By Chris Nowinski
January 17, 2005
It’s nearly inauguration time, so the election buzz has finally subsided and everyone can settle down. We have an Undisputed Heavyweight Champion (George W.), and the undercard is set (Congress), and any minute now the show is about to begin. I see the lights flashing. That means the Undertaker will be arriving soon. Oh, wait, no… I guess it’s time for everyone to take their seats so we can get started.
Thank you.
To review, 18-30 year olds proved in 2004 that they are civic superstars. Nearly 21 million of them cast a ballot on November 2nd, the greatest turnout since the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1972. We’ve taken an important step in ending the cycle of apathy and neglect in the voting process, and we finally have positive momentum on our side. And ya gotta have MO!
So now we can rest on our laurels, because with that kind of participation, Democracy will take care of herself.
Wrong!
This is only the beginning, the first step in a process that will take many years. Luckily, Smackdown Your Vote! is a nimble, dexterous organization that can morph like a Digimon (so I hear) into the role that is needed most in this country of ours. Last year we focused on voter registration, education, and mobilization. This year, local elections will occur all over the country, but not everywhere, so as we continue those efforts, it’s time to launch Phase II.
In Phase II, we’re going to be all up in the grill of our elected officials, asking, “So now what?” We’ve done our part; we’ve proven that we’re Very Important Players in the game. If politicians want young people to keep getting in the game, our elected officials have got to prove that they have noticed.
To begin, we’re revising the 18-30 Voter Issues Paper. The 2005 version no longer asks potential representatives what they would do to address the concerns of young people if elected. It now asks, “What are you going to do now that we voted for you? All that talk before the election better not have just been lip service. If so, we’ll send you back to Podunk, YourState, next election so fast it’ll make your head spin.”
All threats aside, we’ve got to find ways to keep young people involved in creating our future. We’ve got to continue to press our elected officials to hear our voices, and they’ve got to prove that they’re not deaf to people under 30. As a sign of the times, the Bush administration’s opening salvo, Social Security Reform, is meant to appeal to young voters. Hooray!
Perhaps.
The Bush campaign wants to allow Americans to put a portion of their payroll taxes into private accounts to be invested at will. As a young person, it’s been refreshing to hear that the Bush administration is trying to tackle the problem of Social Security. Reports indicate that the system becomes insolvent in 2042, the year yours truly turns 64, meaning that neither myself nor my contemporaries would see a dime for all the money we’ll put it.
However, a more important question is if SS reform, today, is the most pressing need of this country. A Pew poll after the election found that only 1% of voters named it as their first or second-most important issue. According to the research of our SDV partners, Social Security is not a primary concern of young people. Our top three concerns are getting a good job, making college more affordable, and dealing with the war in Iraq. But that doesn’t surprise me. The average person doesn’t worry about the Big Show either, until Show is standing behind you tapping on your shoulder.
On the flip side, if you can get a good job because you could afford college and survived the war, you’ll save enough to retire without having to care about Social Security. Oh sweet irony!
This issue affects all of us. Young people need to look past our own concerns as well. Yes, I’d like to get a return on the money I invest in Social Security. But I’d also like my grandparents, along with Mae Young and The Fabulous Moolah, to continue to be able to afford people food.
Whatever you think the best changes should be, there is no question that some changes have to be made, and I would imagine we’re better off having a plan sooner rather than later. The question still remains, though, what kind of dialogue will we have. Which 18-30 year olds are involved in the decision making process? I don’t know. Do you?
I was watching a White House press conference on C-Span the other day, and I heard a reporter (sounded like Helen Thomas) questions Press Secretary Scott McClellan on the quality of the actual discussion of the Social Security problem, referring to it as “scare tactics.” Is it? I don’t know, and I did okay in Economics 10 in college. Then again, it was taught by President Reagan’s former economic advisor (Mr. Trickle Down), so I was taught to love Social Security Reform. The Bush plan is one of many viable alternatives, but as much as I pay attention to the news, it’s difficult to hear anyone championing anything other than, “Don’t touch it!” It’s time for the youth of the country to hit the books and weigh in on this subject. Go to the websites of our partner organizations to learn more. A good place to start is at the website for 18 to 35: http://www.18to35.org/pr5.html
Even if no one asks for our opinion, we’ve got to make sure we give it – Smackdown style.
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