Then there’s the story about the old fellow who was acquitted for the murder of his wife. Asked by the judge if he had anything to say, the man looked thoughtfully at the floor, scuffed his foot at an invisible object before looking up at the judge with one eyebrow cocked high and said, “Welp, I never would’ve shot her if I’d known I would have to go through this much red tape.” Whatever that comment did for his cause, you have to admit that the candor was refreshing.

Did you know that what is arguably the world’s grandest and most lavishly appointed Kabuki Theater is the Kabuki-za, in Tokyo? No worries, I didn’t know it either until I looked it up just now. The theater dates back to 1899 — at least the original Kabuki-za dates back that far. It’s been destroyed four times since then; once by fire, once by earthquake, once by war, and yet another time when someone tried to build a skyscraper on top of the thing. But the theater continues it’s wondrously gaudy and elaborate performances with stories and themes that stretch the imagination and contort reality.

Job interviewers sometimes ask: Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Let’s take that question to a national scale. Where do you see the Republican Party in 10 years (or 15 or 20)?

I wrote about this at The Week today, and I thought it was kind of fun to muse on the topic. I figured it might be an interesting discussion question for Ricochet as well. Consider looming problems, shifting demographics, changing labor markets, and of course the likely evolution of the left. What possibilities will be open to us in the middle-to-long-term? Which appeal most to you?