“You are too young to have a political opinion”
Says every older person with any political viewpoint in opposition to ours News flash, we are the future of this nation. We are the tail end of the millennial generation and we will soon be in control. Student voters make up over twenty percent of the eligible voter population. So next time you try and silence our roar I want you to consider why we open our mouths in the first place.
Take the economy for example, our finance majors and economics majors are the next in line to run Wall Street. As a country we are currently climbing out of the second worst economic collapse in our nation's future, and not to place the blame but.. Whose generation was responsible for that one? So if it isn’t hard enough to make a living and find a job in the first place, we at least want to choose a political leader that will expedite the progress we have made thus far.
What about health care? Within the next ten years I plan to have children. And as you know, medical bills for newborns aren't cheap. So how will I pay for this? I will get sick, my kids will get sick, and my spouse will get sick, so how will I pay for this? I’m not saying that health care doesn't affect you, but your kids are all grown up and the burden of their medical bills begins to fall on their shoulders instead of yours. So next time you tell me to silence my opinions on Obamacare, remember that this issue affects my generation just as much as it affects yours.
And please don’t act like we are not informed on the issue of immigration. This is a hot topic this month. We go on Facebook and all of our peers have posted their own stance on their walls. But no matter their opinion, we respect their decision to voice it. Immigrants are our sorority sisters, our bosses, our professors, our roommates, and our classmates. Our country is built on immigration and we grow up in very diverse communities. So who are you to tell us that we are not informed on this issue when most of our peers are immigrants?
These are just a few of the issues that you don’t think we should have an opinion on. What about climate change? We only have one planet and incase you didn’t know, people still have to live on it once you are gone. What about women’s rights? Again, we are the women who are beginning to reproduce. Shouldn’t we be the ones to decide how we go about this? One last issue that we have the right to voice our opinion on is national security. We want to have the best national security possible because we are the ones defending our country. 49.6% of active duty enlisted members are 25 years or younger.
So next time you want to comment on my political Facebook post and tell me that I’m “too young to have a political opinion” please take a step back and think about who these issues are really affecting. We are the future of this great nation and we refuse to remain silent on the issues that affect our lives every day.
