"Edugate"

Many who know me and my political ideology know that I prefer to have an individual opinion void of a complete partisan platform. That said, I find that the most current partisan games have passed the line of embarrassment and I feel the need to comment.

In recent months, we have seen many headlines informing us of the increasing polarizing debates revolving around President Obama's actions and politics. The most recent reaction on the political right to Obama's speech encouraging our nation's youth to stay in school, however, is downright laughable.

While, I am not one to name one party more correct than another due to the complication of our nations many worthwhile issues, I feel this most recent speech uproar to be a front to our nation's intellect and common sense. Critics of the speech have stated that the president is attempting to "indoctrinate" our nation's youth. Or better yet, they state he is attempting to "hijack" the parental role. It seems that while the democrats are attempting to achieve the impractical, republicans are busy serving up a punch of fear on the "NObama" bandwagon. Snap out of it, America!

First off parents, your kids are in school because YOU put them there. They learn and do their homework at home because YOU enforce it. If they're still in school, it's because YOU-the parent-did the indoctrinating long before the president said a word. The only children who are going to feel the encouragement of staying in school from this speech are going to be the ones who don't get it at home. As for the rest, the president is simply reinforcing a message they get at home anyway.

Second, regardless of the source, is it really that bad to encourage a child to stay in school? I can imagine people being up in arms about the president coming on the air and giving a speech stating that BJ's don't count as adultery, or condoning polygamy, but staying in school? Honestly, if people are so hell-bent to hate the president and his politics, there has to be something better out there than getting our knickers in a bunch over his attempt to lower America's drop-out rate.

In reaction to the airing of the speech, many in-laws were ready to pull their children out of school for the day. So let me get this straight: our parents, so fearful of the evil message of "stay in school", have PULLED their kids out of school for the day, essentially undermining the original message to begin with-regardless of its source. I guess I shouldn't be surprised this reaction is coming from a party which advocates the spread of peace through massive preemptive bombing.

America, we need to get back on track talking about the issues which will have a lasting effect on our youth, rather than those built upon a foundation of fear. We need to have more thoughtful discussions about what to do about our failing systems of health care and border patrol, in addition to education. Let's not waste our breath on such frivolous matters as this. Honestly, it's embarrassing.

Bigger isn't Always Better, It's Just More to Clean

When we're young, especially when growing up in America in the 1980's, it was easy to get swept away with the idea of buying bigger, better, and faster. If you were not living large, fast, and loose, then you weren't truly living.

This ideology found its way into many of my fantasies and games as a child. One in particular involved an issue of "Architectural Digest" wherein my brother, Nathan, and I would turn magazine pages which portrayed lavish homes with the latest styles and compete to see who could point and lay claim to the luxurious homes first. This usually took place at bedtime, and while I wasn't always the most gracious loser as a child (especially when tired), my mom said something to ease my pain one evening when I lost out on a priceless waterfront mansion in the East Hamptons. She said, "bigger isn't always better, Nick. It's just more to clean." At that, I felt like I was the winner, suddenly proud of claiming only one home in the Rancho Santa Fe mountains with half the square footage to clean.

This lesson of responsibility and care-taking certainly brings new meaning to my life as I grow older. As I look towards buying a home and starting a family in the next few years, it is suddenly becoming more apparent to me that the larger life becomes, the more my wife and I have to "keep clean". Now, not to say that any of these things is a burden. I enjoy the responsibilities that marriage brings and I love having a larger home. But, this is only to say that lifestyle perks come with responsibilities.

That night, mom cleverly used an opportunity to teach me an important life lesson as a means of cheering me up. It's easy to envy, its easy to want luxuries, but those luxuries come at a price. And, while those who think they've "won" this arbitrary race of life by having bigger and better, I can have the last laugh by tending to my life rather than my trophies.