OK, a little background. I am a teacher. I teach 9th grade Civics. I am a conservative. Unlike my liberal colleagues, I do not indoctrinate students under the guise of education. When I am sharing my opinions, I clearly advertise that they are, in fact, opinions.
One of the first encounters students have with my opinions is on the second day when I share with them "Smith's Laws of Politics". These laws started out as just three simple laws, the first being the only one that has not changed over the years. That first rule is simple: "All Politicians Lie".
Over the years, rules have come and gone ("there is no such thing as true bipartisanship," and "there is no greater waste of money than to give it to the government"). I have tried very hard to keep the list short and sweet. I drill the first and fifth law into the students, and they can recite law #1 upon command (I think a good dose of cynicism about the government is healthy for the mind and soul).
Anyways, some of the laws overlap somewhat and I am having a hard time editing them. The Laws as they stand right now are:
- All politicians lie.
- Modern politics is about the acquisition and use of power.
- When someone discusses politics with you, their goal is to get you to agree with them.
- An informed voter is a threat to a politician's power.
- Asking the right question is as important as the answer.
- "A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you have." - Davy Crockett
I have pretty much eliminated #6. I am debating about keeping the five as they are and just changing th eorder, or combining #2 & #4 and make room for something else.
I figured I would tee this off and have the other members of TCU weigh in. Any ideas are appreciated, good ideas are appreciated even more so.