The economic slump of the last 3 years and the 7 years of anemic economic growth before that have done damaged to my generation (30’s) and the one following me (20’s). Unlike the generation Baby Boomers before us, it has been difficult for us to accumlate wealth. Our wages have been stagant, hence making it difficult to save money. Lack of saving money prevents many of us to invest and gain wealth. This is leading towards dissilsionment among many in my age group and younger about the future.
Barack Obama promised and many young people believed that he would deliver a better tommorow for them. Isntead he doubled the debt in 2 1/2 years, thus mortaging my generation and the one after mine’s future. This has only increased the pessimisim. We are on the verge of being the first generation in American history of being worse off then the previous. This should be unacceptable in America.
In record-setting numbers, young adults struggling to find work are shunning long-distance moves to live with Mom and Dad, delaying marriage and buying fewer homes, often raising kids out of wedlock. They suffer from the highest unemployment since World War II and risk living in poverty more than others – nearly 1 in 5.
New 2010 census data released Thursday show the wrenching impact of a recession that officially ended in mid-2009. It highlights the missed opportunities and dim prospects for a generation of mostly 20-somethings and 30-somethings coming of age in a prolonged slump with high unemployment.
“We have a monster jobs problem, and young people are the biggest losers,” said Andrew Sum, an economist and director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University. He noted that for recent college grads now getting by with waitressing, bartending and odd jobs, they will have to compete with new graduates for entry-level career positions when the job market eventually does improve.
Read the rest: Recession taking toll on young adults
This should be unacceptable and it needs to be remedied. Conservatives have a historic opportunity to cement younger voters into their coalition. Seeing that Progressive policies have failed, the Right should begin to reach out to younger voters and explain how Conservative policies work. The problem is that elements of the modern Conservative movement is very anti-Youth. They dismiss what ever the popular fad is among the young. They lament how today’s youth is corrupt, mimicking the same arguments their elders said of them. This has turned of many younger people in their 20’s to Conservatism. The Right appears judgemental and cranky. This wasn’t always the case.
When the original Conservative movement was founded in the late 50’s and early 60’s by William Buckley, it was perceived as new and innovative. Barry Goldwater won the 64 nomination on the back of young idealistic Republicans. Ronald Reagan won the Youth vote in 80 and 84, thus cementing a generation of Republican voters. Reagan’s Conservatism of the 1980’s was very attractive to young people. It extol the virtues of Capitalism and wealth creation. Reagan’s Conservatism was optimistic and forward looking. Reagan Conservatism was viewed as cool and many young people who were not of voting age like me, were inspired by his optimistic vision. Reagan appealed to the youth because he knew they were the future. Then something changed in Conservatism.
I will not get into the details of where it went negative, but too much of today’s Conservatism is backward looking and lecturing. It’s more Reactionary and not Conservative. This is a turn off to younger voters, even myself at times. The Conservative movement needs to get back to the way it was in the 1980’s. We need to bring back Reagan era optimism and results. One way Reagan won over younger voters was by creating the 80’s boom, where many in their 20’s accumalted wealth. He proved Conservatism can work and improve people’s lives.
Conservatives should be at the forefront of addressing the problems of America’s lost generations of 20 and 30 years olds. America’s future is at stake.
