Drydocked

(I was asked what I felt was the most pressing issue facing my generation…)

 

I can’t pick just one. It is a frightening time in American politics, and life in general.

The most pressing issue facing my generation is foreign spending, inflation, and the national debt.  These are three ways to identify the main issue, which is that our economy is failing due to outrageous spending both at home and abroad. They are one in the same, simple cause and effect.  According to the American Friends Service Committee, the United States spends roughly $720 million dollars a day to fund the war in Iraq.  The government’s practice of spending money overseas to fund “democratic” elections and arm counties who hate us does more harm than good. We later police countries which are funded and supported, at least initially by the United States government. Instead of holding government officials accountable for the plummeting value of the dollar, we simply print more money, sending the nation deeper into debt. 

Three years ago $3 for a tank of gasoline would have been looked at as highway robbery now that price would be considered a steal. How quickly we forget.  I can come to terms with the fact that I will probably never retire, due to a broken social security system. I believe that all financial woes in this country come down to simple accountability. The majority of the people of this country either do not educate themselves enough on issues of fiscal policy or do not have the resources to do so. 

I cannot pick one single pressing issue facing our generation because I think in many ways the problem is my generation.  We have the most resources and knowledge about how to use those resources, yet the majority of people from their teens to early 30’s  do not utilize the true power of this enormous wealth of information at our fingertips. The internet allows us to type in a few words and instantly access billions of images, words and video regarding whatever topic we chose.  I always told myself that I would be educated about the issues before I chose to register to vote. At age 24, I finally registered after months of research regarding the presidential candidates and their respective platforms. I did not want to be a child of the “Rock the Vote” campaign, which encouraged millions of younger Americans to vote but not necessarily to think for themselves and look at the issues objectively. It is much like the old Kennedy/ Nixon debate, where those who listened on the radio thought Nixon had a stronger showing, where as those who saw the younger more-attractive Kennedy on CBS , thought he was the victor. Image and perception drive American voters’ far more than sound research and fact.  

I think it is ironic that as Professor Begley asked us to write this up, a girl behind me said out loud “I don’t know if it’s just me but, I’m having a really hard time thinking of something”. I nearly jumped out of my chair .I’m having a hard time trying to stay on topic because there are so many things I could chose to write about, but I can’t because it would seem jumbled and would make no sense at all. I just ask all of my peers to look deeper and research the issues that affect them rather than believing whatever they see on TV.