Entitlement

Entitlement.

A big problem in our culture today is entitlement.  This problem doesn't seem to be getting any better and will probably only get worse as democrats keep getting elected to the White House.  I'm not sure when this happened....what generation is guilty of this current state of apathy or are multiple generations to blame?   I, myself, am a Gen-X-er (Generation X, those born between the early 60s and the early 80s).  I was born in the early 70s, so there's no doubt about it...I'm a Gen-X-er.

I'd like to think that my generation is not to blame, as I don't abide by the code of entitlement.  Sure, I'd love to not have to work and spend my days at the movies, watching TV, going to lunch, traveling, etc., but I'm not independently wealthy.  Like most of you reading this (if not all), I have to get up in the morning, drive to work, put up with a lot of stress during the day, then drive home and cherish a few hours with my husband and dog before we go to sleep and start the cycle all over again.

Perhaps the Generation Y kids or Generation Me are to blame.  Makes perfect sense, right?  They're described by some as a generation of narcissists, hence the name "Generation Me".  They were born between the early 80s and early 2000s.  This is the generation of facebook, twitter, instagram, blogs, etc., everyone displaying their whole lives for the world (or a select group of people) to see.    Of course, this is the generation we should logically blame, right....but who raised them?  Who are their parents.  Chances are, many of Generation Y are the products of Generation X procreation.

My generation, the generation that longed to separate themselves from their parents' identities and feel this amazing self worth all while never wanting for anything.  Yes, my generation parented Generation Y and created these monsters.  Of course, this does not apply to everyone.  I have many friends who are great parents and have polite and charming children....but then there's the other kind of people.  The kind of people who believe there should be no winners and losers in a game, just participants.  The kind of people who praise 17th place.  The kind of people that don't want their children to ever feel any sort of disappointment.  The problem is.....this is not the way the world works.  Life is full of winners and losers.  1st place is really the only accomplishment that gets praise.  Life is full of disappointments.  That's life.

Unfortunately, more and more people in our country believe they should have the same things others have without any hard work, without achievement, without anything, but a sense of entitlement.  It's not just young people.  This disease of entitlement does not discriminate by age.  In fact, it doesn't discriminate at all.  The epidemic is spreading rapidly and this needs to change fast or we will drift into apathy.  This is why I started my blog....we need to unite our party and accept each other's differences if we're ever going to be strong enough to counter a party that is essentially giving the people what they want....something for nothing.

Thanks for listening,
The Urban Republican

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Gays vs. Guns

The title of this post may make you think I'm talking about a battle between gays and guns. I'm not. I'm talking about the two big issues in which my opinion differs from the Republican party platform. As I mentioned in my first post (The Checklist), I support same-sex marriage, same-sex adoption, etc. I also mentioned that I support a ban on assault weapons and believe firmly in sensible gun control.

These two issues may appear to have nothing in common, but they are actually both based in the same argument. People who are against any sort of gun control argue that it is an infringement on their Second Amendment right to bear arms. People who support marriage equality argue that laws that forbid same-sex marriage deny people of their basic constitutional right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Usually (not always, but usually), those who are against gun control are also against same-sex marriage. I find this very puzzling. Intelligent people who argue that taking guns away from law abiding citizens is wrong, because it is an infringement on our constitutional rights and if you permit the government to start taking rights away, then you open the door to the possibility of more rights being taken away. I respect that argument and I understand that argument. I'll admit, I don't feel the need to own a gun (I've never even held one), and I wouldn't feel like my rights have been infringed if guns were banned, but I respect the opinion of those who feel this way. That said, I have to wonder why many of these people who believe so much in these basic, fundamental rights, don't extend this same right to gays and lesbians.

When it comes to relationships, gays and lesbians want the same things the rest of us want. They want to meet the right person, fall in love, and get married. Like heterosexual couples, many of them want children, too. (My husband and I don't want children, but we recognize that most couples do.) As an American, I believe people have the right to be with the person they want to be with and it's no one else's business, but their own. Our party has not only withheld its support for the rights of gays to marry, but it actually added support for a ban on gay marriage to the platform shortly before the 2012 Republican National Convention. I was very upset by this. It's one thing to avoid the issue, but it's another thing to take a stance that is so exclusionary. This move alienated many gay voters. I have gay friends who have told me they would consider voting for a Republican presidential candidate, but after the party's stance against gay marriage, they felt they had no choice, but to vote for Obama.

As a political party, why are we doing this? Why are we excluding people who want the same things we do? Why are we excluding people who get up in the morning, go to work, work hard, and go home to their loved ones at the end of the day? Why are we excluding people who put their children's needs before their own? Why are we excluding people who pay taxes? Why are we excluding people who own homes? Why are Why are we excluding our friends, neighbors, co-workers, siblings, cousins, children, etc.? Why are we excluding a man who loves another man and a woman who loves another woman, yet we're willing to fight tooth and nail for a piece of machinery that is designed to kill? Why?

Some people believe that it is unnatural to be in a same-sex relationship. Sure for heterosexual people it is unnatural, but it's perfectly natural for gay people. I firmly believe sexual preference is something a person is born with and it is unfair to deny someone of the basic right to marry, because the person he or she loves is the same gender. What makes a heterosexual relationship superior to a homosexual one?I am a family law attorney, and I promise you, heterosexual relationships are in no way superior to homosexual ones. I have witnessed a lot of ugliness between straight couples. A lot of vengeance, pettiness, cruelty, use of children as pawns, anger, hatred, etc. I'm not saying gay couples don't resort to these tactics when a relationship ends, but the point is straight couples are no better than gay couples and vice versa. The relationships are equal and should be treated equally in the eyes of the law.

I don't expect the Republican party to do a complete about-face on this issue, but I hope the party can back off from the ban on gay marriage and at least have a dialogue. I didn't always feel the way I do about gay marriage. I used to believe only in civil unions, but didn't support marriage. As time went on, I matured and I learned more, then I realized there is no reason a same-sex union should be called something different from an opposite-sex union. I believe many in our party feel the same as me and those who don't can change their opinion on this issue as well. At this point, I am asking other members of our party for tolerance...that is all. Let's stop excluding people who probably share many of the same values as us and let's start including people.

Thanks for listening,

The Urban Republican

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Happy Birthday, President Reagan!!!

February 6, 2013 marks what would have been Ronald Reagan's 102nd birthday.  In honor of his birthday, I'd like us to remember some great things he achieved during his presidency.  As much as I adore Ronald Reagan, I promise that my weekly posts will not all be Reagan-centric.  This is just a special Happy Birthday post in honor of our 40th president.  Here's Reagan's presidency in a nutshell...

1)  One month before President Reagan took office in 1981, interest rates were at an all-time high of 21.5%.  On the day he was sworn in, they decreased to 20%.  By the end of his first year in office, they were reduced to 16.5%.  By the time Reagan was sworn in for his second term in 1985, interest rates were down to 10.5%.  By May of 1987, interests rates were down to 8%.  Anyone who purchased a home between the 1970s and now understand how important it is to have low interest rates.  The low rates we enjoy now were unimaginable to home buyers in the 1970s.

2)  Reagan reduced taxation from as much as 70% during the Carter administration to 28%.  As a result, economic growth was stimulated and tax revenues actually increased from $244 billion in 1980 to $446 billion in 1989.

3) President Reagan played a crucial role in bringing the cold war to an end by building up our nuclear arms, preaching against communism and being a strong, yet fair leader in dealing with Mikhail Gorbachev.  Less than a year after President Reagan left office, the Berlin Wall fell.  By the end of 1991, the Soviet Union dissolved.  Sure, Obama supporters will say that Obama was responsible for killing Osama bin Laden, but anyone who has seen Zero Dark Thirty knows it was the operatives on the ground who dedicated nearly a decade of their lives to the hunt who are responsible for bin Laden's death.  Obama was lucky.  Reagan was not.  It was Reagan's foreign policy that ended the Cold War.

4) In 1986, President Reagan  signed the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) into law.  This is the law that allows workers, who leave their jobs for whatever reason, to remain insured for a period of time.  What a concept, healthcare available to those who want it and are willing to pay for it.  It's optional, not mandated like the current healthcare law.

5) President Reagan saved Social Security signing the Social Security Reform Act in 1983.  He also mandated states to provide job training programs to low income families to break the poverty trap.  President Reagan, like all Republicans, knew that handouts don't get people out of poverty.

6) President Reagan helped curtail frivolous strikes by standing his ground in the Air Traffic Controller strike of 1981.  He brought in military air traffic controllers to ensure no interruption of service.

7) As I stated in my first blog, he appointed the first woman and the first Italian American to the United States Supreme Court.

The list goes on an on.  I could go on all day talking about what great president and what a great man Ronald Reagan was, but it is time to move forward.  The next presidential election is only 1,371 days away.  If we have any hopes of our next president being Republican, our party has to come into the 21st century.

Thanks for listening,
The Urban Republican

The Checklist

The Checklist

Republican. In the days and weeks since the 2012 presidential election, it sounds like a dirty word. Republican. Old, white, rich men smoking cigars and cackling as they plot and scheme to control women's reproductive systems. Republican. Ignorant religious, born-again Christians who hate homosexuals and condemn them. Republican. Gun toting ranchers hunting down illegal immigrants like game as they race across the border. Republican. If you believe the imagery the mainstream media conjures up, Republican is synonymous with pariah.

While I am offended by these notions, I also acknowledge that many people don't know about the other kind of Republicans. The Republicans like me. I am a Republican. I am an Urban Republican. I don't fit the description of the “typical” Republican, as the media would like you to believe. When I first thought of writing this blog, my intent was to show those on the outside that we Republicans are not all like this. However, after the shooting in Newtown and my ongoing debates with fellow Republicans over guns, I realize I need to remind my fellow Republicans that we are not all like this.

If there was a checklist, of what makes a Republican (according to some), it would look something like the column on the left, below. My feelings on these topics are in the column on the right, below:

Republican Characteristics/Beliefs	√	My characteristics/beliefs
Rich		I am far from rich. I'm an attorney, I make decent money, but I'm paying back huge student loans and will be doing so for the next 25 years.
Man		I am a woman (and I'm not a mother, nor do I intend to be.)
White	√	Yes, I'm white, but I'm half-Italian, quarter Polish, eighth English and eighth German. I'm basically a European mutt.
Evangelical Christian		I am Roman Catholic. I don't beat anyone with a bible. I go to church once in a blue moon, but we have confession as an option, which is pretty cool.
Pro-family values	√	I have nothing against family values, but I have no desire to have children. My husband and my dog are more than enough family for me.
Anti-Gay Marriage		This is where the party and I strongly disagree. I am 100% in favor of gay marriage. Everyone deserves to marry the person he or she loves as long as that person is a consenting adult. I am also in favor of adoption, surrogacy and sperm donation for same-sex couples. Anyone who goes through all that trouble must really want the child and will take very good care of him/her. Straight people just have to be careless and a baby comes along.
Pro-life/anti-birth control	√	I'll admit, I am pro-life. I would never have an abortion (despite my desire to never have children), but I also don't think this needs to be a major platform for our party. I agree that the tax payers shouldn't have to pay for abortions. I also feel they shouldn't have to pay for contraception, but I am 100% in support of it's use. I use it. I don't want children. I am 39 years old....you know how many times I've been pregnant? Zero!!! It's amazing what being responsible can do.
Pro-Military/War on Terror	√	I absolutely support our troops and I fully support a strong military and defense spending. We need to do whatever it takes to kee p our country safe. Let us also not forget that many technological advances and gadgets we enjoy today originated in the military.
Anti-Immigration	√	I am against illegal immigration. People need to come here through the proper channels and pay taxes. I do not approve of people sneaking across the border and staying in secret or through loopholes and taking advantage of all the freebies our government gives to people.
Small town/rural mentality		I grew up in Staten Island, NY and now I live in the heart of Los Angeles. I am a city girl through and through. I've never been camping, I've never held a gun, I've never milked a cow, etc.
Racist		I am not a racist. Most Republicans aren't either. Remember the 13th Amendment?
Ignorant		I am not ignorant, I consider myself to be very open-minded.
Fiscal Responsibility	√	I 100% believe in fiscal responsibility. We need low taxes to encourage economic growth and we have to cut spending (like freebies to people taking advantage of the system, free healthcare, etc.) and other government entitlements.
Pro-gun		I fully support a ban on assault weapons. I have listened to ridiculous arguments that we need these guns to fight off the government. I hate to break it to you, but if our government really wants to invade your compound in the woods, your AR-15 arsenal isn't going to keep them out. Let's get these guns off the streets so incidents like Newtown, CT and Aurora, CO never happen again. I do agree that people have the right to own handguns for self-defense and hunting rifles (for hunting...nothing else).
Hunters		I've never been hunting, I would never hunt. I love animals. I love my dog more than life itself
Tough on Crime	√	I fully support laws that are tough on crime, but I also believe that a person is innocent until proven guilty and that the punishment should fit the crime.

I have been accused of not being a true Republican, because I'm anti-gun. Since when does every single box on the checklist have to be checked to be a Republican? So, if I'm pro small government, low taxes, pro-life, but anti-gun, does that make me a liberal?

This idea that Republicans have to fit into this small rigid ideology is ridiculous!!! I was born and raised in New York and lived in New Jersey for a year and somehow I stayed Republican. I've even lived in California (the biggest blue state of them all) for 17 years, working in the entertainment industry for 8 of those years, and wow...I'm still a Republican.   I attended a large private university in the Northeast and law school in Los Angeles and wow....I haven't been swayed from my core values. So, why has the definition and face of our party become so narrow?

Extreme right!!! I'm calling you out. You may have a stronghold on our party now, but not for long. I am proud to be an Urban Republican. More importantly, I am proud to be a Republican. I will not abandon our party and let the extremists do with it what they will. I know we can do better. We are the party of Abraham Lincoln. We are the party of Ronald Reagan.

Ronald Reagan believed in hard work and being rewarded for one's hard work, not being punished with higher taxes. He believed in small government, low taxes and fiscal responsibility...all of which contributed to economic growth during his presidency. He was a member of the NRA, but he supported the Brady bill. Ronald Reagan believed in strong military and national defense. “Peace through strength”.  Due to his leadership, he ended the Cold War without firing a single shot. He believed in equality and an individual's basic rights and freedoms. He appointed the first woman, the first Italian-American and the second African-American to the United States Supreme Court. Ronald Reagan believed in the American dream. Ronald Reagan believed in America...that “shining city on a hill”, as he often called it. These core beliefs are what make a true Republican.

Republicans who think more like me...I'm asking you to join me in bringing our party back to the issues  that are important and stop wasting time on social issues that are none of our business.

Do you really care if your neighbors John and Steve are married to each other and receive the same tax deductions as you do for being married? You shouldn't care, but if you do, you should care, because you're happy to have such great neighbors who most likely decorate their home beautifully and make your neighborhood look a lot better....and they're probably really nice people, too.

Do you really care if the woman in your office is taking birth control and had an abortion when she was 22? Yes, most of us find abortion immoral, but is it really the most important issue facing us today?

Do you really care if the government bans assault weapons? Are you really planning on building an arsenal in case the government decides to hunt down it's own people?

Let's stop focusing on nonsense and get back to what our party is really about....small government, low taxes, and fiscal responsibility.

As the great President Reagan once said, "I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph. And there's purpose and worth to each and every life."

I truly believe this sentiment about our nation and our party. We are the party that passed the 13^th Amendment and made every man and woman in this nation free from the bounds of slavery.

We can be that party again. We will be that party again.

Thanks for listening,

The Urban Republican