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Jeremy
Hagen |
 Rockin’!
I am so glad that you decided to check out the Missouri
College Republican website. We do some pretty cool stuff
that I know you would enjoy. Anyway, my name is Jeremy Hagen
and I am the Vice Chairman of the Missouri College
Republicans. I used to go to Missouri State, but they made
me leave after I graduated with a degree in Political
Science. Apparently the people at Mizzou don’t talk to the
people at Missouri State, because Mizzou let me into their
law school, where I am currently a first year law student.
Next,
I better tell you why I am a Republican. This explanation is
best summed up in five words: limited government and
personal responsibility. I became a Republican at a young
age for these reasons after my dad told me a story, that his
dad had told him. It goes something like this…
A
woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She
lowered altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. She
shouted to him, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a
friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where
I am."
The
man consulted his portable GPS and replied, "You're in a hot
air balloon approximately 30 feet above a ground elevation
of 2,346 feet above sea level. You are 31 degrees, 14.97
minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west
longitude."
She
rolled her eyes and said, "You must be a Republican."
"I
am," replied the man. "How did you know?"
"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is
technically correct, but I have no idea what to make of your
information, and I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been
much help to me."
The
man smiled and responded, "You must be a Democrat."
"I
am," replied the balloonist. "But how did you know?"
"Well," said the man,
"You don't know where you are or where you're going. You've
risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air.
You've made a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and
now you expect ME to solve your problem. You're in EXACTLY
the same position you were in before we met, but somehow,
now, it's MY
fault.
After
several years of being in college I realized it wasn’t
enough to just believe in limited government and personal
responsibility, I needed to fight for them. After an
internship in Jefferson City, I learned that when it comes
to principles it isn’t enough to just believe. So, my senior
year of college I joined the College Republicans at Missouri
State University and shortly thereafter I was asked to fill
a vacancy on the Missouri College Republicans executive
board. And here I am….
Having
been part of the College Republicans for more than a year
now, I have helped raise funds, recruit new members and plan
events, but my proudest moment as a College Republican has
to be working to re-elect Jim Talent in 2006. Even though we
lost that election, it was a fight worth fighting.
My
experience with the College Republicans has been one of the
best of my life thus far, but however meaningful my
experience with College Republicans had been and will be, my
most treasured life experience, at this point, has to be the
time I spend working with disadvantaged youth at the YMCA
and the Boys and Girls Club. At the YMCA and BGC, I worked
with youth to build character traits, such as honesty,
responsibility, and caring. Working with disadvantaged youth
has taught me much and humbled me plenty more. But the one
thing it has taught me that I can apply to College
Republicans, is the importance of the youth to our country
and the need to reach out to them peer-to-peer.
If you would like to
talk about the College Republicans or for any other reason,
give me a call at 636.390.3362. |
