"I Don't Want to Ruin His Political Career"

As I have three children of my own, it's not uncommon for fights to erupt in our house when it comes to making them clean their rooms. It's also not uncommon for them to comply with the request while in tears (not necessarily because I'm an ogre as a father, but because that's the nature of the beast when dealing with children between the ages of four and nine).

But this instance of crying uncontrollably, fist-balling, plate-hurling rage involving a 28-year-old "political consultant" and local school board member forced into cleaning his messy room by his daddy is absolutely nuts.

Hat tip to Michael McIntyre of Cleveland.com for writing this one up, from which I swiped the title for this post, but, now, not without proper attribution.

If I were a Cleveland area resident living with in this individual's school board zone, I'd be saying "Consider your political career, at least on the school board, ruined." Now, it's absolutely healthy and natural to get a bit huffy, I don't have a problem with that. Any 28-year-old ought to have the right -- I'm sure someone wanted to include it in the Constitution but got shouted down there in Philadelphia -- to leave his room as messy as he wants. I, as a 37-year-old, keep my corner of the study in such disarray our daschshund was nearly buried alive in an avalanche of books and papers just prior to Halloween 2008. But ya gotta figure that anyone with political aspirations, in our day and age, ought not to be exhibiting such behavior while still living with Mom and Dad without paying rent.

True, I don't know his economic situation. Perhaps he's down on his luck and living with Mom and Dad isn't a perferred choice. I have family members in that very situation. But I do know that they're capable of complying with a few simple house rules without getting all plate-throwy.