Quotations

The first article I found that included several quotations was Too Much Local Government? In this article, Jacob Gersen commented on the governor of Indiana’s remark about the state’s local government. He suggests that more elected officials does not necessarily equal more government spending and higher taxes. Although statistics show that 96% of elected officials work in local governments, Gersen focuses on electoral density, or elected officials per capita, to conclude that more local government might actually decrease public spending.


The second article I found was McCain's Selective Defense of “Traditional Marriage.” In this article, Glenn Greenwald argues that Senator McCain has no right to define traditional marriage when his own family life could not be categorized as such. He regards McCain’s personal relationships as anything but “traditional.” He summarizes McCain’s first marriage to Carol Shepp, in which McCain adopted her two children from a previous marriage and in which the couple had a child of their own. Greenwald then proceeds to accuse the senator of adultery and marrying his second wife simply for finanical purposes.


While I understand what Greenwald is implying, I think his stab at McCain’s family life is a cheap shot. McCain’s use of the term “traditional marriage” was clearly meant to indicate the “one man, one woman,” mentality. However,Greenwald’s criticism does highlight the difficulty in defining “traditional marriage.” Greenwald explains why, according to modern views, McCain’s family history is labeled as traditional. “The only rule of "traditional marriage" is that you need a man and a woman and provided that rule is complied with, all other types of marriages and divorces qualify as "traditional," he writes.


I may not agree with Greenwald’s antics in proving his argument, but I was glad that he brought up the issue of divorce in retrospect to the term traditional. With over half of American marriages ending in divorce, I think it’s safe to say that norms are no longer what they used to be. I think Greenwald could have made a strong argument focusing on that issue without having to attack one man’s personal relationships, in which he knows nothing about.