Red, White, & You. [Part I]

I watched the Republican National Conference (*convention. didn't even notice i said that haha , thanks) Honestly, I watched the conference with an open mind and heart because I thought I deserved that much. “Maybe there is something that I am missing,” I thought. I was right. The Republicans have legitimate concerns: They want to protect their businesses, their money, and their families. Don’t we all? They want to decrease taxes because it is an inconvenience for them to spend money helping us “needy, poor, lazy” folk on the blue side of things. I get it. 

You know, when I was studying at UCLA my junior year in high school, we discussed the tracking method in schools. (For those of you who don’t know, tracking is AP placement, honors classes, “regular” courses, and even remedial classes). We (my classmates and I) advocated for the underdog and claimed that tracking included lack of resources for students, attention for students, and caused a lack of educational confidence. Then, my professor asked, “Great. So, how many of you are willing to give up your AP credit and honors courses so everyone can feel equal?” Everyone grew silent. 

I understand that Republicans- primarily affluent, conservative, business driven white people do not want to sacrifice for the people that they do not understand. However, my problem with the RNC is their apprehensive attitude towards understanding. The poor, hard-working, underrepresented MAJORITY make up America. Mitt Romney constantly talks about taking back America and the “old America”. Whose America is he referring to? It cannot be mine. He talks about America as a land made entirely from immigrants. Not my ancestors. Romney recently spoke to a group of inner-city youth and told them that they could make it with hard work and borrowed money from their parents. In what world is he living? His ignorance is terrifying. 

Quite frankly, Mitt has no interest in my reality. I am a college graduate and unlike some blessed individuals, I have loans...plenty. I am a woman who deserves to be paid at the same rate as my male counterparts. Romney doesn’t seem to care. I surveyed the crowd at the RNC and no one looked like me. I did not see my issues addressed. I heard about big-stick, bullying homeland security. I heard about financial protection for millionaires. I heard a bunch of country-club conservatives saying that the rest of us are on our own. That’s scary to me. They can afford college out of pocket. They can afford to start their own businesses without assistance. They can afford high health care prices. They represent a small percentage of America.

You may feel that politics are far removed from you. You may think that national security, taxes, and loans are something for “old people” to deal with. As youth, we tend to live impulsively day-to-day. Nevertheless, I need all of my peers (ages 18 to 120) to sit down and understand how voting affects them. The prices for college, your paycheck, your daughters or sons, your job pool, your hospital bills, personal rights, and safety are INTIMATE issues that will affect you sooner than later. Whether you’re voting for Obama or Romney, it is important to construct the America that you want for yourself.