Published: October 13, 2008 05:59 pm            

KETTLER: Should it really be one vote per American?

Let me begin with this: I’m probably the most politically incorrect person you’ll ever read, if in fact you go any further.

You may disagree with me, and that’s fine; but if you can avoid a knee-jerk reaction and think about what I say, I think most people will agree that nothing I’m going to say is outlandish, unreasonable or unfair.

Let’s look at the principle of “One Man One Vote.” Sounds good, sounds just, the American Way, right?

Let’s consider the actual ramifications and look past the emotional appeal. We are told by the media that the 18 to 34 age group overwhelmingly favored Barack Obama over John McCain. The younger the voter, the more likely they are supportive of the more liberal candidate; the more mature, the more likely they are conservative voters. This can be attributed to the tactics employed. The more liberal positions appeal to the emotions, and emphasize intentions, while the more conservative one emphasize reason and results. Reason and results come with “life experience,” and youth just don’t have that advantage.

Let’s look at the life experience of youth in an effort to understand why, for the most part, they tend to be liberal. Their first 18 years of life is dominated by teachers, i.e. kindergarten, preschool, elementary, middle and high school. Accepting that 70 percent of teachers tend to be liberal, and as kids become teens, most would listen to anyone over their parents. Why?

I don’t know, they just do. Why are 70 percent of teachers liberal?

Well, they are still in the same environment in which they spent their first 18 years of life. Couple this with the fact that most 18-year-olds have been supported and taken care of by adults who have held a job, paid taxes, provided for, and been responsible for them. All this while the teen has come to expect “being taken care of,” is that not a liberal mind set?

For those teens fortunate enough to move on to college, it only gets worse. At the age where most people are becoming more conservative in nearly all aspects, college professors are liberal to the tune of 80 to 90 percent. Again, like teachers, they are still submerged in the same environment, and when given tenure rights are free to be as radical as they choose with very little consequence. Do many of these radical professors have an agenda to promote rather than a subject to teach?

We hear of examples everyday of an English teacher requiring essays on global warming, or an economics professor supporting some social moray not remotely related to economics. It goes on and on, and in college you are jeopardizing big bucks if you challenge some professors’ positions.

In short, should 18-year-olds be voting?

Not unless they are in the military or another national service organization, i.e. the Peace Corps or America Corps.

On the other hand, should everyone 21 and over vote?

Only if they are responsible adults and are contributing to the system and not living off it. What would be wrong with showing a tax return at the polls?

What about seniority?

It has always counted on the job, in unions and partnerships. Should a 49-year-olds vote count more than a 19-year-olds?

Think about these things, otherwise you’ve got the inmates running the asylum.

Now we are told that it is not uncommon for 30-year-olds to still be living off their parents. Do we want people unwilling to be responsible for themselves to be selecting our national leaders?

When you have more voters taking out of the system than you have putting in, you’re in trouble. As of now, only about half of this country’s adults pay any taxes whatsoever. Keep in mind, voting is a privilege, not a right — just like driving an auto, privileges can be revoked if abused. Anyone convicted of voter fraud should have their voting privilege revoked for life. A vote in ignorance, indifference, selfishness or any other wrong reason is far worse than no vote. So get informed, get familiar with the candidates and the issues, otherwise you are part of the problem.

President John F. Kennedy probably said it best when he asked, “ask not what your country can do for you, but what can you do for your country.” Which sounds the more mature and less selfish to you?

Remember, the right thing to do is seldom the most popular, and almost never the easiest.

Not everyone will agree with what I say here, some will be offended, others angered, but if you took the time to read this, then make the effort to think about it. I’m not trying to put down teens or teachers, some of each are brilliant. It’s just a fact that most teens rate politics and government way down on their list of priorities, if on their list at all.

It may be better if some of the rest of us with closed or uninformed minds felt the same way.

John Kettler lives in Greenville.

        

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