r CR club

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Got a voice? Want to be heard?Moxie magazine is looking for young writers to represent the conservative movement in California. We want to publish your thoughts and experiences as a College Republican. To submit your story or if you have any questions, please contact Scott Cullinane at scott.cullinane@collegegop.org.

inspiring. contemporary. conservative.MOXIE

008 was a difficult election cycle with se-rious consequences for our Party and for

America. However, that was not the end of the Republican Party or the conservative movement, no matter how much the media may say it was. The Republican Party has worked to recognize and correct the areas were things could have been done better and also worked to increase our advantages were they already existed. Our Party Chairman, Michael Steele said “it is time to stop looking backward. Republicans have spent ample time re-examining the past. It has been a healthy and necessary task. But I believe it is now time for Republicans to fo-cus all of our energies on winning the future by emerging as the party of new ideas.” The Cali-fornia College Republicans stand with Chairman Steele and the rest of the Republican Party in this effort. As College Republicans, as we move forward in this political climate we must keep our goals clearly in mind: To use our unique position as

conservative.

Editor’s Letter

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Scott Cullinane, Editor in Chief

students to further the conservative movement on college campuses and to help elect Repub-licans to office. Conservatives on college cam-puses face an uphill battle against liberal faculty and biased teaching. For the sake of the future of America, it is vital that we demonstrate con-stantly to our fellow students that these liberal points of view are not all that there is. College Republicans need to stand up and be heard, we need to show our moxie. College Republicans also have a role to play off of their college campuses. As the Republi-can Party moves forward, there will be many competitive races at all levels of government. It is critical that we win these races. These campaigns will need local College Republicans to support them and to work for them. I en-courage every College Republican to be active. We cannot assume as we have in the past that “someone else will do it.” We must all take up the mind set that “if not me, then who? If not now, then when?”

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The California College Republicans’ mission is to recruit,inform, train, and empower every existing and potential College Republican in the State of California. Collegecampuses today are ideological battlegrounds for the future of America due to the liberal dominion over college faculty, curricula, and administration. This is especially dangerous for the future of America and the Republican Party because partisanship is chosen between the ages of 18 and 24. We work for the future of the Republican Party and its principles of limited government, opportunity, and freedom. Everyday, we realize our obligation to preserve the Republican Party by balancing debate on California’s liberal college campuses and fulfilling our mission. We are here to influence now! Visit CollegeGOP.org and CCRmagazine.wordpress.com.

Our Mission Statement

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CCR Executive Committee

02 Fall 2009

Moxie is the official publication of the California CollegeRepublicans. The views in Moxie do not necessarily represent those of our membership, Executive Committee, Board of Directors or committees thereof. All ads placed in Moxie are sold according to the prices and regulations set forth in our official advertising prospectus. This prospectus is available upon request.

Moxie StaffScott CullinaneEditor in ChiefJessica CvetkoLayout and DesignLevi ClancyTatiana CvetkoGraphicsKaitlyn ShimminChief Photography

Michael Antonopoulos (SMC)ChairmanFalicia Mandel (USC)Co-ChairMegan Rodriguez (UCSD)Administrative Vice ChairTierney Burke (UC Davis)TreasurerRene Rodgers (CSU Sacramento)SecretaryMatthew Donnellan (San Diego)Executive DirectorMatthew Dobler (CSU San Marcos)Political DirectorChasen Bullock (CSU San Marcos)Southern Region Vice ChairLiran Machlouf (Los Angeles, CA)Los Angeles Region Vice ChairScott Raab (Sacramento, CA)Central Valley Region Vice ChairKayleigh Bodan (CSU Mont. Bay)Central Coast Region Vice ChairIzaak Pichardo (UC Davis)Capital Region Vice ChairBrian Lovatt (Chico, CA)Northern Region Vice ChairKaitlyn Shimmin (UCSC)Parliamentarian James Kincaid (S.F. State)Chief of StaffDebbie Arellano (CSU Sacramento)Operations DirectorClinton Soffer (UCSD)Communications Director Ilsa Wolf (UCSC)Volunteer Coordinator Scott Cullinane (SMC)Moxie Editor in ChiefCheyenne Steel (USC)Immediate Past Chair

Contents01 Editor’s Letter Scott Cullinane 03 Chairman’s Note Michael Antonopoulos04 Answering the Call Nathan Fletcher06 Be Heard! Jaime Hunt09 Ensuring Military Votes Get Counted Sen. George Runner10 Meg Whitman Interview Sarah Pompei13 Online College Harrison Farr14 Coming Out of the Closet Taryn Dicterow16 Building a Strong CR Club Tierney Burke17 The Corrupt Budget Maria Klingenfuss18 The Conservative’s Place in Healthcare Reform Rachael Marsik20 Mainstream Media Scott Raab24 Segregation through Celebration Paul Wysocki26 Report from Orange County Alyssa Shimmin27 CCR Launches New Internship Program Clinton Soffer28 Why Being Right isn’t Always Popular... Alexis Walsh

Michael AntonopoulosChairman,California College Republicans

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s we start our year, the Republican Party has much ground to make up. For the first time since 1993, we have a Democratic president along with Democratic

majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate.To make matters worse in California, we have to deal with pushy nearsupermajorities in both state houses, and a sometimes Republican governor. But don’t be discouraged, because in times of great crisis, great opportunities present themselves. This is exactly the case with being a College Republican. On campus over the last eight years, leftist professors have blamed literally everything on President Bush (including natural disasters). But now, with the Democrats in total control of the government, there is no one to blame but themselves. It is now time, for us as CR’s, to step in as the conservative alternative to the liberalism that consumes our government and is spread throughout our campuses! While President Obama remains relatively popular, the popularity of his policies is plummeting--healthcare, his economic proposal, the list goes on and on.As the President’s policies are not producing results, people are finally approaching our party and our philosophy with an open mind. Activism is the key for College Republicans to reach those now receptive to new ideals. As college students we share a campus with the people that seem to like Obama the most yet know the least about him. There were countless college stu-dents who voted for him because he was the “cool” candidate, the one that would dance on Ellen, dazzle them with high oratory, and have famous celebrities cam-paign for him. But now, as his policies are proving ineffective, there is a crack in his armor. His amiable personality will only shield him for so long, and it is our goal as CR’s to draw the link between the man and the policies. College Republicans, now more than ever, need to take a stand. There are two primary ways that College Repub-licans can make a difference; the first is through activism, the second, by working to strengthen the GOP through campaigns and local party organizations. Activism: At his or her core, every College Republican is an activist. Activism is the cheapest and most efficient way to attract media attention to an issue. The goal is to take an issue, for example, President Obama’s unrealistic health care proposal, and then work to find a creative way to shine a light on its flaws. As lib-eral as most newspapers are, they generally will still cover a good story (case and point, the SF Chronicle) even if it is ridiculing one of their views. A perfect example can be seen by looking back at the extensive media coverage the Bay Area Col-lege Republicans received after protesting Assemblyman Jim Beall’s proposed beer tax. Campaigns: While campaign season is still a while away, there are plenty of op-portunities for your club to support the Republican Party now. Depending on your location in the state, there are several special elections taking place this November. You can also volunteer at the local GOP Central Committees, which is a great way to help build the infrastructure of the party and to network with fellow Republicans. CCR will be offering Campaign Schools in target Assembly districts, which will be an intense crash course on grassroots campaigning facilitated by the state’s top consultants. So I encourage all of you to get involved. Whether it is volunteering at a local GOP central committee, joining one of the gubernatorial campaigns, or spreading activism on your campus, it is crucial to make a mark. You, as a College Republican, are the only alternative to the abundance of liberalism on your campus. So act quickly, and good luck!

Cheers.

Chairman’s NoteA

eople say I have terrible timing. I enlisted in the Marine Corps at a time our country was

at war and did two deployments overseas in combat zones. I left the Marine Corps and de-cided to continue in public service by running for office. By the time I was elected and sworn into the California State Assembly our state faced a $42 billion deficit. California and the nation are facing some of the greatest challenges of our lifetime. We are in the middle of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. We still face fanatical threats from terrorists both at home and abroad. We have a crumbling in-frastructure and major energy, transportation, education and healthcare challenges. Some might say there is very little bright on the horizon, but I have a different perspective. The times may be tough, but I am convinced that with crisis comes tremendous opportunity. Now is the time to want to be in office, and now is the time I hope each and every one of you will engage in our political process more

04 Fall 2009

by Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, 75th District

Answering the Call

than ever before. Our principles are right and are shared by California’s taxpayers. Personal responsibility, hard work, and discipline—these are the val-ues that will carry us through this economic downturn and forward to prosperity. But bold voices must champion those principles, take up the cause of common sense, and bring about lasting change for the people. Together we can spread the message of a revitalized California. Many of the issues we face have simple solu-tions. Government shouldn’t spend more than it takes in, job creation is key, and spending must be prioritized. Every entrepreneur, small business owner, and hardworking family knows this. However, the inability of the California legislature to carry out these fundamentals has forced us to issue IOUs for only the second time in our history. That is an embarrassment for California. But it doesn’t end there. For the fourth year in a row CEO Magazine rated California

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leave no topic unaddressed. Our arguments are solid, and can win on the environment, on health care, and on education. We can win over Democrats, Independents and Decline to State voters. Your help is absolutely essential in making this a reality. You have to be on the front lines in campaigns and in the classroom, motivated, engaged and well informed, working for 2010. California is ready for a new generation ofvoices to champion freedom and individual lib-erty. I am asking you to be those voices and join the effort to take back our state. Marga-ret Thatcher said that you first win the argu-ment then you win the vote. The facts are on our side. We have to master them and be thecapable, reasoned voices for lower taxes and economic growth, for the philosophy that always defends freedom. We have to be bold and fight for all that is bright on the horizon.

the worst place to start a business. California is better than that. The eyes of the world have always looked to us for innovation and entre-preneurship. We hear a lot about hope these days, and for generations California has been the place where the hardest working, smart-est, and most industrious come to make their hopes and dreams a reality. Sacramento’s re-pelling web of taxes and regulations have sab-otaged this standing and effectively sent the worst possible message to businesses at the worst possible time—we don’t want your jobs, your growth, and your economic prosperity. It is time to turn the tables and make 2010 our banner year. The tide is turning in the elector-ate and Sacramento business-as-usual won’t win. Anyone who cares about their economic future and the job market, about what’s best for California can - and should - find their voice in our party. We must cede no ground and

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he College Republicans at San Francisco State are known around campus for making

a lot of noise. On our campus, seeing “Marx is back” written all over in chalk while you walk to class is not unusual. Often times I am bombard-ed by people with their Al Gore global warming flyers or socialist newspapers. Although this lib-eral junk can get annoying, I am glad to attend a school with such activism because it pushes the College Republicans to be bold and to make their conservative voice heard over the din of liberal-ism. During my first semester at S.F. State, our clubs bold move was a Hamas protest. When I found out this was on the agenda, I wondered why we would protest a known terrorist organi-zation. Hamas is the governing Palestinian po-litical party in Gaza and a terrorist force. Hamas is a group of extremists responsible for not only the deaths of Israelis, but they have also killed their fellow Palestinians. Would anyone actually be in support of Hamas? As it turned out, yes, they would. We set up a table and tent with our usual Col-lege Republican banner, along with a “Free Pal-estine, Stop Hamas” sign and petition. We had a Hamas flag drawn on poster board hanging up on the back of the tent. The idea was to have people throw a shoe at the flag to show our disapproval of Hamas and their terrorist ways, and to allude to the shoe that was thrown at President Bush. It wasn’t long before people started to crowd our table. At first a few people expressed their dis-content by asking us to carry out the rest of the protest without disrespecting the Hamas flag. When we told them we were not going to back down and do that, the tension grew thicker, but we would not be intimidated. The more radical members in the opposing crowd quickly became apparent and I was in absolute shock that here on my campus were people openly supporting a group that hates everything America represents. Heated debates were taking place all around and the drama escalated when our then Club Presi-dent, James Kincaid, proceeded to step on the Hamas flag. The second that flag hit the ground, our table was flipped over and the surrounding police had to step in to keep the crowd back. We

regrouped and continued to talk with the angry mass. James was all the while making sure to keep a foot or shoe on the Hamas flag and ex-claiming that he would not get off of it. This was by far the best part of the event. But the College Republicans were not the only ones standing up against terrorism that day. One by one individu-als pushed through the crowd to bravely come to the table and sign our petition. We landed ourselves a spot in the school newspaper soon after, and Bill O’Reilly even put video footage of our protest on his show! Our message was therefore able to reach people across America, and this is why it is important as a club to be bold. Students walking to class and people watching television at home were all able to see a small group of young people taking a stand against an evil terrorist group, and that is powerful. You and I both know that conservatism is more predominate than liberal-ism than the media would like us to think, and the many students who came up to our table to sign the petition are a perfect example of this. By bringing attention to a controversial issue, College Republicans were able to appear on Fox News, and also draw attention to the club on a campus level making students more inclined to listen when we have something to say in the future. College Republicans should not shy away from controversial issues. The college campus is a perfect place to get your point across. Every-thing you need for a successful protest is right there for you. Your campus provides a place to set up shop, listeners who will often oppose your views, and a school newspaper to document and distribute the events happenings. The media is always trying to keep up with what the kids are doing these days, and are usually interested in what the youth has to say. Even if your club isn’t planning on stepping on flags any time soon, there are plenty of issues that need to be talked about even if it will cause a bit of a stir. Col-lege Republicans should stand up for what they believe in, especially if it is a particularly contro-versial issue.

T

Be Heard!by Jamie Hunt, SFSU

08 Fall 2009

Activismin the Capitol Area

photos by Tierney Burke

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ur military personnel go above andbeyond the call of duty in defending

our freedoms and making the world a safer place – here and abroad. You would think our state government would at least make sure these individuals at least have the op-portunity to exercise their freedom to vote while they serve our country. Unfortunately, California fails to provide enough time to vote for military personnel stationed overseas according to a recent re-port entitled “No Time to Vote: Challenges Facing America’s Overseas Military Voters”. There is a solution. Vote SAFE – The Se-cure and Fair Elections act of 2010 will begin circulating petitions in late 2009 in order to get this measure to voters on the November 2010 General Election Ballot. Vote SAFE makes three key changes to our voting laws:• It allows military voters, and their depen-dents that are away from home, 15 addition-al days for their votes to be counted if mailed by Election Day. • Additionally, it requires voters to show proof of identification at the polls. • Finally, it requires that absentee ballot en-velopes to include the last four digits of the voter’s California driver’s license or identifi-cation card number or, if unavailable, the last 4 digits of the voter’s social security number and a security flap to conceal the voter’s in-formation. Our opponents say it will be too great a bur-den on our local election officials to wait 15 additional days to finish counting votes and certify elections, but is this simple in-convenience worthy of preventing our men and women in the military from having their votes counted? Shouldn’t we who are safe and sound at home be willing to wait slightly longer to obtain final election results in or-der to ensure our military personnel get their votes counted? We think so, and we believe the vast majority of Californians will agree which is why we are taking this idea to them by way of the initiative. We also believe that requiring identification at the polls is a com-mon sense requirement to help en-sure our elections are safe, secure, and as free of voter fraud as possible.

Ensuring Military Votes Get Counted For those who cannot provide their identi-fication Vote SAFE authorizes them to cast a provisional ballot after completing an affida-vit that they are a registered voter. The bill would also require the Department of Motor Vehicles to waive the fee for an identification card requested for the sake of satisfying the Voter ID requirement, so there is little ad-ditional burden. Frankly, what’s wrong with asking voters to produce identification? We live in a society that demands photo identification from its people. Identification is necessary to func-tion.

“We’re the only country in the world that operates on the honor system when it comes to elections,” said John Fund, a Wall Street Journal columnist and author of the book “Stealing Elections: How Voter Fraud Threat-ens Our Democracy,” to a Texas reporter in April. Voter fraud stomps on the rights of Cali-fornia citizens and completely distorts the Democratic process -- the very process our military personnel are trying to help bring to other people across the world. This is pre-cisely why their voting rights deserve to be better protected at the same time. The reality is that 21 others states in this nation already give additional time for mili-tary votes to be counted, and California needs to get its act together and do a better job of showing its appreciation to those who serve us at home and abroad. Voter reform is in high demand by law-abid-ing citizens who are fed-up with unfair prac-tices that favor felons over military personnel and politics over Constitutional rights. I would ask you to assist us in collecting signatures this fall as we make sure our mili-tary votes get counted and help put an end to voter fraud in California. In the meantime, you can sign up to receive regular updates on

its status at www.voteSAFEnow.com.

Author of Jessica’s Law and Amber Alert, initiative proponent Senator George Runner represents the 17th Senate District and is a strong taxpayer advocate. For more information, please visit www.GeorgeRunner.com.

by Sen. George Runner

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1. What has surprised you most about run-ning for governor? I am encouraged and motivated by the deep commitment among Californians to get our state moving in the right direction. Together, we can turn California around by creating jobs, cutting spending and fixing our public schools. It’s im-portant to me to see so many young people will-ing to roll up their sleeves and get involved in my campaign. You are the future of our state. We all are passionate about fixing our state’s problems and creating a future California in which each of us can achieve our very best. Of course, I’m not really surprised by the en-thusiasm and dedication of young people to the cause of fixing California. It’s just refreshing to see it every day on the campaign trail.

2. How do College Republicans and students fit into your campaign? We all know California cannot succeed with-out a strong and effective Republican Party. I plan to work with College Republicans to reach out to all Californians. You are the future of our party. College Republicans are very successful at attracting new people to the Republican Party. I applaud you for that. I am launching a youth coalition as part of my campaign, seeking volunteers on college cam-puses and meeting with young people to hear their ideas and vision for A New California.

3. Why do you think the Democrats are win-ning the youth vote in California?

The Democrats have done a better job reach-ing out to young people and inspiring them with their message. The problem is it’s the wrong message and the wrong approach to governing California. We must reach out to voters under 30 if we are to become more relevant and grow our party. Republicans must stand for effective, lim-ited government that encourages young people to pursue their education and careers in Califor-nia. We will cut wasteful spending and prioritize what is most important so we are not funding government on the backs of the upcoming gen-eration. At the top of my priority list is an afford-able, quality education. To offer anything less is to fail our next generation.

4. Do you think it is more important for young people today to aspire to be in gov-ernment or in private business? I tell my two sons to pursue their passions. And I’d have the same advice for any young person. Both government and business offer wonderful avenues for making a difference. Whichever path you choose, I encourage you to use your talents and skills to gain a voice and become involved in public service.

5. What will you do to help ensure California College students will have jobs available to them in California when they graduate? My number one priority is jobs. When I’m gov-ernor, I will look at every new law and regulation through the lens of whether it will help create

Speaks to College RepublicansMeg Whitman

by Sarah Pompei

10 Fall 2009

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jobs. We can only have a strong economy if we cut taxes and burdensome regulations and en-courage businesses, large and small, to thrive. Also, we will offer incentives for companies to grow and innovate here. Finally, education is the key. Having a well-trained workforce is the most important factor when businesses decide where to locate. That’s why we must fix our public schools and ensure every Californian has access to a world-class education.

6. What have you learned from watching the job Governor Schwarzenegger has done? Gov. Schwarzenegger has done some very good things as governor. He has worked hard to fix the workers’ compensation system so we are competitive with other states. He successfully won voter approval of a redistricting plan that should lead to more competitive state races and the election of more reform-minded candidates to serve in Sacramento. But he has also failed to consistently set pri-orities and stick to them. His inability to control spending and keep taxes low has created enor-mous challenges for our state.

7. Where do you see the California College Republicans role in the Republican party- and if elected how will you work to ensure they have a voice at the table? It is critical for the Republican Party to regain the trust of voters. To do that, we must offer solutions to be the party of economic prosper-ity and small, accountable government. And we must be viewed as the party of effective leader-ship. These are concepts all Californians under-stand and will support, and I need the help of College Republicans and other students. Once in office, I will use my campaign’s youth coalition as a model to build a channel for feed-back to move California in a new direction.

8. How do you view the role of union’s such as the SEIU, the Service Employees Inter-national Union, in California politics? California can no longer afford the government it has. We must reduce our state workforce, make government more accountable, efficient and get the state out of the business of providing servic-es that are not central to the function of govern-ment. That means we need fewer managers and union workers in state government. State unions have put up roadblocks that hurt efforts to overhaul government and make it more efficient and they have made it much

harder to balance our budget. Our duty is to tax-payers first; Californians deserve the best return possible for the taxes they pay.

9. Where do you see the California Republi-can Party in five years? The Republican Party in California needs new energy. Many people, in particular young people, women and Latinos, like many of our Republican ideals of small, effective government, but they don’t vote Republican because they don’t feel welcome. A central part of my campaign is to make these voters, who represent the future of California, feel more welcome. My campaign is attracting excited voters from many backgrounds and regions and we are work-ing hard to rebuild and reinvigorate our party. I am drawing strong support from Republican grassroots organizers and prominent GOP lead-ers on the local, state and national level, includ-ing endorsements from former Governor Pete Wilson, Senator John McCain and former Gover-nor Mitt Romney. In five years, if we stick to our principles of smaller, effective government with a true fiscal conservative at the helm, the California Republi-can Party will once again be strong.

10. What role does New Media have in your campaign? I recognize the unique power of the Web to build a community and create a movement. I have launched a campaign that will leverage the viral nature of the Web to engage voters and en-able Californians to make their voices heard. Californians can easily connect and chat on my website at www.MegWhitman.com. They also can share their stories and ideas for Califor-nia. Additionally, I have a fully dedicated media team to produce original video and print content around my activities, giving Californians an un-precedented level of transparency around my campaign and my vision. Social networks have become crucial com-ponents to effective campaigning and creating a deep connection with core voters. I invite you to join me on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Or text NEW CA to 46634 (GOMEG).

The California College Republicans are proud to announce that the Meg Whitman campaign has cho-sen Chasen Bullock (chasenbullock@gmail.com) as its Statewide Youth Chair.

by Sarah Pompei

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12 Fall 2009

photo by Michael Antonopoulos

photo by Mary Ismert

photo by James Kincaid

photo by Alan Perez

photo by Rick Chen

CRs in Action

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recent trip to Yosemite National Park yielded a bounty of photographs and several moments

of quiet reflection. Yosemite is an unlikely place to think about the Internet, surrounded by all that nature. And un-less you’re near the hotels and want wi-fi for your laptop, the Internet doesn’t even exist out there. What’s Half Dome going to do with broadband? But think about the Internet I did. Those water-fall plunges got me thinking about the recent plunge I took going to a school with a campus that is entirely online. I am a student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the country’s leading aviation-only uni-versity. If you’re in the aviation industry, you know what this college is all about. Embry-Riddle’s closest campus to me is in Prescott, Arizona, but I live in California. Not just raised here. I mean I live here, with a wife, a job, and a primary address. So what am I doing at a school whose closest campus is 500 miles away? I’m going to school online. Before you give me that knowing look, let me just say that going to school online does not mean you can cheat and use the textbook on your tests. Nor does it mean that coursework is any easier. On the contrary, it takes incredible discipline and indi-vidual will power to make it through the system. What’s all that got to do with College Re-publicans? The answer is simple: I don’t have a “College Republicans.” Let’s rewind a little bit – back to Novem-ber when many of us were disappointed. After the results were in, I did what every red-blooded, youthful Republican would do and joined the closest online group of GOP 20-somethings to try to shape the future of the party. And then I did it again and again and again. And for a time, it was satisfying. I’m still connected, and I plan to work with these groups as we all get ready for 2010. But as I talked with other 20-somethings who are going to “real” colleges, I kept hearing about what their local College Republican clubs are doing to work with local and national candidates.

But I don’t have a physical campus, I thought. There’s no group to join, no running for club office, no student union room to share. With virtually the entire political world at my fingertips, I shouldn’t need a campus organization to feel connected with other Republicans, right? But that argument could just as easily apply to brick-and-mortar schools, too. Most of us have Internet connections. Why belong to anything at all? What makes a campus club different is that every club member wants to make an impact at a local level. Plus, the College Republicans them-selves are linked inexorably to the central Republi-can Party. That’s called an in-road, my friends. I believe that an online College Republican group geared toward online students is essential to the growth of the organization and the Party itself. Online students want the same thing as traditional students: to make an impact locally. What if I told you that a college was seeing a 12 percent increase in its student population but had no College Republican group to engage it? That’s exactly what’s happening in online education today. A Sloan-C study found that online education enrollment was up 12% between 2006 and 2007, exceeding the overall 1.2% growth of the entire student population in the United States. Traditional campus organizations have a “real world” infrastructure that can be extended to the Internet world just as easily. The problem with the dime-a-dozen Internet-based Republican groups that sprang up last November was that they had trouble extending themselves to the non-Internet world. It’s hard to be taken seriously in the world of politics if people can’t see you, touch you, or hear you. But moving from flesh and blood (and con-crete) to cyberspace should be easier. Republicans all over the country are looking for innovative ways to engage the nation. There is no better way to engage college students than on a campus that is accessible anytime and anywhere and growing rapidly.

by Harrison Farr, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, harrison.farr@gmail.com

On-line College:a New Frontier for College Republicans

photo by James Kincaid

photo by Alan Perez

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14 Fall 2009

s a rule, I have never readily discussed politi-cal ideology with professors or peers in school.

While I would never want to mislead anyone into believing that I am a Democrat, the negative stigma associated with the Republican Party was a burden I didn’t want to take on. In the past, my beliefs led to many relationships with liberals to go stale, and, more importantly, discriminatory treatment among liberal professors. So, in spite of my Republican con-viction and my political knowledge, I kept my argu-ments to myself, feeling isolated in the university, essentially, in the closet. Is it really worth the fight? I am not going to change anyone’s mind about policy, so why bother?” I thought to myself every time I heard someone dis-cuss nationalized healthcare or tax policy. However, that all changed one day in class when a girl in one of my classes, who worked on the Obama campaign, stood up during a political debate and declared that, according to extensive research, the average Re-publican is a “white, uneducated male,” continu-ing further with globalistic, socialist remarks raving about Obama’s plans for our nation. Not only was I stunned that she had the temerity to announce such a comment in front of an audience, but there I sat, a Jewish girl attending a top university, a clear ex-ception to the rule she so strongly believed. Despite my inherent desire to make my identity known, my concern of being ridiculed by a class full of liberals was overwhelming. After class that day, I overheard a group dis-cussing their disbelief and discontent that she and others could believe such propaganda. “A fellowRepublican!” I thought with delight. It was at that moment that I realized: perhaps I am not alone af-ter all. There are simply more of us hiding in the shadows, passively accepting our radical peers’ sheep like behavior rather than rising against it. While many students recognize that the lib-eral craze has spread like wildfire, few make an effort to reverse the Democrats’ spell and redeem the Republican voice, excitement, and participation that is rightfully ours. However, we Republicans do not stand idly by as the government acts unjust-ly, and the liberal trend amongst the youth should not be treated with any less sense of urgency. More than ever, it is time to get the word out that College Republicans do exist. While everyone who

Coming out of by Taryn Dicterow, USC

reads this article realizes this simple fact, there are many, I would dare to say most, on a campus near you that aren’t as savvy to the California College Republicans. Instead, these poor lonely souls roam the halls, forced to hear praises for Obama, Box-er, Feinstein and Pelosi, thinking they are the only sane ones on campus and the world is coming to an end. Social networking sites, publications across campus and frequent, fun, and intellectually stimu-lating meetings are some of the endless ways we can prove to our peers that they are not alone. By standing up for what’s right, we can get university Republicans out of the closet and broaden our sup-port and effectiveness on campus. It is in our hands to show that Republicans, too, can be loud, proud, and unashamed.

Fight On!

Athe closet

16 Fall 2009

Tierney BurkeTreasurer,

California College Republicans

new school year is starting and club officers are wondering how to get

started. To make your club successful you must focus on three things: networking with local party activists, planning sev-eral beginning of the year events, and most importantly recruiting members on campus. To have a great club all of your members will need to work together on these three things. Local party activists can be found in nearby Women’s Federated chapters and Central Committees. Both of these groups are familiar with local politics, and are eager to work with the next group of conservative leaders. Fellow Republican activists provide great resources for clubs by helping you host events on campus and register voters. And never forget the importance of fundraising! Conser-vative people in your region will usually support you with their time and money, you just have to ask! Networking with these people will ultimately help the Re-publican Party in your community. Now that you have found financial and community support for your club you must plan events. Make sure to allocate your resources wisely. Create regular meetings on campus for club members to look forward to. There are tons of sim-ple but fun activists you can plan! Watch a movie like Team America, Braveheart, or The Patriot. All have political themes and are great movies! You can also in-vite local party officials to come speak, share funny stories about encountering crazy liberals on campus, and discuss current political events. Also, try to plan at least one social event each month. These events can range from a mixer to a get together at a local restaurant for Taco Tuesday. In-viting your school’s club members and students from other Universities in the area will help you meet more conserva-tive activists. Once you create a social network for conservatives in the area you can broaden your activities to host-ing speakers or special events. Having events and support for the community means nothing without club member’s participation. Three words

should become your guide when trying to build up your CR chapter: flyering, ta-bling, and recruiting. Post flyers anywhere and everywhere you can, because that is a good way to spread your message all around the en-tire campus. You just have to hope they don’t get torn down too quickly. Use fly-ers to advertise weekly meetings and special events. A well placed and eye catching flyer can serve a dual purpose, bring in supporters and tick off some lib-erals. Remember, flyers will only get to peo-ple who are searching for ways to become involved on campus. But you need more than these people to have a successful organization, and that is where tabling comes in. To table, you must find a high traffic place on the quad and pass out information about your club. Don’t be afraid to approach people about signing up for your group or registering to vote! You will be turned down by some, but don’t let that discourage you. Now that you have contacted students all over campus consider approaching other people in your classes and com-munity who you know to be conserva-tive- i.e. students in ROTC and other classmates who you catch shaking their head at your professor’s liberal agenda. Other conservatives might be difficult to find on campus but it is your job to recruit the ones you notice, even if the individual does not identify as a Republi-can. Bring moderates and independents to meetings to introduce them to conser-vative values. The success of the party depends on the education and support of ‘declined to state’ voters, so don’t write them off! Changing the minds of those who don’t consider themselves Republi-cans is a tremendous amount of work, but totally worth it. We need your help to spread Repub-lican values to the incoming generation of voters. It is your mission to use these tactics and resources to expand your chapter of College Republicans. The fu-ture of the Republican Party depends on the activism of conservative students like you!

ABuilding a strong CR Club

he great state of California is facing a very criti-cal crisis. Our state budget is one of the biggest

jokes of the 21st century. Currently, the state of California is looking at a deficit of more than 60 billion dollars. This amount of debt is ridiculous and simply unacceptable. There is absolutely no excuse that could explain why it is simply okay to be in this much debt. The reason why California is in such an outlandish amount of debt is due to the irresponsibility, foolishness and weakness of the California State Legislature. In the fiscal years of 2000-2001 the California budget was close to 78 billion dollars. Our current budget is over 103 billion dollars. For any of us that have lived in California during that time let us ask ourselves these questions: Have our taxes increased or decreased? Have state services im-proved or declined? Have our children’s test scores improved or declined compared to the rest of the nation? Have our state’s health care systems im-proved or declined? Have our correctional system improved or declined? And the most important question we must ask ourselves: Is California a better environment for small and large businesses to be profitable enterprises? The answer to these questions is undeniably clear. I have lived here during that time period and have seen that our state government can be run for less money than what is currently budgeted. California’s spending has grown out of control and needs to be reined in. The primary foundation of creating a sound bud-get is based on one rule: do not spend more than you take in. If you stick by this rule, the chanc-es of you falling into debt are relatively slim. The Legislature has obviously chosen to throw away this rule completely when creating the budget for the state. If your monthly income is $2,000, you do not spend $2,300 that month. You spend less than $2,000. Is that such a hard concept to un-derstand? When growing up, I was taught by my parents that credit cards were only used in emergency situations, and loans were taken out only for long-term investments. My parents use common sense when budgeting their money and do not make thoughtless and irrational decisions, as the State Legislature has done. This is why my parents are not in debt and looking for someone to bail them out, unlike the state of California. One of the biggest obstacles I see

in balancing the state’s budget in a bi-partisan way is the influence of our state’s unions and our media. The teachers, correctional officers, fire-fighters, and all of the other very powerful unions have a very strong say on how much money goes into each year’s budgets. Due to laws that voters of California have approved, we have set levels of spending that we have to dedicate to various departments. The departments that spend the most money lobbying to the executive and leg-islative branches of the government receive the most money in the budget. Without measures put in place to deflect the spending mandates that have been set in place, it is virtually impossible to avoid these huge deficits without tax increases or budget cuts in times of economic downturn like we are in. Throughout the years, the State Legislature has told the citizens of California that they keep raising taxes to help close the budget gap. I would not be against this idea if I actually thought it would work or the State Legislature would follow through on their word. As the history of the State Legisla-ture’s decisions shows, is that when they receive more tax money in, they do not cut the budget expenses or even keep the expenses the same as the previous year. When the State Legislature re-ceives more tax money in, they see it as an oppor-tunity to spend more money instead of decreasing the state deficit amount. This decision is wrong and immoral. What the problem comes down to is the Legi-slatures in Sacramento need to stop mixing politics with government. Despite the amount of earned income to the state from year to year, a balanced budget is always possible. The Assembly mem-bers and Senators have become too worried about their own personal stake in decisions and do not make the sensible choices for the betterment of the people and the state. I am a nineteen year old girl who is a senior in college, so it is quite obvi-

ous that I do not have all the answers to solve the California budget crisis. What I can conclude from my research and observations are that most of the Legislators in Sacramento are corrupt and do not know how to manage a budget. They are willing to jeopardize the future of California to gain in their personal goals. I think that without rapid reform to the California Legisla-ture, this once great state is doomed to great embarrassment and failure.

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MOXIE 17

The Corrupt Budgetby Maria Klingenfuss, University of the Pacific

18 Fall 2009

ealthcare reform seems to have become the buzz word as of late and the Democratic

Party seems to have become the champion of yet another massive government overhaul; an overhaul that plucks the strings of every bleed-ing heart in the United States. A horrific picture of healthcare in this country has been painted to rally support for this unprecedented step to-wards Socialism. They have imprinted in the minds of the people an image of the huddled, uninsured masses standing outside of a doctor’s office being refused treatment while the rest of the insured population enjoys the fruit of some

of the most advanced medical treatment the world has to offer… well they are a little right. There is a portion of the population that does not have health insurance and there are people who cannot be seen by a doctor even though the treatment that they could receive is arguably the best they could hope for in the world. Accord-ing to the World Health Organization the United States spends more on healthcare on a per capi-ta basis than any other country in the world and still ranks only 37th in the industrialized world, but what can the Republican Party champion to improve this ranking without compromising

by Rachael Marsik, UC Riverside

H

The Conservative’s Place in Healthcare Reform

MOXIE 19

by Rachael Marsik, UC Riverside

core principles of individual freedom and limited government intervention? Several solutions to the healthcare crisis have been put forth. One of the largest problems in this predica-ment is the lack of access to healthcare prac-titioners due to a crippling shortage, especially within minority and underprivileged communi-ties. This shortage has several causes that could be solved through the investment of hospitals in the education of doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and nurses who are com-mitted to serve in those areas that qualify as “underserved.” Even the insured can encoun-ter trouble when trying to access healthcare because while the population grows exponen-tially the numbers of graduating practitioners remain relatively constant. Compounding the issue is the statistic that the average medical student graduates owing more than $140,000 in loans and so working in an underserved commu-nity often results in loan defaults and substan-dard living for an individual who has invested at minimum a decade in his or her education. A possible solution to this problem reaches back to a practice utilized by hospitals that has been long abandoned. Up until the mid 1970s it was common practice for hospitals to educate nurses on site with contracts ensuring that af-ter graduation the nurses would practice in that hospital for a given number of years. Currently Kaiser Permanente offers similar loan forgive-ness programs and scholarships that repay medical student debt provided that the new doctor practices in one of Kaiser’s designated or underserved communities—the military of-fers similar programs that have proven popular amongst debt fearful medical students. Kaiser’s program has proven quite effective, especially in the field of Primary Care, which has the potential to provide a paradigm shift to preventative care that could result in a drastic decrease in annual healthcare spending. Chronic disease accounts for 78% of the an-nual healthcare spending according to an article released by Dr. Gerard Andersen from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. By in-creasing the number of Primary Care physicians and encouraging a system of preventative treatment, it is estimated that 60% of early deaths–which have been shown to be a result of behavioral influences such as obesity, lack of ex-ercise, smoking, and living conditions—could be averted, and the dollars spent

on end of life care for these individuals could be freed up for a myriad of purposes. Current mod-els like that of Kaiser Permanente have dem-onstrated that the healthcare system can be reformed by the private sector and without dras-tic government intervention like that currently proposed by those in Washington whose inter-ests are vested in the expansion of the federal government and not actually fixing the problem. Healthcare reform in the form of a “single payer” system, or “insurance reform” as it has now been coined, has been an unsuccessful cause histori-cally, and probably will never be successful with the “no compromise” attitude being brought to the table by the Democratic leaders in Congress who have not learned from the example set forth by our own state of California in 2007. Comprehensive healthcare reform failed in California in 2007 because Republicans saw the cost that it would have on California tax-payers—since paying your fair share can only apply to those who make money—and be-cause Democrats were not willing to allow a Republican governor to steal their thunder on a social issue that they have traditionally claimed as their own. Even the California Medical As-sociation opposed a 2007 proposal that included a 2% fee on physicians to be returned in the form of higher MediCal payments, because they believed that these payments would never come to fruition. They also believed that in-creased government responsibility for cost con-trol would inevitably mean reduced payments to physicians. So since most hospitals and physicians do not want this kind of reform and so many people in this country are adamantly opposed to the return of a military draft, how can anyone favor the conscription of the health-care industry—as if it would be that simple? Reform takes time. Most would advise to keep it simple and do it fast, but healthcare re-form and simplicity are as close to antonyms as two words can possibly be. Recall earlier that a medical education takes nearly a decade and the first thing that must be fixed is the shortage

of providers. Could you imagine adding millions of people to an already breaking system? And even though this is not going to be simple and the language is often clouded, as Republicans we must remember that we do have a place in reforming the system and we must not settle, content with the way things are. Because the way things are is messed up.

o I like millions of others tuned into the tele-vised infomercial on ABC where we were all

supposed to be sold the Obama Healthcare plan. For obvious reasons, generally any Republican would tell you this socialized, government ra-tioning system of healthcare is disastrous and it would deflate the best healthcare system in the world to that of our northern brothers in Canada or in Europe. Nothing against Canada but its sys-tem fails to compare with our own. That’s the thing with socialism, a lot of people think no mat-ter how many others have tried and failed that here and now, that Obama can make it work. Sadly it’s just not true. Anyways so as I tuned in, the very first question was from an epilepsy specialist, Dr. Orrin. His question was remarkable; I have not heard such a great question from anyone at ABC, let alone from the hosts and moderators, Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer. Orrin asked “in the past, politicians who have sought to re-

20 Fall 2009

form healthcare have tried to limit costs by re-ducing tests, access to specialists, but they’ve not been good at taking their own medicine. When they or their family members get sick, they often get extremely expensive evaluations and expert care. If a national health plan was approved and your family participated, and, President Obama, if your wife became seriously ill, and things were not going well, and the plan physicians told you they were doing everything that reasonably could be done, and you sought out opinions from some medical leaders and major centers, and they said there’s another option that you should --

should pursue, but it was not covered in the plan, would you potentially sacrifice the health of your family for the greater good of insuring millions? Or would you do everything you possibly could as a fa-ther and husband to get the best health-care and outcome for your family? Obama, as we have all become ac-custom, avoided and walked around the

Skip the mainstream mediaWant information?

by Scott Raab, Central Valley Regional Vice Chair

S

question without even addressing it. Unchal-lenged and free to move on, he continued to the next question. He talked about how his grand-mother died recently and she had a broken hip and that those decisions are hard to make, that every family is going through hard decisions but that every study shows that the care that is be-ing provided doesn’t make us healthier. I turned the channel. I had to, I mean no host/journalist picked up on the fact that he didn’t answer the question or that they should have even thought about a follow up. Instead they just moved on to another question. I knew that journalism at ABC was a sham, that whole days programming was a 24 hour pro Obama ratings grabber. But now like so many others they don’t even try to be unbiased, as long as they are in agreement. The ratings spectacular worked by the way, ABC had its larg-est audience at 10 pm in six weeks and they beat Letterman by a cool million and Conan by just a little less than that. This got me thinking about how important it is to have access to good information and how hard that can be with the liberal media always getting in the way. I want to share with you some good places to get information. First off you should all be visiting Real Clear

Politics. It’s a great site that links to very good writers of both views, syndicated columnists, polls and transcripts of the latest events. It even includes videos. Speaking of columnists, are you familiar with Charles Krauthammer and George Will? Both these men are spectacular writers on current affairs and present articles routinely. Someone else you should be familiar with is Matt Drudge, of the Drudge Report. This site is one of the most successful of all time. These are just a couple of my bookmarks for the web, but there are many great sites for you find. Both Glenn Beck and Michelle Malkin have popular websites with lots of quality content. As a good friend of mine Ryan Dixon says “Fight on Republicans!”

Useful Websites for an informed CR: http://realclearpolitics.com/ http://drudgereport.com/ http://foxnews.com/politics/ http://townhall.com/ http://michellemalkin.com/ http://flashreport.org/ http://glennbeck.com/ http://danareport.com/ http://cbo.gov/

22 Fall 2009

San Francisco CCR Convention Spring 2009

photo by Tierney Burke

photo by Kaitlyn Shimmin

photo by Alexa Ekman

photo by Tierney Burke

photo by Alexa Ekman

MOXIE 23

photo by Tierney Burke

photo by Tierney Burke

photo by Kaitlyn Shimmin

photo by Michael Antonopoulos

photo by Kaitlyn Shimmin

photo by Kaitlyn Shimminphoto by Michael Antonopoulos

by Paul Wysocki, CSU San Marcos

“

Segregation through

”

In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates him-self to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with every-one else. There can be no di-vided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American but something else also isn’t an American at all.

-President Theodore Roosevelt

Celebration

MOXIE 25

nly in America can someone ask you, “What are you?” and you understand what

he or she means. If you were to ask a German or a Frenchman, “What are you?” they’d most likely stare at you in bewilderment. Because in their countries, as well as throughout the rest of the world, the answer to that question does not require a hyphen. Only in America can you answer African-American, Hispanic-American, Asian-American, or non-Hispanic (a.k.a. white, for anyone who has recently taken any standardized test in California). I personally define myself as American, which I believe is justifiable; I was born here and I absolutely love this country. So why shouldn’t I say I’m American, and be proud of it? This raises a question to me as to why our society feels the need to identify -or should I say separate- every race into labels? When Thomas Jefferson said in his Inaugural Ad-dress, “We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists,” he meant that despite party poli-tics, we are all Americans. While we may dis-agree over things, we are still united; out of the many, there is one. President Jefferson understood that while labels such as conser-vative or liberal, black or white, are used to identify people, they weren’t meant to define them. I believe that in too many cases in to-day’s society labels do not only define us, but also marginalize us. And certain labels, such as ones that differentiate us by race, hurt the cohesiveness of America and not only mar-ginalize us but separate us, or segregate us. In the mid 19th century, waves of foreign-ers were immigrating from all over the world to the United States. According to the book Learning to Teach Everyone’s Children by Carl Grant and Maureen Gillette, “U.S. lead-ers and citizens argued that the new arriv-als needed to be ‘Americanized’ to prepare them to become productive members of so-ciety and prevent social unrest. The public schools, it was agreed, was where Americanization would take place.” However, today the opposite has happened; progres-sive public classrooms and liberal curriculum embrace diversity and multiculturalism over American culture. Under the guise of cel-ebrating one’s own culture, chil-dren are being divided, separated, and subsequently subconsciously

segregated. Segregated and grouped into cat-egories of race through politically correct terms such as African-American or Asian-American, etc. While society wishes us to be colorblind, viewing everyone as equal, and to judge people not “by the color of their skin but the content of their character,” we are constantly being re-minded of those who are different around us. Last February, during the California Republican Party Convention in Sacramento, I toured the State Capital Building. While walking through the halls and gazing upon the walls, I began to notice large posters of all the black legislators of California. I quickly realized the reason was be-cause it was Black History Month, but what still dumbfounds me is to why the black legislators were being showcased. In an age of equality, why should they have special treatment based on the color of their skin? And to point them out, highlighting who they are, aren’t we in a sense segregating the black men and women of the legislature by recognizing, addressing, and specifying the difference between them and the white legislators? Another example: I took a few pre-requisite classes last fall for my teaching credential that required me to observe in elementary school classrooms. One of the questions on the Obser-vation Report was to immediately identify the minority students in my head so I may properly address them. What?! Having been told all my life to not make prejudgments or predetermina-tions based on race, I now must identify who the minorities are? I found the exercise sicken-ingly hypocritical and contradictory, and chose not to follow through with it. The United States used to be called a “melting pot;” a country of immigrants that had assimi-lated into American culture, while still retaining much of their own as well. However now we are known as a “salad bowl,” where various cultures are juxtaposed, like salad ingredients, but do

not form together into a single ho-mogeneous culture. A Divided States of America, in a sense. We are con-stantly being reminded of the differ-ences between us through labels, stereotypes, and racial classes. While America has made great strides in overcoming racial injustices of the past by advancing beyond separate but equal, through segregation by celebration we have become equal but separate.

by Paul Wysocki, CSU San Marcos

O

26 Fall 2009

Alyssa Shimmin, Saddleback

n California it can be very hard to be a Republican who stands

up for their ideas, particularly in school. Finding an educator who is not liberal is nearly impossible. There is no question that this is a profession dominated by liber-als who have been entrusted with the minds of young Californians and future voters. Many young conservatives believe that it is not worth giving up a good grade to make a point. Some might be surprised to learn that there is a place where the occasional Re-publican teacher can be found. We call this place South Orange County and it is where I have been fortunate enough to receive my education thus far. Recently I was asked if I thought I would still be a Republican had I grown up in a different, more liberal area of California. My an-swer was yes, however the ques-tion brought to mind how many other people are influenced by the people they interact with on a daily basis, particularly those in a position of power. As early as five years old children are thrust into school where their teachers can bend history and shape the future. Of the hundred teachers at my high school there were five open Republicans, perhaps a half dozen others were suspected conservatives. Having even that many Republicans teachers made finding a supervisor for my Stu-dents for McCain club much easier than it would have been at a school two hours north in Los Angeles. Despite Orange County’s repu-tation, the classrooms are con-siderably weighted to the left. When political discussions arose

in class, or in my case anywhere I went, I was often the only Re-publican in the room. It is still difficult for a Republican to find allies in the other students. Now that I have started at Saddleback College the ratio of liberals to conservatives is much more drastic. Even in Orange County there is no escaping the left sided views of professors. I’ve watched classmates become immediately disliked by teachers for speaking out against a liber-al notion. Teachers will also of-ten take sides in debates of this sort, and make it even more dif-ficult for a conservative student to speak out. Having teachers openly interject their opinions was a drastic change from high school where at least I could voice my opinions, even if I was being opposed by the other stu-dents. Being exposed to this indoctri-nation for the first time opened my eyes to what most other students have had to deal with throughout their entire school careers. It has made me respect those people who did grow up in less conservative areas in Califor-nia, and still have the strength to be different and question the lib-eral ideas they had been taught. I like to think that I would still have the same morals and ideas no matter where I lived, but look-ing at it objectively shows how difficult that may have been. I praise all those Republican stu-dents who have had the courage to speak out. It is because of them that the California College Republicans are such a strong organization.

Report from Orange County

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MOXIE 27

Clinton Soffer, UCSD

he best way to get your foot into the political arena is re-

ally quite simple… get an intern-ship! Internships are the most ef-fective means of getting involved in politics. Interns gain insight into the political process and learn how to be effective leaders. One of the top ways to of getting political knowledge is to work at a legislative office where pub-lic policy and laws are debated.

Internships are available in po-litical and governmental offices throughout California, whether it’s in the Capitol or in district of-fices of state and federal legisla-tors. Many currently elected public officials started out as interns for legislators in their own communi-ty. Many former College Republi-cans started out as interns before they were able to succeed in the political arena. Former CCR Chair-man Stephen Puetz first started out working as volunteer coordi-nator for former Assemblywoman Shirley Horton’s campaign while attending college and being ac-tive in CRs. “My first major in-

CCR Launches New Internship Programvolvement in politics outside of College Republicans was when I worked on Assemblywoman Shir-ley Horton’s reelection campaign. Working on a campaign is a great way to get started if you are in-terested in politics” said Puetz. David Vidosic, District Director to Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, also got his start in politics in a similar fashion. David started out working on Jerry Sanders cam-paign for Mayor of San Diego. Vidosic said “internships have al-ways been a way to get plugged into the political field. If anyone asked me how to get your foot in the door, I would tell them to get an internship.” It is important that more Col-lege Republicans get internships in California and across the coun-try. By expanding the amount of young people who are involved in the political process, we are at the same time building our base of future leaders who will have to carry the torch during what is go-ing to be challenging times. We must prove to our leaders that we just aren’t bought by pretty words, but that we are willing to fight for what we believe in. If we can do this, it will be better for our state’s future. Let us begin now, for our gen-eration’s sake. If you are inter-ested in an internship near you, please send an email to us atInternship@collegegop.org, so we can get you plugged in as soon as possible.

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“Internships provide valuable, hands-on experience that both give you an insight into a career path and provide you with an opportunity to net-work.”

28 Fall 2009

“What is right isn’t always popular,

s a college student, I consider myself to be surrounded by the future leaders of our

country. With unlimited resources and connec-tions, college students are already beginning to change the future of our world. I have met some of the brightest and most revolution-ary minds in my experience at college so far. But after the recent election, I have noticed a startling relationship between college stu-dents and politics- a lack of knowledge. Why, when these kids are some of the smartest minds in the country, are they so uninformed on political issues? Well, lets take a look. I can vividly remember in middle school the lack of knowledge my peers had about poli-tics. I probably asked ten different friends, “Are you a Republican or a Democrat?” And the only answer I received was a confused, expressionless face. Not only did my genera-tion not care about politics, they couldn’t even tell a liberal from a conservative. Which I have always thought was strange. How, at 12, 13, 14 years old, can you not know anything about the two major political parties that run this country? And fast forward ten years, the theme of “lack of knowledge” still exists, but it has morphed into a different animal. Our generation is a generation of follow-ers. We follow celebrities, TV shows, face-book, blogs and unfortunately, trends. Has there ever been a larger trend in politics than, “Yes We Can?” People don’t understand the danger in applying that mentality to the po-litical sphere. They blindly follow “the trend” and act like a pack of lemurs following one

another off a cliff. Go up to any Obama sup-porter and ask them to explain why they like him, and I guarantee the best answer you will get is, “He’s the opposite of George W. Bush.” Really? So if I applied that logic to say, the system of democracy, then that would mean communism would be the best answer, right? I mean, it’s the complete opposite of democracy. It must be the best solution for our country…The question still remains, why don’t people care about a candidate’s substance or mor-al fiber? Why is everything based on a trend that has brainwashed people into believing in Barack Obama? It is this warped way of thinking that makes our grandparents roll over in their graves. If my grandfather, who was an appointee of Ronald Reagan when he was governor of Cali-fornia, knew the lack of depth people feel for politics in this day and age, he would no doubt be extremely worried. Whatever happened to being informed on the major issues? What happened to voting for a candidate that is the most intelligent and who has the most experience, not someone who is the opposite of what they don’t want? I guess in today’s age of ignorance, popularity wins out. If Scarlett Johansson has a crush on him, he must be the best candidate. A quote I read a long time ago still sticks with me and I wish people would give credence to, “What is right isn’t always popular, what is popular isn’t always right.” California Republicans, I ask you to know your facts and do what is right. Four years isn’t too far away.

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what is popular isn’t always right”

what is popular isn’t always right”