Blatant Age Discrimination

How old is too old to drive? 90? 85? 67? "Wait a minute," you say. "It should depend on the capabilities of the driver in question!" And indeed you would be correct. It should be that way. But the acting governor of Washington disagrees with you.

At last weekend's Daffodil Parade in Tacoma, Gregoire was planned to ride in a vintage car owned and driven by D.W. Brown, a 26-year veteran driver of the parade. But he was rejected by her office. The problem? He's 81 years old.

The governor's office was apparently concerned that an old person might have a heart attack or something. Because, you know, 40-year-olds never have heart attacks.

Mr. Brown joked about maybe suing the state for age discrimination. If I was a litiginous person, I'd definitely sue. The governor's office asked for names and birthdates of all drivers, not medical records or driving records (although, being the state, they probably had the driving records available to them).

The punchline? Gregoire walked the entire parade route.