What is a Republican

$104,655.60 Ad in the Washington Post

Here is someone with the money to fund a rebuttal to what Howard Dean,
Democratic National Committee Chairman, said recently that many Republicans
have never done an honest day's work in their life. The following full page
ad was placed in the Washington Post by a businessman named George J.
Esseff, Sr. He paid $104,655.60 to run the ad and only did it because he is
sick and tired of the way that "the rich" are portrayed by liberals these
days. It is a great read.

You're a Republican???

In today’s America, ask a growing number of high school and college
students; their teachers and professors; the self-anointed media elite
and/or hard working men and women of all ethnicities, the question, "What is
a Republican?", and you'll be told ". . . a rich, greedy, egotistical
individual, motivated only by money and the desire to accumulate more and
more of it, at the expense of the environment . . . the working poor and all
whom they exploit . . ."

I am a Republican . . . I am none of those things . . . and I don’t know any
Republicans who are.

WHAT I AM . . . first and foremost, is a loving husband of some 52 plus
years, the father of four and an American who's proud of his country. . .
and his country's heritage.

WHAT I AM . . . is the grandson of immigrants who risked everything,
including their lives and those of their children, to escape tyranny in
search of freedom.

WHAT I AM . . . is a man who grew up during the Depression and witnessed,
first hand, the effects of the Stock Market crash and the soup lines that
followed. I watched as both my parents and grand parents, who had very
little themselves, share what food they had with a half dozen other
families, who had even less.

WHAT I AM . . . is someone who worked his way through college by holding
down three and four jobs at a time and then used that education to build a
better life.

WHAT I AM . . . is a husband who, at age 24, started his own business for
the “privilege” of working 60, 70 and 80 hours a week, risking everything I
had, including my health, in search of a better life for myself and my loved
ones.

WHAT I AM . . . is a businessman whose blood, sweat and tears . . . and
plenty of them . . . made it possible for me to provide a secure living, not
only for my family and myself, but also for literally hundreds of my
employees throughout the years. Employees, who in turn, were able to buy
their own homes, raise their own families and give back to their communities
and their country.

WHAT I AM . . . is a man who believes in God; a God who has blessed this
country . . . and all for which it stands.

WHAT I AM . . . is someone who knows, if you doubt miracles exist in today’s
world, you need only to look into the face of those who received them . . .
and the eyes of those who give them.

WHAT I AM . . . is an American who's proud that his President embraces a
belief in God; proud of a President who understands, as "politically
incorrect" as it may be, there is evil in this world and for the security
and safety of all freedom loving people everywhere, it must be confronted .
. . and it must be defeated.

WHAT I AM . . . is an American who takes comfort in the knowledge that our
President refuses to allow decisions concerning the very safety and security
of this nation, to be governed by the political whims of foreign
governments.

WHAT I AM . . . is tired of hearing from leading Democrats who see only
negativity in America; racism in her people; class warfare in her society
and "political incorrectness" in her character.

WHAT I AM . . . is a former democrat who now understands that it is the
soldier and not the reporter that guarantees us our freedoms of press,
speech and dissent.

WHAT I AM . . . is a man who believes in the sanctity of life. A man who is
repulsed by the pandering of the political left for votes, at the expense of
the unborn.

WHAT I AM . . . is a husband and father who believes in the sanctity of
marriage and the preservation of the family unit.

WHAT I AM . . . is a movie go-er who is repulsed by those insecure, socially
inept, elementary thinking, ego-inflated "entertainers" who have appointed
themselves "experts" in the fields of national security and geo-politics and
then use their forum to attack this nation, its leaders and its actions . .
. much to the delight and encouragement of our enemies.

WHAT I AM . . . is an American who understands the difference between
"censorship" and "choice". Evidently, these individuals do not, because when
these same "celebrities" receive public ridicule for their offensive
actions, the first thing they yell is "Censorship!". What they seem
incapable of understanding is . . . the right of free speech and dissent is
shared equally by those offended . . . as well as those who offend. I
support and will continue to support those films and performers whom I
choose to . . . and refuse to support those I don't. It is my right as an
American . . . a right I will continue to enthusiastically exercise.

WHAT I AM . . . is a voter, tired of politicians, who, every time their
voting records are subjected to public scrutiny, try to divert attention
from their political and legislative failures by accusing their opponents of
"attack ads" and "negative campaigning" . . . and the news media who allow
them to get away with it.

WHAT I AM . . . is a Catholic who loves his God and his Faith . . . and
who's been taught to respect all religions whose teachings are based in
love, peace and charity. As such, I am embarrassed and ashamed of those
individuals, in both private and public life, whose decisions and actions
are devoid of any sense of character or morals; individuals who are only
driven by what's best for them . . . rather than what's right . . . often
times at the expense of many . . . including our national security.

WHAT I AM . . . is a realist who understands that the terrorist attack that
murdered hundreds of innocent Russian children could have occurred here, in
our heartland. That's why I sincerely believe America needs now, more than
ever, a President who sees with a clear and focused vision and who speaks
with a voice when heard by both friend and foe alike, is understood,
respected and believed.

WHAT I AM . . . is eternally grateful to Ronald Reagan for having the
bravery to speak out against Communism and the courage of his convictions in
leading the fight to defeat it; and George W. Bush for the vision, courage,
conviction and leadership he has shown in America's war on terrorism amidst
both the constant and vicious, personal and political attacks both he and
his family are made to endure.

WHAT I AM . . . is a human being, full of numerous faults and failures, but
a man nonetheless, who, though not always successful, has continually
strived to do "what's right" instead of "what's easy". A man who is
challenging the religious leaders of all faiths, to not only preach to their
congregations the fundamentals of "what's right" and "what's wrong", but to
also then hold them accountable for their actions in both the public and
private sectors.

WHAT I AM . . . is disgusted with the Courts who, on one hand, call the
murder of a pregnant woman a "double homicide" but then refer to the
abortion of her baby as, "pro-choice".

WHAT I AM . . . is someone deeply troubled by a political party which
embraces a candidate whose primary "leadership" qualities center around his
protesting of the Vietnam war and his labeling the honorable men and women
who fought in it, (50,000 of whom gave their lives in that action), as
rapists, and war criminals. That same political party then stepped forward
this year to block the appearance of a true Vietnam war hero, retired
Admiral and former United States Senator, Jeremiah Denton, (a man who spent
seven years and seven torturous months in a North Vietnam prison), from
speaking before an open session of the California legislature as part of
that state's 4th of July celebration. The reason Democrats gave for refusing
to allow this American hero to speak before their state legislature was
because of the "conservative" nature of his views. As an American, that
troubles me deeply . . . as well it should you.

WHAT I AM . . . is a man who feels the need to spend, $104,655.60 (tax paid)
of his own money, to purchase this advertisement, in order to set the story
straight. Some may say this money would have been better spent feeding the
world's poor. At the risk of sounding self-serving, as an American and as a
Republican, for the last six decades of my life, I have done exactly that .
. . and more. Following the examples of my parents and grand parents, I have
used my earnings to feed the poor, shelter the homeless, provide housing for
the elderly and medical care for the sick . . . and continue to do so . . .
and I'm not alone in that work.

WHAT I AM . . . is someone who is paying for this announcement, at my sole
expense, in hopes of opening the eyes of those led blindly by ill-informed
elements of our great nation, who, through either ignorance, or malicious
intent, repeatedly attack and belittle those of us who belong to a political
party that holds true to the belief, " . . . the rights of the governed,
exceed the power of the government". For those interested, I am speaking
only as a tax-paying individual who is in no way associated with The
Republican National Committee, nor with any of its directors, or delegates.

WHAT I AM . . . is a man who understands, "the American way of life" is a
message of self-empowerment for all.

WHAT I AM . . . is an American who is grateful that our nation gives each of
us the opportunity of self-determination and the right to benefit from the
fruits of self achievement.

WHAT I AM . . . is an American who wants to preserve that way of life for
all who seek it.

WHAT I AM . . . is blessed to be an American . . . and proud to be
Republican.