I was greeted this morning’s Plain Dealer with the above the fold headline “Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s 20 Cabinet appointments so far lack diversity”. The article was illustrated with the following graphic –

Guess what these people have in common…

They all come from the same part of the state? No.

They have all worked at the same company? No.

Their degrees are all in the same discipline from the same university? Try again!

They are all born-again Christians? Maybe, not likely, but that isn’t what was mentioned in the article.

The shocking truth – they are all WHITE PEOPLE!

The Cleveland Plain Dealer is the only major daily in a county that has seen shocking levels of corruption among its public servants. We’ve seen accusations and convictions for bribery, falsification, theft in office, taking envelopes stuffed with cash and accepting dates with chatty Vegas hookers.

Most of these activities never made into the paper until the warrants were served and the guys in the FBI windbreakers showed up and ruined everybody’s lunch hour. Having learned their lesson, the investigative reporters at the PD are now government watchdogs again!

My real objection to the premise of this article?  Your skin color does not determine your skills, your view of the role of government in society, your favorite dessert, or even  the content of your character. If you truly think that one’s race or ethnicity determines one’s qualifications, intelligence, or integrity it seems to me you are a bigot.

Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I’m very glad my kids are learning about the man and his ideals. I’m just sorry that we are still failing to live up to these ideals by judging people by the color of their skin.