Do you "talk politics" to your kids?

Be very glad you don't live in CA. We have 13 Propositions on the state ballot alone, a couple more on the local. The State voter "pamphlet" is 191 pages and weighs about as much as a small phone directory. Each one can take up 10 pages of explanation, fiscal impact, arguments for and against. That doesn't include the Proposition language itself which probably no one but a Consitutional lawyer can understand.

And they wonder why voter turnout is so low?

The girls know where I stand on issues and they know which of the candidates support my beliefs and which don't. We talk politics a lot around my house and they've been part of my activism.

The one thing we pay no attention to is the ads (from either side).

I hope that no matter what my gang grows up to believe, they'll be able to make informed choices and they won't be apathetic.

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Yes, we do talk some with our children about political issues and voting. I've taken my kids with me several times when I have gone to the polls. I think they know that Grandpa volunteers at the polls every year. I know we've discussed certain issues with our oldest (7.5 years) and as the girls get older, we'll include them in the discussions as well.

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I absolutely talk politics with The Ladies. My oldest (nearly 8) is well aware of where I stand on the issues. She knows who I vote for, and why I chose that person. She knows the party I will not vote for, and why their positions do not mesh with my beliefs. I think it's important to teach kids that knowing how to vote is more than simply knowing how not to leave a hanging chad.

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My son has known who Rush, Sean and G.Gordon is since he was six.

Understanding right from wrong and what "Core Values' means is a critical part of being able to reason.

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"My son has known who Rush, Sean and G.Gordon is since he was six...Understanding right from wrong and what "Core Values' means is a critical part of being able to reason."


Bad grammer aside - I am amazed that people really think that "Rush, Sean and G. Gordon" help people understand "right from wrong" and "being able to reason".

That was seriously one of the scariest things I have read all day, and totally the opposite of my opinion.

I get more and more worried about the state of the US - and of their place in the world - every day.

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yep, I went there,

It's too bad that you are scared of those who disagree with you politically. Whether you believe it or not the country is pretty evenly split right now, so you're scared of half the American population. Your real problem though is that your obviously left leaning beliefs are also responsible for a declining liberal base because of the abortion issues, as well as alienating a huge bunch of traditionally Democrat voters because of the anti-christian vitriol spewed by quite a few libs these days. It's getting so the very Christian African American, and very Catholic Latin American base, are being soured on such attacks on personal beliefs while nothing is being done in kind to the Muslims. The left's hypocracy on religion is classic, attacking the Christians, because they see no actual threat from that group, yet absolutely terrified of attacking Muslim beliefs for fear of actual harm. It seems the only people these days being truly represented by the DNC are felons, atheists, homosexuals and big time party contributors. The likes of Air America talk about Radical Right Wingers all the time, yet they fail to see how extreme the DNC has become. The only close to center person of any import in the party was just driven to run as an independent. JFK, a figurehead of libs everywhere, had many policies that fell right of many of the current GOP litmus test.

Anyways, just keep on driving voters away with people like Streisand and Sheehan, McCain can always use the votes against Hillary.

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Oh, and it's not nice to point out other people's grammAr...

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Wally’s Dad-

You start off your critique of “yep, I went there” by saying that they were scared of half the American population since the country was split down the middle. However, then you go and do the same thing. (And to be honest launch a much more bitter – and franly factually incorrect (African American support of the GOP is not going up… link to any numbers if you have them… and in general, I don’t see a lot of good news for the GOP in the upcoming elections)

So which is it? That we should treat political opponets with respect or not. You can’t demand me of someone and then spit in their face.

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Jason,
Those disenfranchised minority votes are probably just lost, not necessarily going to the GOP, but they might as well be votes for the right since they're not going against them.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20030712-104208-8767r.htm
http://www.aarlc.org/blackgop/index.shtml

But then again, I may be wrong about the AA vote. http://www.blackelectorate.com/articles.asp?ID=887 states that black voter turnout was about the same for the last few election cycles. There are a number of sites offering the voter numbers by race, but I'm yet to find one with actual party affiliation numbers, so I will have to say that my previous statement can't be proven at this time. It is simply heresay, based on my friends' comments and how they voted or chose not to. There are numerous articles about this, but few if any give numbers, or references other than unscientific polls, so I will give you that one. I do know that the current administration has more highly placed minorities than any previous administration, although some would have you believe that it's actually words that speak louder than action.

I have no fear of the left, or the right for that matter. I am a registered Democrat. I am a VFW. I vote Libertarian. I'm a card carrying NRA member. I'm a father who doesn't necessarily want to send his boy to war. I also don't want a school board telling my son what he can and can't learn, or eat for that matter. I detest the "nanny state" this country is becoming. I think the term "Hate crime" is an oxymoron. I hate racism, towards anyone, but I see no problem with patriotism, as it shouldn't be mutually exclusive. Both major parties seem to be all about "Here is what we say" and not about "Here is what we do". In other words, I hate to categorize myself as either left or right, rather independent.

It's getting late here, and I'm rambling on here. I just find it hilarious when someone who obviously belongs to a party that portends to be "tolerant" says something like "That was seriously one of the scariest things I have read all day, and totally the opposite of my opinion.", and they're usually the ones first to say "I can't stand those religious whackos, those homophobes, or those Boy Scouts." Oops, there I go, making an assumption, based on a sterotype, my bad. Thank (insert your deity or favorite founding father's name here) we have a bill of rights. Thanks BB for a fun blog, and thanks Jason for making me do a little more research on voting, as it was still a learning experience. Good night.

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First of all i'm 18 and very active in politics but i know that a lot of people my age aren't and for a while now i've been thinking about starting a group for kids at my school to discuss current issues and help define what politics is and why its important, i just wanted a parental opinion as to whether the majority of people think that their kids would benefit from such a group, its targeted towards high school kids.

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Well my parents always took us to vote, and they never missed an election. They would let us read and talk about the elections, but they never told us whom we should vote for, or who they where going to vote for, they would let us talk and ask questions.

After the vote it was never talked about, whom they voted for. My husband gets mad at me now, because I will not tell him whom I voted for.

My parents always told us that we had a right to vote, and that a lot of people died to make sure that we had that right, so we better use that right. Also if we do not vote then, we have no right to complain about how bad someone is doing in office.

We where always told to vote for whom ever we thought would do the best job, no matter what party they belong too. My brother and I have never missed a vote, and that is even when I am living overseas.

I hope that helps. It is important for children to know how things work, so when the times comes they will know what to do.

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Wally's dad - you have totally misjudged me. I am an attending enrolled member of a Baptist church. I'm not kidding, I really am.

What I found scary about that comment above is that six year old's are being exposed to raging right wing pundits. I think their brand of "politics" are the scariest and most polarized kind and I wouldn't want my kids exposed to the rantings of any of those folks. I seriously find all that one of the scariest things out there at the moment. That is what I was talking about so I found your ridiculous extrapolation highly amusing.

I want my kids to think for themselves. One of the things I was saying was I found it scary that the above poster thought those guys were central to teaching her kid to "reason".

Oh, and if you are going to say it isn't nice to comment on other people's "grammAr" then maybe it isn't so nice to comment on their spelling as either. You are just a hypocrite from the spelling comment right through the the comments about respect.

xxoo

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