Never Too Young

And they shall be led by the children, or something like that. Guess what? Those horrible politicians we love to hate have a new opponent in the state of Vermont. A 13 year old has announced he is running for the office of governor of Vermont. Every state except two set age limits for their governors. By oversight no such provision exists in Vermont

Town officials in Vermont must be legal voters, meaning they have taken the voter's oath and are at least 18 years old.  But that was omitted for the governor's office. Ethan Sonneborn, 13, of Bristol, announced that he's running for governor. If elected, and I hope he is, Ethan will be the youngest ever governor of Vermont. Previously, the youngest governor to lead Vermont was F. Ray Keyser, Jr., who was 34 years old when he took office in 1961. Since Ethan is only an eighth grader is doubt he has yet been corrupted by politics. Hmmmm It sure would change things around the governor's mansion if he is elected. Instead of the sate song, Ethan might want a Beyonce video at his inauguration.

Ethan says he has always been a political junkee, that he follows the news closely, chooses his words deliberately, and has a ready response when asked about such trendy political topics as marijuana legalization or racism. He supports marijuana legalization, and he says he's running to ensure legal protections for minorities and LGBT Vermonters amid what he sees as increasingly common white nationalism.

 "I am running to win, but I would very happily settle for sending a message about young people in politics." He says he hopes to combat cynicism and apathy. But wait! Ethan also sounds a bit naive. "I don't have a lot of experience in being politically apathetic," Ethan said, "but I think that people young people hear older people complain about politics a lot. And I think that there's this idea that there's no such thing as an honest politician, and I'd say that’s part of why I'm running." I suspect the sharks in Vermont government will devour Ethan if he is not careful.

His mother, Jenna Sonneborn, described herself and her husband as non-political people. She said her son has had a "voracious interest" in history and politics since early childhood. He spoke with his kindergarten teacher about becoming president some day. When Ethan was in sixth grade at Bristol Elementary School, the school banned talking for most of the lunch period. Ethan and his friends launched a series of peaceful protests: They held signs and refuse to eat lunch until the silence was lifted. Adults in the community took notice, and the policy came to an end. I wonder if he could hold up a sign to make Hillary Clinton go away? I hope so.

This leadership by the very young might be a trend. It seems that Ethan has also been talking with a 16 year old who is running for governor of Kansas, the other state without an age requirement for its governor. I guess he is getting some sage advice from the elderly. But Ethan says the Vermont politicians in his party, the Democratic Party are not taking him seriously. They better beware. Few took Donald Trump seriously we he also ran.  The current Vermont governor, Gov. Phil Scott, said he is glad to see Ethan as a candidate. Hmmmm Governor Scott is overconfident. It's a good sign we may soon see a 13 year old in the governor's mansion. Click below to hear candidate Ethan.
 
 http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/videos/news/2017/08/28/thirteen-year-old-runs-governor-vermont/105048124/