Sacramento Republican Women Federated
2021 Scholarship

The Sacramento Republican Women's Federation is has an essay contest with a $500 prize per age category. Category 1: Graduating High School Seniors, Category 2: College students under the age of 25, currently enrolled in a college that is in Sacramento or Placer County.
This scholarship is open to all majors.

2021 WINNER!
Annah Lee 

 What can the Republican Party do to involve more young people?

Gen Z of the GOP Generation Z, those born after 1996, are set to be the youngest generation of voters, and possibly the most progressive. In a political generation study conducted by Pew Research Center in May 2020, 70% of Gen Zers want more government involvement compared to Millennials (64%), 54% of Gen Zers attribute rising temperatures to human activity compared to Gen Xers (48%), and about 66% of Gen Zers say blacks are treated less fairly than whites compared to Gen Xers and Boomers (~50%). This may be related to statistics that show compared to Gen X, Boomers, and even Millenials, Gen Z is the most educated and most racially and ethnically diverse. So what does this mean for the Republican Party? (Parker & Igielnik, 2020)

In an study presented by Fox News, “Just 33% of 18-29 year olds would prefer to see Republicans control Congress after the 2018 midterm while 65% would prefer to see Democrats” (Fox News, 2017). It’s evident that the Republican Party is losing younger voters and Mike Brodo, the executive director of the podcast Gen Z GOP explains why: “Republicans have clearly had an inability to address the most pressing concerns of young americans such as climate change, racial justice and inequality and those are also issues that which Gen Z republicans very much disagree with older republicans on” (Brodo, 2020). Jace Laquerre, a 17 year old Republican delegate says that younger republicans want more definitive action taken to improve the economy and want a more tolerant party to the LGBTQ+ community and other groups (PBS NewsHour, 2016). Rachel Hoff, a Republican delegate from Washington DC explains that the Republican National Committee is out of step with the party as a whole by denying policies that support issues like LGBTQ+ equality (PBS NewsHour, 2016).  

In addition, Mike Brodo argues that the rhetoric coming out of the Republican Party is resulting in a growing support for conspiracy theories like anti-vax and Q-anon instead of issues that more directly affect voters and their families like the economy and sustainable private sector solutions. Consequently, this takes attention away from the issues that matter to younger republicans and prevents political action from being taken. (Brodo, 2020)

On the contrary, Kimberly Guilfoyle states at the 2020 Republican National Conference that the Republican Party specifically former President Donald Trump brought the best economy in the world, always put the working and middle class first and helped stop the “socialist agenda” of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and others (PBS NewsHour, 2020). Gen Z Republican Nick Sandmann who became famous after his incident involving the media coverage of a pro-life protest, also praises the former president and describes him as being, “one of the most pro-life presidents in US history” (Fox News, 2020). Therefore according to their statements, the Republican Party under President Trump did well to address the concerns of younger and older americans; however, the same could not be said of the party today that lacks the leadership of the former president.

That being said, conservative speaker and author Allie Beth Stuckey presents a different perspective on the matter saying that the Republican Party is not failing to present solutions or grow support for less important rhetoric but is failing to brand their solutions as the “more compassionate and morally right option.” She says that the political dialogue of today which all contain a moral connotation i.e. tolerance, inclusivity, love, hate and more are completely monopolized by the left under the umbrella of liberalism and socialism. Thus, conservatives and Republicans need to be able to explain why their solutions are “the more compassionate choice”  and until they can master that language and branding, the Republican party is going to have a hard time getting more voters. (Fox News, 2017)

From the perspective of many young Republicans, it is evident that the Republican party is lacking solutions to address their concerns and the branding to present their solutions as the “more compassionate choice” (Fox News, 2017). With that, the future presents itself quite clearly; if the Republican party is unable to rebrand and present solutions to an younger and increasingly progressive audience, either those voters will vote democratic or they will eventually transform the Republican party into one that better serves their needs.

Fortunately, it seems that the latter is possible and likely to occur. Many Gen Z republicans have stepped up to positions of leadership in an attempt to transform the party into one that fights for them and the issues that are important to them. Gen Z GOP executive director Mike Brodo, Republican delegate Jace Laquerre and Rachel Hoff to name a few are already making strides to bring change and gather support for the party. With the combined efforts of many, it would seem that the party’s future is in good hands.

Works Cited Fox News. (2017, December 6). What can Republicans do to attract more Millennial voters? [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/x0A2rTNhNww PBS NewsHour. (2016, July 19). Why Republicans are struggling in the battle for millennial voters [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/IMoqu9H23pI Brodo, M. (Host). (2020, July 27). Republicans, we’ve got a problem (No. 1) [Audio podcast episode]. In Gen Z Grow Our Platform Podcast. Podcast Republic. https://podcastrepublic.net/podcast/1525168048 Fox News. (2020, August 25). Covington Catholic student Nicholas Sandmann's speech at the RNC | FULL [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/QyET3r_9Kk0 PBS NewsHour. (2020, August 24). WATCH: Kimberly Guilfoyle’s full speech at the Republican National Convention | 2020 RNC Night 1 [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/ErSd_YiRCAs Parker, K., & Igielnik, R. (2020, May 14). On the Cusp of Adulthood and Facing an Uncertain  

Future: What We Know About Gen Z So Far. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/05/14/on-the-cusp-of-adulthood-and-fac ing-an-uncertain-future-what-we-know-about-gen-z-so-far-2/   

OUR OTHER 2021 WINNER!
Destiny Higashi
The Dangers of Socialism
May 1, 2021
As a young American patriot growing up in this great nation, it is truly a heartbreaking experience to hear stories of "The Glory Days"-- how our country used to be, in contrast to the America that I'm growing up in today. The United States of America, for as long as it has existed, has been a pinnacle of freedom. Whether in thought, religion, the expression of ideas, or even our economic marketplace; freedom has always been at the heart of our nation. This freedom is seen in the expression of ideas and religion, or even having the ability to use innovation to better one's life, and the lives of those around them through the marketplace. And with that in mind, not only is it heartbreaking but rather, infuriating, that my generation Generation Z, and even the generation before us, Generation Y, not only looks past the value of what has been implemented to maintain their freedom but dares to label it as wrong, and something which should be abolished. This is not only seen in the moral side of politics, such as abortion, but also in the economic side as well, including when it comes to the great debate between Socialism and Capitalism, especially since Socialism is incredibly dangerous, and has ruined every country it has been established in.
Due to indoctrination, often presented through the education system, my generation has come to believe that the idea of capitalism is not only harmful to the lower class, but they are also being brainwashed into thinking that socialism is the way to fix it; despite America, for all of its existence, thriving on a capitalistic economy. Historical evidence would include the three industrial revolutions, where more modern examples would be the rise of small businesses in America, such as your local mom-and-pop-type donuts shop, but also can include corporations such as Facebook, which was first started in a college dorm room, and is now a $350 billion dollar company.
However, as the push for equity, under the guise of equality becomes stronger, so does the appeal of a system where everyone is equally wealthy; where no one is in poverty, everything is redistributed from those who possess a surplus to those who are lacking, and the rich are no longer elevated over the poor or middle class. In theory, Socialism is a modern-day, real-life Robin Hood concept. Which as it stands as an idea, isn’t bad, in fact, it sounds incredible! And in a perfect, ideal, utopia, implementing Socialism would fix everything it claims to have the ability to. However, we are not in that kind of a world today.
The same problems that Socialism claims to be able to solve, such as a lack of affordable housing, are created, by the implementation of Socialism itself. Greece, one of the many countries to be ruined by socialism, experienced this in the 1920s, when they first began implementing Socialism. There was a sudden unemployment spike, due to the government forcing a minimum wage hike, which companies could not maintain, forcing them to move their industries to neighboring countries such as Bulgaria. And due to the employment rates plummeting, the tax funded economy crashed, due to the lack of those who were eligible to be taxed, which played a large role in their bankruptcy in 2009.
In America's economic marketplace, or any country whose economy is thriving, you will always see one thing in common, and that is the implementation of private property, competition, and the freedom to buy and sell goods as an individual. However, under a socialist economy, the government is largely in control of how much money you make, due to taxation and the redistribution of wealth. The idea of everyone being paid equally for a variety of jobs would kill any desire people or corporations have to "get ahead" and work hard, thus killing innovation. And once the innovation is killed, the quality of products and work will plummet, if they have not already, and once that happens, there is no competition in the market, thus creating monopolies in every industry, or worse, disrupting and destroying entire industries altogether.
By taking away any benefits of "getting ahead," a majority, if not all people, will no longer see a reason to work hard and create advancements in their industry. We saw this happen 30 years ago in Russia, when they welcomed their first McDonald's. Doctors were leaving their jobs because they were being paid less than fast-food workers, for a much more demanding job. Reporters from the Moscow Times recorded that, "Experts from the Center for Economic and Political Reforms (CEPR) found that doctors earned 140 ($2.46) rubles per hour, compared to the hourly wage of 146 rubles ($2.57) for a supervisor at global fast-food chain McDonald's." (The Moscow Times. “Russian Doctors Paid Less Than Fast Food Workers.” The Moscow Times, 24 Apr. 2021.) This created a sudden drop in medical professionals, forcing many medical facilities in the country to close down, putting an even greater strain on the remaining, already overworked doctors who remained. Unfortunately, this is not simply a disastrous but rare occurrence, but rather, the aftermath of the implementation of Socialism. We see similar occurrences in other countries which have been ruined by the socialist party, such as Greece, Cuba, Venezuela, China, and so on.
Despite all the countries that socialism has destroyed, there is still a large backing of the implementation of Socialism by the youth of America. This is largely due to politicians who have been pushing for the economic shift, that have labeled the countries which have been ruined by Socialism, as "not real socialism,” and they use small, wealthy countries such as Denmark, to prove that Socialism works. However, countries that are cited by modern-day advocates for Socialism, such as Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, are not socialist. Rather, they are considered welfare states that are subsidized by market economics. Meaning, despite having Socialist seeming characteristics, such as free welfare and affordable housing, they rely on an open marketplace to survive.
As previously stated, in a perfect, utopian world, Socialism would be ideal. However, due to human nature, and Murphy’s Law, of “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong,” we do not live in a perfect world, and with that in mind, we can understand that those who are put into power, more often than not, all end up vying for control over the people, rather than keeping the philanthropic promises which were previously made. With all this in mind, a socialist economy would not only be incredibly difficult, if not impossible to regulate and maintain, but would also create an imbalance of power between the masses and those in power. We see this already happening in countries that have implemented Socialism, such as Venezuela- the most recent country to be destroyed by Socialism. Those in governmental positions in Venezuela live in luxury, while "poorer class" citizens lack base living essentials such as food, clean water, and even toilet paper. And despite Socialism claiming to "destroy social classes" and establish equity, evidence is never there to prove their claims.
The push for Socialism in our country, unfortunately, has not occurred overnight but rather, has been a part of a plan which has been going on for decades, beginning with the brainwashing of the youth, the twisting of truth, and the blurring between ideals and reality.
However, more people in my generation are beginning to wake up and see what modern-day, leftist-liberalism is doing to our nation. It seems that some, a remnant if you will, have seen how far-leftist ideology has destroyed our nation and have begun to leave the far-left party in hopes of a brighter future. It’s time for the Right to no longer sit back and complain amongst ourselves about issues which have been going on, or how our freedoms are being taken away from right under our noses. Activism is derived from the root word “action” and though the word has been misused, and even now carries a negative connotation, activism is exactly what we need right now. Yes, rallying is good, but we need change. We’re blessed enough to be a part of a nation where the government is picked by the people, for the people. Regardless of your age it’s crucial to be well informed on current issues, events, and bills being passed, as well as, understanding that our voice is not only important, but powerful and needs to be heard. We as the young generation can no longer sit idly by and watch as our country is being destroyed, because the world that they create today, is the world that we will live in tomorrow.

Destiny Higashi, 16 and a half, Junior (Graduating July of 2021 through CHSPE & SAT), expecting to attend Folsom Lake College and/or William Jessup University 
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Requirements:

Student must be a graduating high school senior above the age of 16 1/2 or a college student under the age of 25 Student must be attending a high school, planning on going to college, or currently enrolled in a college that is in Sacramento County or Placer County.  If in college, student must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 units.  Essay must be 750 - 1,000 words long.  Essays must be in MLA format. Sources must be cited. 
Essay Submission Deadline: May 1, 2021

Please feel free to contact Mary Smothers  with any questions at 
[email protected].

Scholarship

Address

11257 Crocker Grove Lane
Gold River, CA 95670, US

About us

Empowering women to strengthen their values and become more involved in politics by utilizing their unique abilities.