Gerontocracy is having a moment in America. The University of North Carolina replaced 73-year-old Mack Brown with 72-year-old Bill Belichick. An 82-year-old Joe Biden is giving way to a 78-year-old Donald Trump. The Las Vegas Raiders replaced 46-year-old Antonio Pierce with 73-year-old Pete Carroll. An 80-year-old entrepreneur named Larry Ellison is funding a teenage superstar’s journey to the University of Michigan.

At a time when there seems to be chaos at every turn in society —- real and imagined, America is turning to wealthy elder statesmen to influence every facet of life. They don’t represent diversity or the average American. However, they have succeeded in the past based on familiar formulas. Those formulas don’t seem to be working today with Mack Brown and Joe Biden retiring from their respective professions.

Bill Belichick is an unusual character and I’ve written about his leadership methods before. I don’t think it’s a good idea to put elder statesmen in charge when America is loaded with younger talent. Some ancient wisdom can bring stability.

I don’t agree with Elon Musk on many things, but I do believe America needs cognitive tests for those serving in Congress.

It will be interesting to see what happens with Bill Belichick in the upcoming football season. Ditto for Donald Trump.