Republican Party Ninth District
Josh Turner

Many people are shocked when they meet me and learn how active I am in politics. I'm not sure if it's my involvement or my ideology that catches people most off guard. At 21, most people do not expect me to be a Republican. The large majority of young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 tend to be very liberal, and it's no wonder, with MTV, The Colbert Report, and other news media targeted at the younger generation pushing their liberal and biased agenda at every opportunity. Additionally, college students are exposed to many liberal professors, whose lectures reflect their liberal leanings. With this abundant supply of liberal bias coming at my generation from all directions, it's really not surprising to me why so many adults between 18 and 24 are liberal at this stage in their life. Many have asked me why am Republican at the age of 21. Well, that's easy. I couldn't stand to be a Democrat. The Republican Party is the party of less government, traditional family values, and a strong national defense- the things that I believe in. My nephew, Chandler, who is seven, recently asked me "Josh, just what is a Republican anyway and why are you one?" You can probably imagine trying to explain your political beliefs to seven-year-old.

To describe the concept of less government, I started out by explaining that most people generally believe one of two ways: either conservative (and Republican), or liberal (and Democratic). I ask him to imagine that he needed something really badly, like a toy. I proceeded to explain how a typical Republican and a typical Democrat would respond to making sure that Chandler had the toy he needed. A Republican would want Chandler to go to a toy store of his choosing, pick out a toy, and with his money, purchase that toy to satisfy his need; a Democrat would want to buy the toy for him. Chandler thought the latter situation sounded best until I told him there was a catch: the Democrat would want Chandler to give their group money so that they could go to a toy store of their choosing and buy a toy to satisfy his needs. Additionally, I explained to Chandler that there was no guarantee that he would like the toy the Democrat bought for him- it could be a BB gun or a Barbie doll. Chandler quickly changed his mind and said he would rather buy his toy for himself.

That's about as simple as it gets when it comes to less government, and why I'm a Republican: I want to pick out my own toy!

Then there are also the other issues that Chandler can't quite understand yet, but that are just as important, contributing factors to why I'm a Republican. Issues such as the right to life, the right to bear arms, defending our country and freedom, and supporting our troops are also fundamental beliefs that I possess as a Republican.

Josh Turner, Cleveland, is current White County Republican Party Chair and a pre-law student at NGCSU. At 21 years of age, Josh is the youngest Republican Chairman in the history of White County, and the one of the two youngest members of the Ninth District Republican Committee.