... and it is the federal government, according to the next generation.
In our county newspaper, this question was asked of five teens, "What social or political issue matters most to you?" The answers were:
• more financial aid for college
• extremist news policy
• marriage equality
• having increased government control in our citizens' lives in lieu of less
• increasing scholarships and aid to college students
The teens of today will become the leaders of tomorrow. Judging by the answers above, one can forecast their focal points of society in the decades to come.
There were no answers about the nation's debt, taxation, terrorism, illegal immigration, job creation or surprisingly, the environment. As someone who espouses to having less government intrusion into our lives, four out of five of these teens want more government intrusion into our lives.
Our youth today form their opinions via friends, their parents, online, Facebook posts, at school and television. To me, the youth are hearing and buying into the belief that government gives the citizens what they want, aspire and need. So much for the individual working hard to better themselves or only paying for what you can afford. It seems in 2013, the consensus is that we have a right to attend college, but not a right to protect ourselves. We need to start changing the message.
• BELIEVE in hard work and less government are the highways to individual success
• ACT by talking to today's youth and their parents about the seemingly foreign concept that hard work leads
to increased self-esteem
• SERVE by volunteering at church, at school, or in your local community so that through your actions, the
positive message of individuals helping others rather than the government can resonate
Sadly, these teens believe that the federal government is their Santa Claus to shower them with money for college or to ensure that everyone can marry whom they wish, etc., etc. Where does this future generation believe all of the money will come from in order to give out scholarships or to grow government? I know -- from Santa. But how long can Santa exist by just printing money? Eventually, his printers may crash and burn.
In our county newspaper, this question was asked of five teens, "What social or political issue matters most to you?" The answers were:
• more financial aid for college
• extremist news policy
• marriage equality
• having increased government control in our citizens' lives in lieu of less
• increasing scholarships and aid to college students
The teens of today will become the leaders of tomorrow. Judging by the answers above, one can forecast their focal points of society in the decades to come.
There were no answers about the nation's debt, taxation, terrorism, illegal immigration, job creation or surprisingly, the environment. As someone who espouses to having less government intrusion into our lives, four out of five of these teens want more government intrusion into our lives.
Our youth today form their opinions via friends, their parents, online, Facebook posts, at school and television. To me, the youth are hearing and buying into the belief that government gives the citizens what they want, aspire and need. So much for the individual working hard to better themselves or only paying for what you can afford. It seems in 2013, the consensus is that we have a right to attend college, but not a right to protect ourselves. We need to start changing the message.
• BELIEVE in hard work and less government are the highways to individual success
• ACT by talking to today's youth and their parents about the seemingly foreign concept that hard work leads
to increased self-esteem
• SERVE by volunteering at church, at school, or in your local community so that through your actions, the
positive message of individuals helping others rather than the government can resonate
Sadly, these teens believe that the federal government is their Santa Claus to shower them with money for college or to ensure that everyone can marry whom they wish, etc., etc. Where does this future generation believe all of the money will come from in order to give out scholarships or to grow government? I know -- from Santa. But how long can Santa exist by just printing money? Eventually, his printers may crash and burn.