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Kitchen Table Kibitzing September 20, 2026 [1]

['Side Pocket', 'Liberal Thinking', 'Dan K']

Date: 2026-09-20  

Too Old

The median age in United States is 38.7, as per 2019-2023 ACS 5 -Year Estimates. Of the total population, 18.24% were under the age of 15, 19.79% aged 15 to 29, 45.14% aged 30 to 64, 14.93% aged 65 to 84, and 1.92% were 85 years of age and older. About 722,000 people alive today are aged 100 or older, according to United Nations population projections for 2024.

When I was a kid (1950s), when anyone reached 100 years old, they received an actual letter of congratulation from the President, and the local paper made a big deal about it. Around here in the obituaries there are always several people, mostly women, who lived more than 100 years.

Methuselah lived for 969 years but it’s possible the decimal point after the 6 was dropped at some point. Oh, wait, the decimal point wasn’t invented till later. According to research, a man named Giovanni Bianchini invented a system of decimal fractions in the 1440s, which he used in metrology and spherical astronomy.

Aging often slows mental sharpness, but Warren Buffet is 96 and finally stepped down from managing Berkshire Hathaway. Ethel Caterham, who became the world’s oldest living person last year, celebrated her 117th birthday on Friday, Aug. 21. So there’s that.

Chuck Grassley, 92, is third in the line of presidential succession, following the Vice President of the United States and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. So we can relax, right?

The oldest player at our pool hall is 94. I win…..sometimes.

AI is researching extending human lives, or so they say. So that promises an ever lengthening human lifespan, if AI has our best interests at heart. Does AI have a heart?

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/9/20/800100943/community/kitchen-table-kibitzing-septe/

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