One day as an undergrad at BGSU-Firelands, a young student looked at me disdainfully and asked “How can you love politics?” I gave a long-winded tirade about exactly why the branch campus, like so many other in the Buckeye State, existed.
I explained that the branch campus system in Ohio was supposedly created so a college education was always a short drive away from any student. That is what our politicians told us at the time.
If one does not pay attention to politics and current events one could believe it. I have a hunch why the branch campus plan was implemented in Ohio though, and it has nothing to do with education.
It had everything to do with was keeping young, white men out of Vietnam.
Why do I bring up the story about the Ohio branch campus system and Vietnam now just as I did then?
It is because politics affects everything we do in our lives. Politics is the driving force in how and where we live, matriculate, and recreate.
Politics touches everything in our life and that is what precisely makes me love politics. It is not just a hobby; it is our civil duty to care, follow, and help shape our politics.
Last week, our great state got a large helping of politics along with its brothers, deception and falsehood. Our esteemed Gov. John Kasich, presented the budget for our state’s next two years.
If one is a student of the Republican Party, one could not be surprised.
Across the board tax breaks always look good on first inspection. They are like the apple that is red and delicious on the outside but worm-ridden and rotten on the inside.
The average taxpayer in the state may save less than $100 dollars a year in state taxes.
The lucky top one percent of taxpayers, those making $335,000 a year and above, may save over $10,000 a year in state taxes. That is classic Reaganomics: take from the poor and middle class to fatten the rich man’s wallet.
As for our unconstitutional public school funding situation, Kasich does almost nothing to address this. Actually it is worse than nothing.
The wealthy, suburban districts will see the lion’s share of the proposed windfall while inner-city districts will see their funding stay the same.
A good example of this is close by. I live in the Springfield school district, right outside the Toledo city limits. It is not a rich district like Ottawa Hills or Perrysburg, but it is a lot better off than Toledo public schools.
Springfield, under Kasich’s plan, benefits greatly as their state aid will rise close to 50 percent. Toledo public schools, which desperately need more funding, will see no increase. Once again, Reaganomics rears its ugly head.
So why do I love politics? Why do I see politics as not just a necessary evil, but something we all should ardently examine?
Because if we do not, people like John Kasich get their way.
We have to realize that most of what we cherish in this nation is a result of the political process; it did not appear out of thin air. Just as these good things were attained through the political process, they can be taken away by the political process.
That is why politics is so important. Politics colors the canvas of our lives every day. Politics is too important to be apathetic about.
Please remember this the next time you hear someone ask of someone else, “Why do you love politics?”
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