Father-Daughter Talk

This is another one of those papers that were given to me by my neighbor. She works for a local Conservative Republican Congressman.

A young woman was about to finish her first year at college. Like so many others her age, she considered herself to be a very liberal Democrat, and among other liberal ideals, was very much in favor of higher taxes to support more government programs, in other words, redistribution of wealth. She was deeply ashamed that her father was a rather staunch Republican, a feeling she openly expressed. Based on the lectures that she had participated in, and the occasional chat with a professor, she felt that her father had for years harbored an evil, selfish desire to keep what he thought should be his.

One day she was challenging her father on his opposition to higher taxes on the rich and the need for more government programs. The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors had to be the truth as she indicated so to her father.

Her father responded by asking how she was doing in school. Taken aback, she answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to maintain, insisting that she was taking a very difficult course load and was constantly studying, which left her no time to go out and party like other people she knew. She didn't even have time for a boyfriend, and didn't really have many college friends because she spent all her time studying.

Her father listened and then asked, "How is your friend Audrey doing?" She replied, "Audrey is barely getting by. All she takes are easy classes, she never studies, and she barely has a 2.0 GPA. She is so popular on campus; college for her is a blast. She's always invited to all the parties and lots of times she does not even show up to classes because she is too hung over."

Her wise father asked his daughter, "Why don't you go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct 1. 0 off your GPA and give it to your friend who only has a 2.0. Taht way you will both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair and equal distribution of GPA."

The daughter, visibly shocked by her father's suggestion, angrily fired back, "That's a crazy idea, how would that be fair! I've worked really hard for my grades? I've invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work! Audrey has done next nothing toward her degree. She played while worked my tail off!"

The father slowly smiled, winked, and said gently, "Welcome to the Republican party."

If anyone has a better explanation of the difference between Republican and Democrat I'm all ears.

(However, lately, they are closer to one and the same. November will be interesting. There will be a lot of holding of noses on the side of the Republicans who do not care too much for the candidate. I do hope, however, that unless an alternative comes up, that the majority of the Conservative Republicans --like myself-- will choose the lesser of two evils and vote for the Republican. John McCain beats a Barack Obama any old day.)