Wednesday, 21 September 2016

Flagstones



When I was young I used to give my age in half years. Saying, “I’m eight and a half” sounded more sophisticated somehow. When do we stop adding “and a half?” Next inauguration day, whether he’s elected or not, Trump will be seventy and a half years old. Hillary will be 69; the same age as Ronald Reagan when he took office. It’s been more than a few years, but I remember Reagan’s 1980 campaign, and what a big deal his age was then. Somehow no one seems to notice how old the candidates are today. (Okay, I seem to recall someone calling Bernie Sanders and old fuddy-duddy. But he’s 75!) The average American, willingly or not, retires at age 62. At that age most people would be lucky to find a job as a Wal-Mart greeter. But the people applying for one of the world’s most taxing jobs are already much older than that.

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