As news of the murder of conservative activist and commentator Charlie Kirk quickly spread across the nation, emotions ranged from satanical celebrations on the left to shock, sorrow, anger, and calls for war and vengeance on the right.

Some have called the murder “a line in the sand.”  Charlie was gunned down in cold blood in front of thousands — on video — while conducting one of his “Prove Me Wrong” debates at Utah Valley University.  This was a terrorist act to instill fear in those who dare to speak out against the Marxist ideology threatening to take down America.  

Using facts as a powerful weapon in the war of ideas and policy, Charlie Kirk was a brilliant speaker and powerful debater.  He was killed because he dared to oppose the left.  He spoke of what he called a “spiritual battle” being waged in the United States between Christians and Democrats.  He visited hundreds of college campuses to evangelize for conservative values by directly engaging in a non-confrontational debate with leftist students. 

On college campuses, where students are taught to hate the values of their parents, Charlie proudly defended marriage, faith, and family.  Fiercely opposing abortion and transgenderism, he encouraged young men and women to get married and have children.  He encouraged young women to prioritize having children over a career.

Charlie understood that a civilization cannot survive if its birth rate continues to decline.  The birth rate in the U.S. is below 1.6 children per woman, which is below the replacement level of 2.1.  Although the collapse of traditional Christian values and supporting institutions has dramatically undermined the stability of marriage, family, and communities that historically have served to guard against tyranny and revolution, Charlie highlighted other causes.

Older Americans denounce Gen Z as spoiled and lazy.  Charlie argued that they believe that the current system has economically disenfranchised them and are driven to “tear down the system” in favor of the utopia of socialism and communism.  Unlike their parents, they do not believe they can achieve the American Dream.  They cannot afford to purchase a home or have a family.  Increasingly, wealth is being concentrated among a few billionaires who reap the gains of economic growth while the middle class is hollowed out.

Not only is college admission much more competitive, with foreign money and affirmative action driving selection, but college has become unaffordable for many.  With the market devaluation of a college degree, students no longer are guaranteed a lucrative career track.

The job market has changed dramatically over the past several decades, with mass immigration bringing a decline in wages as foreigners compete with American workers for jobs.  The outsourcing of production and labor abroad has left many Americans jobless.

The first-time homebuyer’s median age is 38, up significantly from the 1980s, when the typical first-time homebuyer was in his late twenties.  Saddled with student loans, car payments, and credit card debt — in the middle of a higher-inflation economy — young adults struggle to accumulate enough cash to buy a home or to afford the high payments created by the higher cost of houses, mortgage interest, and homeowner’s insurance. 

Propaganda from billionaires in the World Economic Forum that promises happiness if we own nothing — not even our homes, cars, or clothes — has heightened the anger of young adults. 

This is a problem that must be addressed nationally if we expect our youth to achieve the American Dream as their ancestors did.  Focusing on moral decline, while blaming American youth as lazy, entitled brats who do not deserve the American Dream, will result in more radicalized youth and a further decrease in the formation of families, which will lead to the demise of our civilization.

We are at a fork in the road — a turning point.  It’s up to us to continue Charlie’s mission, for which he laid down his life: Return freedom and prosperity to our nation, and alert the GOP about the dangers of radicalization of our economically disenfranchised youth.  What will America do? 

Carole Hornsby Haynes: education policy and curriculum adviser, historian, classical pianist, entrepreneur.  www.drcarolehhaynes.com

Image: Charlie Kirk.  Credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.