My oldest daughter turns 18 this year. (Yikes!) Unfortunately, her birth date falls just short of eligibility to vote in our upcoming Presidential Election (she is very disappointed). However, this “coming-of-age” in our household has opened up a new and lively conversation. We are now officially “talking politics” as a family. We are studying the basic processes of The United States of America, the candidates, and the issues. As faithful Latter-day Saints, this also gives us a chance to contemplate our civic duties from a religious and spiritual perspective. In my search for ideas to share at the dinner table, and during our Monday Family Night, I happened across a really interesting article entitled “A Primer on Politics” published in the LDS Church youth magazine “The New Era” (geared towards youth age 12-21). This article was written in 1971 which was an important year in US History when the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18. I thought it would be nice to share this article (it’s a quick read). For my USA visitors, perhaps you know of a new voter who would benefit from these pointers, or it can serve as a welcome “refresher course”! For my International readers, this gives you a little overview of the USA political system. And for all, this provides a good basic Latter-day Saint (Mormon) perspective of politics and government. To enhance your reading, I am even providing a patriotic tune by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir as accompaniment! Enjoy! Continue reading →