On Nov. 6, millions of Americans will flock to the polls to exercise a coveted privilege that is the cornerstone of democracy: the right to vote, to participate in shaping America’s future . . . your future. Regardless of who is elected next week, what the new or incumbent president and Congress do over the next four years will have far-reaching effects on your future and the future of your children.
As college students, you should be looking forward to a future full of promise and opportunity, but if America maintains its present course, yours will be a generation saddled with debt and the fallout from a government that has become arrogant, divisive and self-serving.
Bill Clinton, who left office in 2001, was the last president to balance the federal budget. A little more than a decade later, the federal deficit stands at an alarming and unprecedented $16.19 trillion according to U.S Department of Treasury, as of Oct. 24, 2012. That’s TRILLION, a number too astronomical for most people to comprehend. In other words, the $16 trillion deficit amounts to a debt of $51,629.64 for every man, woman and child who is an American citizen based on U.S. Bureau of Census 2010 population estimates. Who will pay for a large portion of this debt? Look in the mirror.
The country is still struggling to recover from the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s, and while the National Bureau of Economic Research declared that the Great Recession ended in June 2009, unemployment rates are still unacceptably high at 9 percent for Georgia and 7.8 percent for the country as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics stated in September 2012. Some families, which likely include KSU students, are still losing their homes to foreclosure and trying to dig out from under mounting debt. The housing industry “rebound” has thus far failed to materialize. Who will suffer from the years America spends trying to rebuild what has been lost? Check that mirror again.
Health Care Cost Institute said over the last decade, health care costs have risen more than three times faster than wages forcing employers to pass on to their employees more of the financial burden of health insurance and out-of-pocket medical costs. Gone are the days when employers provided fully-paid medical and dental benefits and pension plans; many employers simply can’t afford it. What does that mean for your paycheck down the road?
The U.S. will face an explosion of senior citizens in the next two decades as the last of the baby boomers reach the age of 65. The number of Americans eligible for Medicare will increase from 47 million in 2010 to 80 million by around 2030. The number of people eligible for Social Security benefits will also jump from 44 million to 80 million during the same time period said PBS Newshour, Jan. 3, 2011. Both federal programs, at their current level of spending, are projected, by Associated Press, to become insolvent, Social Security by 2033 and Medicare by 2024. Who will bear the cost of providing these benefits to people who spent decades paying into the system? That mirror should be looking pretty familiar.
According to a May 9, 2012, New York Times article, the number of Americans working declined by 4.4. million since the beginning of the Great Recession, but the number of older people in the workforce grew 25 percent over the same time period. Today, a record 7.2 million people over 65 are employed, double the number 15 years ago. Americans are living and working longer, many just because they can, but most others because they can’t afford to retire. More people in the workforce for a longer period of time means fewer lower-paying jobs for high school and college students—you and your future children.
Perhaps at no other time in the past 60 years has the “Great American Dream” been in greater jeopardy. America cannot continue to sustain itself on its current path. The wealthiest and freest country in the world face some critical issues whose solutions will require many years and many tough decisions by people you have the power to elect.
What happens on Nov. 6 will help determine what kind of future America will have, what kind of future you will have.
The right to vote is also a responsibility to vote.
Democracy succeeds only when citizens participate in the process. If you think your vote doesn’t matter, think again. Nearly 10 percent of America’s population is between the ages of 18 and 24. That’s more than 30 million people, more than enough votes to make a difference in an election. So, do your homework and go to the polls next Tuesday to cast a ballot for candidates who have your best interests at heart. Cast a vote for your future.
