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If you read The New York Times opinion section, you probably believe the Tea Party movement is made up of a bunch of racist old white men. On the contrary, we are a diverse group; people of all walks of life are upset about the path down which Washington is taking us.
I’m 20 years old, and if anyone has the right to be angry about the Obama agenda, it’s young people. This administration has made a commitment to bankrupting my generation. Obama is turning us from Generation “Y” to Generation “Why Us?”.
By year’s end, our national debt will reach a record $14 trillion; that’s over $45,000 per person in America. Our future looks even dimmer. In ten years, the interest on the debt alone will be $770 billion, and by 2025 the debt will surpass the GDP.
These numbers are tough to grasp, but in real terms this means a monstrosity of future taxes.
Logistically, the government has had to sell treasury bonds to pay for our debt, and many of these bonds are short-term bonds with reasonably low interest. Unless we figure out how to miraculously pay for these bonds in the next couple of years, this debt will have to be rolled over into higher-interest (more expensive) bonds.
The pivotal moment will come when we can no longer roll over our debt because we have so much that no one will want to buy our worthless bonds. Then, my generation will have the privilege of paying off this debt with our taxes.
When this time comes, it may be impossible for America to remain the land of opportunity. The government will face two equally repugnant choices: significantly raise taxes on everyone, or finance the debt by printing more money. Either way, our economy will tank because of an excessive tax burden or runaway inflation.
The youth can no longer afford to stand idly by and be robbed by the Baby Boomers’ debt. This apathy is unacceptable: the only way we can fix it is to be heard. We cannot let people with “more life experience” tell us to sit down and be quiet. These “wise” individuals have spent us into oblivion.
I don’t think my generation gets it yet. Those of us who do are attending Tea Parties and standing up to this assault on our generation’s future financial freedom.
As the Obama zombification wears off, don’t be surprised when you start seeing even more young people at these rallies. The youth are beginning to realize that we must act now to save our liberty and curb our government’s spending, deficits, and debt. It’s our duty to our children and grandchildren.
Saving American freedom for the next generation won’t be easy. The biggest uphill battle will be changing the spending culture in Washington.
Our country’s leaders have been politically afraid to do what is necessary to fix the largest chunk of our government’s spending: entitlements. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) is the lone voice with a plan to make Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid sustainable. Most everyone else is scared of special interests like the AARP.
The youth of this nation must send a louder message to our country’s leaders. The Tea Parties continue to serve as the best opportunity for us to demand Washington to stand up against the status quo. November is the time to begin the real change our country so desperately needs.
It’s time for us Millennials to drop our apathetic ways and get in the game.
This article was originally published on www.HumanEvents.com.