Letter to the editor: Joe Biden and the Peter Principle

To understand Joe Biden, you must understand the Peter Principle. Laurence J. Peter developed The Peter Principle, which states that a person rises to the level of their incompetence. In a hierarchical management system, a person is promoted due to past success until they reach a level where they can no longer do the job. This is clearly an apt description of Biden and the presidency.

I don’t fault Biden for being old, as age is a relative thing. Some people are old at 60, while others can work into their 80s. Look at President Trump, who tweeted into the wee hours of the morning and the next day looked like he had eight hours of sleep. Biden’s mental acuity is an issue, but it does not explain all his blunders since being in office. I think Biden would be struggling with this job whether he was 58 or 68.

I am not trying to disrespect Biden. His family and Democratic operatives need to persuade him to go peacefully into the sunset after his first term, which will be the best thing for him and the country. It is wrong to insult the office of the presidency, whoever is in office, yet there is a time when we must accept reality.

If we elect someone for president in 2024 based on personality rather than policy, we may reap the whirlwind again.

Ken Barnes

Mechanicsville, Va.

The writer is a Brownsville native.