Kay Granger was first elected to Congress nearly 30 years ago. She served as chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee until she stepped down in March of this year. This week, her family admits she has “some dementia issues” and has lived in an assisted-care facility for the last six months. The last time she voted on the House floor was in July, and she has missed over 300 votes since then.

The average age of Senators in the incoming Congress will be 64-years-old.  In the House (meant to be “the people’s chamber”) the average age is 59. A majority of the Supreme Court is above or near retirement age.

Because of all the advantages of incumbency, over 97% (379 wins and just 11 losses) of House members running for reelection won their races this year.  That percentage hasn’t changed much due to the huge money-raising advantages of incumbency and gerrymandered districts.

We desperately need a three or four-term limit for House members and a two-term (of six years each) limit on the Senate. As our co-founder, Steve Forbes has always said: “A pond needs constant fresh water or it develops algae.”