Opportunities

As all of you can imagine these past couple weeks have been very exciting in many different ways. I will go on ahead and talk about what many of you are wondering about, my new job with the College Republicans National Committee (CRNC). As of last week I was offered a job with the CRNC as a Field Operative starting this fall. After the interview I had to make the decision as to whether I would be willing to take a semester off of school in order to take this position that was offered to me that would be an opportunity of a lifetime. After much deliberation, and speaking with parents, friends, and colleagues in Washington I have decided to take it! Basically a field operative gets to recruit, train, mobilize and engage college students in support of Republican candidates, policies and principles. Specific tasks include recruiting on college campuses, signing up volunteers, and organizing College Republican phone banks and neighborhood walk operations designed to identify Republican voters and get them to the polls on Election Day. I will be sent to one highly competitive battleground state where young Republican voters will make a real difference for GOP candidates. I will be assigned one region of one state. I will not be assigned my state until August, but as details come out I will be sure to notify you following my blog posts.

                As far as Washington goes there has been quite a lot going on. First thing on the list is the House is expected Thursday to vote to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for failing to hand over thousands of pages of internal Justice Department documents detailing why federal officials allowed guns to fall into the hands of Mexican drug cartels. The Fast and Furious-Scandal has been simmering for months, but it boiled over last week when a House committee voted to hold Holder in contempt of Congress despite an administration claim of executive privilege. If the House approves the measure, it will be the first time in U.S. history that one of the chambers has voted to hold a sitting attorney general in contempt.
                As of today the Supreme Court ruled largely in favor of the federal government Monday in a case involving Arizona's immigration law, but it upheld the most controversial provision involving police checks on people's immigration status while enforcing other laws. The decision rippled across the political landscape in a presidential election year. The court's 5-3 ruling struck down key parts of the Arizona law. However, the Supreme Court will rule Thursday on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. In my personal opinion the stakes cannot be overstated, what the justices decide will have an immediate and long-term impact on all Americans, both in how they get medicine and health care, but also in areas of commerce.

                Also as a side note, I will be coming home for the week of the 4^th of July. I will get a chance to spend time with my much missed family and friends. I am also looking forward to volunteering with the festivities going on in Sebastian for the 4^th.

                Recently I had the chance to spend the day at Arlington National Cemetery. Typically when I go it’s usually timed and everything is rushed. But when you have a whole day to spend there and to take it all in, it is truly an amazing experience. Some of my favorite points of it were the Space Shuttle Memorials, the Flame of John F. Kennedy, and the obvious changing of the guard.

                I know that there is a lot going on in our nation’s capitol and some of it I didn’t hit on, but if there is anything in particular you want to hear my opinion of just comment below. Or if you just have random comments or questions I welcome those too. Hope everyone is staying safe and indoors from the tropical storms, definitely something I don’t miss. Can’t wait to see everyone next week!

God Bless,

Wesley Davis

Something New Everyday

Once again Washington D.C. has ceased to surprise me. Since my last post quite a few things have taken place here in our nation’s capitol.

Memorial Day was most definitely something that I will never forget. During the day, I was fortunate enough to visit some of the memorials. For those of you that have seen the magnitude of these memorials, it’s definitely incomparable when you visit them on during Memorial Day. The Vietnam Memorial was one of the most emotional; families were all there paying their respects. Wives, sons, daughter, cousins, aunts and uncles were there searching for their family member(s) on the wall that seemed to stretch forever. I came across one army wife that was emotionally breaking down, but fortunately her family was there to comfort and support her. That night my prayers went out to all the military families, veterans, and members of the military currently serving. However, the National Memorial Day Concert was definitely an experience. For those who don’t know what the concert is, it is a concert that PBS puts on in front of the Capitol Building; Trace Akins, Daughtry and the Secretary of State Colin Powell were just some of the people that took to the stage that night. The concert did have its moments, like where the crowd was in tears from a story of an army wife that had lost her husband.

However, the House of Representatives has been in session the past two week and we have seemingly never missed a beat. Due to the summer season, tours have been a constant in our office; families from Melbourne, Vero Beach, Sebastian, Cocoa Beach, Kissimmee, and so on have all been making visits to Washington D.C.  Tours are definitely a highlight of being up here. Being able to connect and talk to constituents on a personal level is an experience you cannot find anywhere else.

I was fortunate enough last week to have the opportunity to attend a House Budget Hearing. The topic of the hearing was “Removing the Boundaries to Free Enterprise and Economic Growth” and a witness to the hearing was Florida Governor Jeb Bush. With the Chairman of the Budget Committee being Congressman Paul Ryan, I knew that it wasn’t a hearing to miss. The Governor was very helpful in giving his personal opinion based on his Governorship and his experience in the private sector. However, there were members of Congress, like Congresswoman Kathy Castor as well as Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who were just there to point out the supposed faults of his Governorship. I was particularly offended by the comments made by Congresswoman Castor; she remarked that the High School Online Classes have been a complete waste of the state’s time, that the public high school systems in Florida are at an all time low and not properly preparing their graduates for the “real” world, finishing up by saying that private colleges within Florida take advantage of federal loans and that graduates of the institutions aren’t prepared for the “real” world as well. She obviously hit just about all the aspects of my education. Because I personally experienced and am experiencing all three, I was completely appalled and astonished that she made those remarks. It was obvious that Governor Bush was taken aback by her remarks as well. Surprisingly, Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz spent her speaking time on a campaign speech. These women are both Representatives of Florida for those of you that aren’t familiar with these members of Congress.

Something that I recently had the chance to do was visit the National Holocaust Museum. This definitely is a place that I highly recommend to everyone of a suitable age. The message and insight that this museum gives is remarkable. I went when I was in sixth grade, but the whole concept was hard to wrap my mind at such a young age, but now I understand the magnitude of the message. A majority of the population knows of the Holocaust, but the additional background information and images are unimaginable. The point that got to my roommates and myself was the room filled with shoes from just a small portion of the victims.

Last week, I learned that my eight year old cousin, Cassidy, just started to learn about government and she told her entire class that her “cousin works in the government.” She then printed off my blogs and pictures to show to the class. So I just wanted to give a shout-out to her: if you need anything, I’ll try my best to get it to you.

I’ll do my best to get some info out to anyone who wants to hear about any legislation. If you have any comments or questions feel free to add them below! Hope everyone is having a great summer!

God Bless,

Wesley Davis