Samantha Pepe's Vice Presidntial Kick off Speech
Jenna DeRosa's Presidential Kick off Speech
Corruption. Deceit. Violence. Debt. What if I described a country that expresses all these traits? It would not sound very appealing, would it? Now, what if I replaced those words with patriotism, freedom, prosperity and equality? Both of these contrasting descriptions describe America, yet only one mindset will lead to success in our country. Perspective is everything. As Americans it is our job to combat the adversities we face with positivity and pride.
Now more than ever I am proud to be an American. Since I was thirteen years old I have carried the same responsibilities as the three hundred million four hundred twenty thousand other Americans who live in the United States. I have been formally working and paying taxes since I was legally allowed to. The feeling of being responsible, knowing, I can take care of myself and others is what drives me. This is the reason I want to be your president. I want to lead our country through all of its current and upcoming hardships when battling adversities like our national debt, corrupt educational system, and our inconsistent foreign policy. Throughout my life I have demonstrated consistency and growing responsibility. When I was just two years old I joined gymnastics and continued with the time consuming and physically demanding sport for twelve years. This sport repeatedly made me prove how hard I was willing to work. Since then I have put the same passion and dedication into everything I do. My dedication and consistency has been noticed by many around me, from coaches to bosses. Over the past five years I have received three ‘most dedicated’ awards and four raises in just two years of working at my current job. No matter what I push myself to get thing done, whether it is a personal responsibility or for your country.
A huge weight that our country has been carrying since seventeen seventy five is our national debt. It originated by the United States fighting for its freedom from the British colonies and has only increased as we continue to fight to protect the rights of our country. In order to make a positive impact on this rapidly growing fiscal crisis I plan to limit and regulate federal spending. It may not be a “quick fix”, but there is no easy solution to twenty point one trillion dollars in debt.
The corruption in our educational system is undeniable. Instead of focusing on individual achievement of students our federal government has turned education into a money making system. My plan is to refocus our federal government's energy on actually benefiting our nation's students. When was the last time any of your friends said how standardized testing has positively impacted their education. The way in which my plan will benefit our nation’s students is through focusing more on accurate individual assessment. This will also benefit our nation’s teachers in allowing them to do what they do best; teach! No longer will they have to focus on “teaching to a test”. They can now focus on bringing excitement and curiosity back to education through creative, interactive assignments. In order to regulate how their methods are benefiting their students will be based on the assessment of fellow educators, not those found in the state department of education.
In George Washington’s farewell address he left a few words of advice to following presidents in regards on how to handle foreign policy: “avoid entangling alliances”. This is how I plan to address our nation’s foreign policy in today's day in age. Over the past few decades our nation's foreign policy has been inconsistent. I am ready to choose a plan that keeps the interest of the United States and its people as its number one priority. Our country needs to take care of its own before giving out aid to others. Terrorism is a threat that cannot be ignored, but I do not believe any of Americans’ lives need to be put at risk, without a direct plan to success. Until we reach that point our troops will stay home.
In voting for me, you are voting for a positive perspective on the future of the United States of America. Join me, and the rest of my team in making America ‘PEPE’ again.
When you all think of Hollywood, with the superficial conversations, materialistic values and flashy presentations you’d never think to compare it to the country we live in. But I have learned a lesson or two from this industry that perhaps reflects what we, as Americans, dedicate our lives to defend. Being an actor such as Jack Nicholson or my personal idol Meryl Streep, comes with hard work, it comes with determination and most importantly, it comes with resilience. The lure of acting is that you can be whoever you want to be. Meryl could be a headstrong, inspiring and determined Prime Minister in The Iron Lady, or she could be a heartless, uptight, fashion-centric editor in The Devil Wears Prada. But what if we look beyond that? What if we look at the bigger picture here? Perhaps the lure of acting is the same as the lure to be an American. Here in America we are blessed with the freedom to express who we are, to become who we want to be. And, with hard work, resilience and dedication, we have the right to achieve anything and everything. While other countries are struggling for survival, we have the ability to be heard, to criticize, to express, to love and to live.This, along with many other factors is why America is the place to be.
As someone who is potentially leading the country, it is important to take pride in your home. I, along with my team, carry this passion for the United States and will reflect this passion into every action I take as your Vice President. Being aware of current events is pivotal when leading a country. By watching the news daily and taking an interest in current events, I am well educated in the problems of the world and , most importantly, how to deal with them. Complaining about our problems is easy. What is not easy is to fix it, to find the solution. We, as a country tend to complain, but what we must do is come together to find solutions. A leader must show strength and commitment in order to bring justice to their country, and I am a dedicated person towards this cause. I want to become your vice president so that I could preserve the American freedom we so cherish dearly, since it is the foundation of the soil we stand on. It is our job to speak for you, to defend your rights and to be on your side.
In order to be a great leader, you must acknowledge and respect the
monumental leaders of the past. Ronald Reagan, for instance, bettered America in multiple different ways. Being an outsider of the political world initially, Reagan portrayed an intense dedication to bring forth a new perspective into the government. As being previously a part of Hollywood, many people didn’t take his desire for politics seriously. Despite his lacking credential and support, however, Reagan had an unstoppable drive to better our country. This drive is what inspires me to bring my fresh perspective to the country as well. During his time in office, Reagan rebuilt our military, and cut tax spending. I think, especially with the continual expansion of ISIS, our country needs to focus on strengthening our military in order to build a greater force against the terror group. With more aggressive tactics and keeping our troops on the ground in the Middle East, ISIS will not stand a chance against our military. Just like Reagan, I think a deduction in tax spending would better the economy as a whole. With the steady increase of tax spending, we need to make sure that every government program currently being funded is essential to the American lives. We need to prioritize our spending and root out the outdated programs that no longer apply to our most demanding concerns. I’ve learned a lesson from Ronald Reagan that perhaps reflects just how great of the opportunities America has to offer. He was a clear example that no matter what a person does in the past, there is still opportunities to start anew. Being in the acting business definitely set him off on the wrong foot, along with many negative misconceptions, however, even with all that going against him, he managed to become one of the most memorable presidents in our history.
America is known for our freedom and our strength. As a team, we realize these great virtues and will defend them continuously. With each action we take, we will represent ALL American citizens. By voting for us, you are voting for your country. Do you want someone to stand up for your rights, to strengthen your country, and to carry the great pride in America that our country deserves? Then vote for Derosa-Pepe because America is great but we can make it even greater.