Youth Voters are backing The Wrong Candidate

The funny thing is that most politicians think that they must appease the older generation at the expense of the younger memebers of the country. I am thirty-one and am not expecting to see social security checks when I finally retire. I am doing my own investing to ensure that I have a retirement that I deserve.

i actually have problems with depression specifically because of how blind the world is... how they are destroying themselves and the middle class and don't even realize it

thanks americanthinker.com! every once in a while, it's nice to see there is still life out there

"How about the electorate changing to one that will finally use common sense to select our leaders?"
--
The expectation that young voters will, en masse, use common sense to vote for McCain is an unrealistic hope. Not to say that some will not (indeed, some will), but fed on a steady diet of the same fears that drive Boomers and with experience to notice when emotion (erroneously) controls decisions and beliefs, young voters - first time voters - are easily led.

That being said, a series of unscripted, sound bite-less debates could change a lot of minds. The thought that "this guy doesn't know what he's talking about" can be a strong, lasting impression, and it could be what would drive young voters away from Obama. Just ask Quale how long that characterization lasts.

i agree. It is sad but true that as a twenty year old college student, it is sometimes tough to admit that i am strongly conservative. i doubt that i will be able to count on social security in my future

In her concluding paragraphs, Ms. Colon makes a statement that internet knowledgeability of the younger generation can lead to them doing research on Social Security, Global Warming Theory, etc.

While this may be true of some, the new book "The Dumbest Generation" by Mark Baerlein paints a different picture of what the younger generation has been taught to do. On page 20, it quotes The Intercollegiate Studies Institute's report "The Coming Crisis in Citizenship: Higher Education's Failure to Teach America's History and Institutions." In testing more than 14,000 freshman and seniors on US history, government, etc. from the Ivy League to small state colleges, they found the average freshmen knowledge of government was rated at 51.7 percent, a failing grade. Also, on page 5, it sites a report by the Horation Alger Association that found 60 percent of teens did five hours of homework a week - or less.

Mr. Bauerlein states that these young people know how to send text message their friends, but they are learning little in school - losing their cultural heritage as Americans.

One would certainly hope that a young person's shock of seeing the deductions in their first paycheck would wake them up to reality, but it appears the younger generation, in general, haven't been taught the intellectual tools to make the most of their technological toys. Downloading music to an iPod is not the same as finding and reading the specifics mentioned in Ms. Colon's article and other supporting information.

Jack Kemp -
not the politician.

Great article. I thought Alicia wrote for the NY Sun.

"Roulette wheel of the stock market"! What a line. I'm 29 years old, and frankly, I'm glad I don't have a defined benefit plan. With my 401(k), all the money is in my name and I can manage it as I wish. I guess I'm good at roulette!

You're liberal in your youth to show you have a heart, becoming conservative when you're older to prove you have a brain. Not meant to be mean by repeating this cliché but It's the truth. Sad thing is, some of us never grow up.

The author forgets the old adage 'A young person who is a conservative has no heart, an older person who is not a conservative has no brain'. These college kids and young adults have not put all the pieces in place yet, and remain unaware of the full cycle of things, focusing on specifics or failing to do follow-up research. These next-geners will catch on soon enough once they see where their short-sighted and disasterous policies lead the nation.

A wonderful piece like so much of what you write, Alicia.

Kudos to Ms Colon for speaking an (obvious) truth!! I agree that seniors are being needlessly frightened by liberals, in order to get their votes in November. I agree that too many of our seniors are self-centered, selfish people who are NOT thinking of their children and grandchildren. They should feel ashamed to take hard-earned dollars from the younger workers, all so they won't have to spend the assets they have acquired during their lifetimes. They need an economics lesson and learn how to budget. It just burns me to see so many of them using their social security money for vacations and gambling--aaarrgghhhh!

Fairly early in my career as an academic economist, which ran from 1959-2000, I embraced the princple of privatization. I have long since concluded that the dependence mentality has become too ingrained in our society for tragedy to be averted. Most young voters seem to assume that somehow, the government is going to take care of them when the time arrives. A fundamental truth of economics, however, is that those who do not work are dependent upon the efforts of those who do. As the proportion of non workers, including the elderly, rises, so does the burden on those who are working. At some point, self-interest is going to awaken the younger members of the labor force to reality. That point apparently has not yet been reached.

Good article -- I particularly agree with the sentiment that the baby boomers were the 'selfish generation'. They have, in my mind, done 3 key things which bear repeating.

1) Set up a system where they will receive more money in social security then they put in.
2) Refused to have children (which are costly), and therefore hurt the future of our country.
3)Increased our deficit leaving the following generations to pick up the bill.

I believe the Winston Churchill quote being toosssed about was "If by the time a man is 21 he's not aliberal, he has no heart. If by the time he's 30 he's not a conservative he has no brain." So how many no-brainers do we have? Appears to be WELL over 50%.

I find it extremely dismaying that we know exactly what some of our major problems are, e.g. Social Security and energy; and we know exactly how to ameliorate them -- and have known for decades at least. But nevertheless, our politicians of both parties do everything they can to block any movement toward doing what is so obviously right.

Government is so large and entrenched that it seems hopeless to expect the electorate to either wise up or make the pols take some effective action instead of the usual posturing.

It is simply amazing that so many people cannot see the existing Social Security program for the Ponzi scheme that it is.

How many people actually know that the government can discontinue these payments anytime they want to? They are NOT guaranteed.

The only hope for it is to move to a system that creates private accounts that are owned by the contributor and that will pass to his heirs like any other asset when he dies.

I am 26 years old and I would like to see SS privatized so that I get to keep some of that money being stolen from my paycheck. I intend to vote for McCain but most of my friends are idiots stuck on Obama. Can't wait for the debates that will show this shyster for what he is- a Marxist.

An article to the point, as usual.

An article to the point, as usual.

In truth, the problems with SS is that 1) it goes into the general treasury so that the money is not really there 2) Not being there it earns no interest 3) SS is used for many other entitlement benefits beyond what it was intended.

Mary Friedericks makes the liberal argument. I worked hard for my money. My father died and left me a gold watch and a pair of cuff links. I paid for his burial services. She says I should save my money for children and grandchildren. Well, I paid for their exorbitant education and gave them the tools by which they earn their living. I put a nice roof over the house, fed them well. Now it is finally time them to do the same for their families. As for my wife and I; I presume I have earned the right to enjoy what time we have left.

I don't need Ms Friedricks or the government to give me permission on how to spend what I have earned.

Investing SS funds into something akin to the federal employee's Thrift Savings Plan, which has averaged 8% growth over the past 25 years versus SS's theoretical 2% growth, would mean the end of poverty in old age in this country.

I don't understand anyone's objection to it.

Dear Alicia, let me congratulate you on your AT debut.

But:

'The baby boomer generation is headed towards retirement with a low birth rate.'

Nope. The American birth rate is quite high, and so is the total fertility rate (2.1. child per woman). The flaw of the SS system is that in America, workers can retire at the age of 67 - way too early.

The optimal solution would be to abolish the SSA altogether, thus saving American taxpayers $600 bn per year.

I agree that 45 million abortions is a holocaust of unimaginable proportions. However, I object to the characterization of their lives as necessary to prop up a socialized ponzi scheme. Babies have intrinsic value in and of themselves, and not as wage slaves.

Sooner or later the Dems will pull an Argentina and simply print money to pay for the boomers retirement.

Anyone without inflation hedged savings will simply loose it all. The government will not encourage transferring retirement savings into inflation-proof investments (gold, commodities, stable foreign currency).

The meteoric rise of oil prices is scary, and shows how fast this will happen.

The good news is that then the Dem's lies and voters stupidity will finally face the harsh glare of reality.

Then the people will see that how they:

- watched the middle east suck our wealth away while refusing to allow oil exploration

- unilaterally disarmed us and sold us out through "negotiations without preconditions".

- Failed to discern the difference between allies and despots

- Sold the country out to trial lawyers, teachers unions, environmentalists, gays and lesbians, communists, islamists, illegal aliens, and any minority willing to ignore their lies for short term gain

It's about time someone started talking about this again. How dare anyone talk about national health care when we can't get Social Security, Medicaid, National debt, a real energy policy, global warming, along with all the other unfullfilled social promises, straightened out or abandoned. The room is full of 800lb gorilla's and they are getting hungry. Good god, can we finish one thing before we start another. It's like the entire nation has A.D.D.

As a tax accountant, one thing I see over and over again is the more people make, the more they complain about their social security check not being enough.

This is the sad truth and some that receive social security already make millions per year. I am against taking from the rich to give to the poor, but to me it is stupid for the very rich to also draw social security benefits.

As a 21 year old "youth voter", my one solace is that (fortunately) many of my misinformed/ignorant peers, as liberally dogmatic as they are, will neglect to actually vote come November.

I take issue with Mary Friederichs's statement about seniors' spending their money.

My husband died after having received SS payments for about two years, having contributed for almost 50 years. I don't qualify for any of his share. We worked, invested and saved in order to have a pleasant old age. Our assets are being taxed over and over and over again. I share my modest wealth with my three married children and my six grandchildren. I do not relish having to share it with the government and with those that choose not to take care of themselves or their own. If that makes me selfish, so be it. Nobody helped us educate the children, nobody gave us handouts. Investments and savings took precedence over family vacations and other luxuries when money was tight. If more people lived the way we did, less people would have to suck dry the taxpayer who after all finances the government's waste.

Social Security is the largest Ponzi scheme ever perpetrated. The only reason it's been able to last this long is that it has been repeatedly expanded to get more people and more money in at the bottom of the pyramid. It needs to die, and quickly.

When I was a young freshman in college, I voted for my first and only Democrat for president -- Jimmy Carter. Carter had used scare tactics to convince me that if Reagan was elected, men my age would be fighting a war within a year. It wasn't until three years later, when more than 300 of my age cohort died in a terrorist blast in Beirut, that my eyes were opened to true evil in the world. I joined up after I graduated college and still thank Pres. Reagan for fearlessly and unabashedly confronting evil.

As a college sophomore, I will be voting for McCain. I only wish more of my classmates would realize that problems are not solved by government (read taxpayer) money and that white Republicans are not this countriy's major problem.

As a college sophomore, I will be voting for McCain. I only wish more of my classmates would realize that problems are not solved by government (read taxpayer) money and that white Republicans are not this countriy's major problem.

Entitlement programs are significantly more likely to destroy our economy than either war or the price of oil! Young folks should know!

As a young voter allow me a few words. First it's a far gone conclusion for me that there will be no social security by the time I might need it. I have a good 401k and a Roth IRA along with a decent (if small) stock portfolio. It really does make me mad that I'm paying into something and will never see a dime of that again but still, knowing that, I can plan accordingly. Second, while I would agree that McCain is the least dangerous of the three for any number of reasons, I think a problem that young voters have is that none of the candidates seem "American". By that I mean that all three to some degree support socialist programs, the bastardization of the Constitution the magical creation of fundemental rights that don't exist and the idea that, for some reason I can't explain, certain people deserve a handout while the majority have to work hard and strive for what little they have only to get a percentage of the gains after "uncle sam" takes his "share". To be honest we're tired of voting for the "lesser of evils" and elections where you vote against individuals instead of for them. If this were Britain circa 1750, my generation would be looking for a boat.

sometimes he talks like he is a conservative, but he's not, he is a Big Government, taxing and spending, NYT reading RINO, Senor McCain is everuthing that is wrong with the Republican Party, wake up! don't look at what he says, look at what he's done, When all you RINO's roll out of bed on Nov. 5th
and say to yourselves "WTF happened?" don't say you haven't been told.

Since Stacy has brought up this topic, does anyone have the COMPLETE voting record of John McCain since 1983? Or at least, does anyone know how did he vote on Clinton's 8 meagre military budgets (FY1994-2001)? If so, please post the link here, or at my own blog.

One AT reader has already claimed, in an email, that McCain voted for the procurement holiday of the Clinton era. This is a gravely serious allegation, and as such, deserves to be proven or disproven.

In response to Posted by: Ian Johannes in reference to the state of the Government school system...

I agree wholeheartedly in the complete lack of a solid History/Social Studies teaching in government schools. Case in point, in Georgia, 70-80 percent of 7th and 8th grade children FAILED their social studies CRCT test. So what do they do? Throw out those test results.

40% of all Georgia 8th graders failed the math exam. It was "too hard".

And through all of this, there is no accountability for the state, teachers or parents. It's everyone else's fault.

Blame the test. Blame the "evil rich". Blame the oil companies. Blame everyone and everything but yourself.

This is what is being ingrained in the youths' minds. A false sense of entitlement, with zero accountability for their own actions.

Obviously they will go to the candidate that would pander to what they feel are their needs, without fully understanding what their needs actually are or what the ultimate repercussions of their actions will be. Why? There will always be someone else to blame.

I'm just flabbergasted at the hordes of commentors not knowing what they're talking or "thinking" abt. I'm a retired US citizen of 85 (tripple graduate engineer) and I prefer to live in "Socialistic" Spain were I receive Spanish Social Medical Care and Services AT NO COST WHAT SO EVER since I own a fully paid-for home I pay anual taxes on from a total US SS income of $400 US which amounts to 258 €€ a month presently, w/ no MediCare or MedicAid as I live ¨off shore¨. I am kept alive by my Spanish housekeep who get´s the house and my big dog when I go. You people think Socialism is a communist brainwave. You people are brainwashing yourselves.....Do you know that Europe pays the equivalent of $8.95/gal of gas (1.50 €/lt) but then we don't need Detroit'd steeled SUVs, trucks. We have plastic 2 1/2 lt Alphas, Ferraries, Porsches which do 230 mph on open roads and farmer type Mercedeses plus Toyotas, Nissans and Peuchots for taxis.... and we drive around in 4 cyl. ralley cars which do 200 mph on dirt !!.... And we do have roads w/o a silly 70 mph speed limit !!!...and we can still buy Rolex, Heuer and Breitling watches and stylish Guzzi/Armani frames for our shaded dbl anti glare/reflex bi-focals..... Can you ?? I don't even pitty you.... You're all spoiled brats with no brains except those who belong to the 2%ers I did belong to in the past. I did WW2 for the fun of getting rid of Heil Hitler while you go to Irak for the money and go back with BlackWater..... or die....to protect your oil barrons..... Who cares.... not me ! What else is NEW....?? Yes, I'm an American .... and don't you go ahead and put that Muslim in the Oval !!!!..... Donah////

Did you know that the link to contact the author gets an oops page. I'm assuming by the url heading that it's Alicia@nysun.com.

A truthful piece that describes what a "sorry" generation our US Dept. of Education has managed to "de-educate". And the "generous" liberal politicians showing parents how to be more "a-responsible" and dependent still keep on coming. Don't forget the churches... what are they "really" preaching? To begin with, can we do away with the USDE, and the existing SS program, then the IRS? See you at the voting booth.

Why do the young like Barack Obama? Let's see.

An 18 year old voter was born in 1990. He only remembers two Presidents: Bush and Clinton. Clinton was sleazy. Bush is incompetent.

Hillary Clinton is too close to Bill Clinton to appeal to young voters, and John McCain is too close to Bush.

Obama is a good orator who is neither associated with Bush or Clinton. That's all he needs.