Always Reforming

Celebrities from Taylor Swift to LeBron James to Brad Pitt and Leo DiCaprio  are once again out spreading the message of the importance of voting (apparently they feel that being famous qualifies them to have an opinion; alas, a platform is no replacement for knowledge!).  These Hollywood types are trying to rile up the youth (a familiar statist and socialistic tactic) of this nation, a demographic that is traditionally progressive, but that rarely votes.  Millennials especially have distanced themselves from the political process, despite being highly-opinionated and strong-willed. The message being propagated is that everybody has a voice.  Everybody, we are told, has not only the right, but the responsibility, to vote.  Everyone has a civic duty to help decide public policy and who our civic leaders will be for the next 2, 4, or 6 years. But is that true? Should we encourage every eligible person to vote? Does an 18-year-old, fresh out of high school,...

Last week I received (among the litany of junk mail that I normally get) a colorful advertisement inviting me to place the weight of my vote behind Mike DeWine and Jon Husted , Republican candidates for Governor and Lt. Governor, respectively, here in my home state of Ohio.  Now, while I'm a right-leaning independent, this post will not be discussing the merits of any particular candidate or party.  I'd like to explore why we vote the way we do. As I perused the tri-fold flyer, three thoughts went through my head.  Firstly, I thought, "Is it really that time of year again?"  I'm beginning to think it's always that time of year!  Secondly, I couldn't help but to notice that the ad was printed on some incredibly-thick cardstock.  It was a really impressive piece of third-class mail!  The campaign donations must've been flowing in for Mr. DeWine this year. Finally, I was struck by the audacity of the claim on the front of the ad.  The tagline, ca...