitable and community organizations, more than makes up for any physiological shortcomings.
In any case, Mr. Norris will be happy to know that I don't plan to vote for Senator McCain if he ends up being the Republican nominee in November, but it most assuredly will not be because I think he is too old for the job.
If you are elderly and living in the community, or if you have a loved one who is elderly and they are feeling the pinch of recent increases in food prices then it may be worth it to check out the eligibility rules for Connecticut's food stamp program.
