The Washington Post wants suggestions for topics of editorials.  Here is a link to the ten finalists: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2016/08/24/vote-on-the-topic-for-a-future-washington-post-editorial/?utm_term=.2ea8c7abb735. You, yes YOU, can go online and vote on which topic you want the Editorial Board to pontificate.

• Lowering the threshold for participation in presidential debates from “15 percent in five national polls” to make it easier for third-party candidates to participate
• Whether direct marketing of prescription drugs to consumers through television advertisements and the like should be restricted or even prohibited
• Policies to address rising homelessness in a number of cities around the country, such as Washington, D.C., Seattle and Los Angeles
• Whether young Americans should be required and/or incentivized to spend a period of time in a program of national service
• Whether the U.S. should adopt the metric system
• Whether the U.S. government should reduce restrictions on foreign adoptions to make it easier to adopt children from other countries
• Whether the U.S. should continue to use the electoral college
• Whether the government should take further action to reduce robocalls
• Whether public lands such as national parks should be sold to pay down the national debt
• A nationwide ban on texting and driving

When I first saw the List, I snickered.  Talk about all over the place.  And are these the issues that WaPo readers care most about?  I hope not.  And do we really need to debate converting to the metric system again – tried and failed.  I mean, there is not much about the mid- to late 70s that I want to repeat and that includes the attempt to go metric.  We’re Americans, dag-gumbit, and we ain’t using no sissy European metric system, even if we do use it every day, we ain’t gonna make it official.  It’s kinda like a common-law marriage.  Sure, we live together, and most of the time we act like we are married, but there are occasions were it benefits us to stay “single” and we are not quite ready to “forsake all others.”  And quite frankly, going “metric” will no doubt cause more homelessness and make it harder to adopt foreign babies, and may or may not make it easier for third-party candidates to participate in debates – you know, the percentages will be all wrong.  And of course, if we use the metric system, everyone over age 16 will need to be on their phones while driving in order to convert miles to kilometers to avoid speeding.  That will never work.

But then I thought – maybe this is just the inspiration I need. I am going to take several of these and share my thoughts.  Stay tuned!