Why

Next Wednesday, I will be attending the Republican State Convention. My parents are not enthused. The reasons behind their disdain have merit; I've never driven so far (the Convention is in Houston) and if I wreck my car the only choice I have is to go to the military. My transportation options are that limited; Texas is not known for it's mass transit system at this point. My Dad might have mentioned the military only to push how important it is for me to be careful (I've tried joining before; they can't take me anyway).

There's also the money. Four days in a hotel in Houston is not inexpensive. I managed to find a place for the cheap. Albeit, two hundred dollars is not exactly cheap for a college student, even one who's been as successful in his frugality as me. I found someone I can carpool with as well, which limits the worst that can happen to me being involved in an accident but still having a car to return to; not too shabby.

Even after this, I notice that my parents are still mildly ambivalent about the whole affair. A major complaint is about the worth of the trip in question; my Dad rightly notes that the GOP has more money than me and should be paying for it but conservatives are about free-trade, right?

More to the point, the main issue seems to be what I'll gain from attending the convention when compared to the cost. I'll miss two classes at least, which I don't believe my parents realize. My bronze tongue was not able to fully communicate my ideals to them, or perhaps there is a wall between use partially arising out of our differentiating political standings. One of my Dad's favorite sayings is if it doesn't make sense don't do it. It's a pun you see - sense and cents.

Why does it make sense? It makes sense for the same reason why I hold onto my conservative ideals on economics as well as domestic and foreign policy. It makes sense for the same reason why I stand true to those ideals even though I'm ridiculed for it. I need to do this. My Dad went to Iraq and my family suffered for it a great deal; the reverberations of his absence have only recently begun to quell. We sacrificed as a family. I cannot allow Obama to be elected and leave Iraq for politically expedient reasons. My Dad thinks we should leave Iraq, he believes that we should have never been there in the first place. That much is true, but too much has been sacrified and too large a massacre will occur if we were to leave.

It makes sense for me to attend because it makes sense for me to try to fulfill my duty to my country in any shape or fashion.