Presidential Mental Disability

American VoicesPolitics ISSUE 32•13 Oct 29, 1997

In the wake of a report that Ronald Reagan's Alzheimer's condition may have begun while he was still in office, many are calling for a transfer-of-power provision in case an acting president develops a mental disability. What do you think?

  • “It's unfair to oust a president just because he needs a little help with decision-making, speechwriting and wiping.”

    Ron Nicosia –
    Locksmith

  • “I won't have you saying these things about Reagan. So what if he wet the bed, threw his mashed squash around the Oval Office, and cried all the time? He made this country great again.”

    Ira Rollo –
    Construction Worker

  • “If a president is forced to step down due to a mental disability, he should at least be given the honorary position of Secretary Of Friends & Smiles.”

    Stephanie Bullitt –
    Special Ed Teacher

  • “If nothing happens to the president's face, and he can still smile for pictures, there's no reason to get rid of him.”

    Sam Reyes –
    Systems Analyst

  • “All I know is, the U.S. was in good hands after President Wilson suffered a stroke: His Icebox-Tossing Act of 1921, which required every American to toss his icebox out his living-room window every Wednesday, was a landmark statute.”

    Mia Christiansen –
    Graduate Student

  • “I think a president's decisions should be respected no matter what his mental state. Unless he does something insane, like approve legislation increasing federal highway taxes three percent to create a $4.1 billion fund to repair America's crumbling inf”

    Geoff Hurley –
    Museum Curator

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