Why doesn't 35 and under vote much?????????????

[seahawky]

I believe strongly that since 35 and under may never see those silly security checks that we must stand up and retake the U.S. House. I believe if a revolution of over 15 million to 18 million new voters or non active voters would wake up we could change the face of the U.S. House to our advantage. Get some 30 somethings to run for some seats and support candidates that will stand up for us. We are paying for the old peoples social security checks. We pay 6 percent every pay check and we will never see that money. It is going to the fat cat senoir citizens who really don't need the checks in the first place. Let's stand up and fight for our future for a change. Who is in?

[jasop]

1. Young People ruled in the 90's and then it went to sh!t when two.....

brothers were able to have control over the outcome of almost 80% of the Vote. Google it. You will choke on your own vommit.

[yurbud]

2. no one connects the dots for them to their daily life

Even Kerry fucked up this one last fall. He gave college students a lot of platitudes about giving something back to society, which was the right idea in Kennedy's time, but for today, you need to say, "You're getting screwed. You're working two jobs to put yourself through school, and the republicans want to make that harder by getting rid of overtime pay and making it harder to get financial aid. Here's how we're going to fix it."

The bit about never seeing that money is a lie the GOP has paid to drum into our heads for the last couple decades, until it becomes a truism and self-fulfilling prophecy. Make kids lose faith in the system, and they won't defend it.

But who would trust more, government run social security or a private system put together by the people who brought us the S & L scams, Enron, and rolling blackouts and electricity rate hikes through deregulation? Unless you are a fairly savvy investor willing to take the time to do a lot of your own research, giving your retirement money is like dropping your virgin daughter off at a biker bar to buy a soda.

[politicasista]

6. Another Kerry basher

What's new. :hi: :evilgrin:

[yurbud]

13. Kerry was great

in '71.

He gave some good speeches too, but inexplicable, didn't hit Bush as hard as he could have.

There is no reason he couldn't have made Bush wet himself and throw a temper tantrum in the first debate without even raising his voice. Instead he was deferential to the point of being servile.

The guy at best was triangulating between what the people want and need and what the corporate players in Washington dictate.

Enough.

Their needs are not our needs. Let them make money, but not at the expense of our democracy, and not with our elected leaders as their bitches.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

3. Younger voters

are less likely to be directly impacted by voting: housing issues, a permanent career, families (at least among those 30 and younger).
Education is a big factor. More educated people vote in bigger numbers.
Socialization is a big factor. Did their parents vote? Did they care about politics?
Most young people undergo a big socialization change when they leave home and other times when their lives are impacted by a major change (marriage, career, ownership). How about a military draft? That would wake them up.

[seahawky]

4. draft is a major factor

I know that the draft has been floating around a little behind the scene. The U.S. does need more ground troops to go into Iran and maybe Syria. Interesting point, but would put a lot fear in people 25 down to 18. Something that that age group really can't understand. They are two busy fighting the fight through extreme liberal tactics and or libertarian view points.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

9. It's normal to be idealistic when you're younger

and less pragmatic. What are those "extreme liberal tactics" though? Please clarify.
I'd rather see the young people giving a damn than worrying about which playstation game they're going to buy next week (like I see most of them doing).
I agree, the US should've needed more troops to do what they had planned. Gen. Shinseki spoke up for that and was shot down by Rumsfeld. Heaven forbid, we invade Syria with what little we have now. The plan was for our armies to be able to fight a 2 front war easily. If we add a 3rd front, we are in some serious trouble.

[FreedomAngel82]

11. Most definietly

The draft and economy I think was a big issue with people my age (I'm in my twenties). College kids are getting ready soon to have to find a job and that's getting harder. On MTV around the election they had a poll and Kerry won that poll (you can find it in their search engine).

[sandnsea]

5. Guaranteed Income Insurance

If you should become disabled, die with a child to support, or grow old and can't work. That's what social security is, Guaranteed Income Insurance.

If you want a retirement plan, open an IRA, 401K, you know, one of those other things that young people don't think they need to worry about either.

[seahawky]

7. another great point

Yes we young people need to work on saving money and planning for the future. This needs to be stressed to us, maybe through an ad campaign. Our parents are going to necessarily leave us much and we need to take action on our own. The idea being a credit card consumers has ruined a lot of us for several years is another reason we need to fight back and take over the U.S. House and try to get our voice heard and get what we need for a change. Wake Up Young America this is our country too. Let's put up the fight. Even if you are independent, libertarian, green, democrat, republican we still can have a diverse voice in the U.S. House. It's not that hard we need to put down the beer for a weekend, put out the joint and spend a little time investing into our future.

[shraby]

8. Those "fat cat" senior citizens

your talking about..I'm 62 but my parents are in their 80s and rely on those social security checks to keep them independent. Their social security checks amount to about 1500 per month counting both checks because Dad was one of those "notch babies" and my mother opted for half of what he got because it was more than if she drew on hers, and on top of that everytime they get a raise in their checks (a whole dollar or two a year) medicare goes up and it comes out of their checks. Then they have to carry a supplemental insurance.

Tell me about the "fat cats" once more, k?

[Withywindle]

10. Um...a very, very large percentage of SS recipients aren't

senior citizens at all; it's also paid out as survivors' benefits (families who've lost a parent, for example) and disabled peoples' income. So there are plenty of people who see some return well before they get old. It could be you if you get hit by a bus tomorrow. Could be me. Could be anyone.

Second, where do you get the idea that most retirees are wealthy?

[LibertyorDeath]

12. I think they see politics as a rigged game no matter who wins

It's corporate America that's running the show.

In a nut shell. " same shit different assholes "

unfortunately there's a lot of truth in this belief.

[unhappycamper]

14. I've been having an ongoing discussion with my 37 year old (red state) son

about "there's no difference between them. They're all crooks."

I think I found the chink in his armor. The discussion now is "Yes, they are all whores and crooks. One of them steals from you a little; the other rapes you repeatedly and then sells you into slavery."

I think that argument is working.......

[UT troll]

15. case in point: my roommates

I'm in college right now, and you really should meet my roommates. These guys are rather apathetic; what is more startling is they are just like anybody else my age. No matter the issue, or its direct influence on them, they really don't want to hear - or think - about it. If they do happen to have a "stance" on an issue, it is due entirely to whatever little knowledge they have on it and it is immovable. One of my roommates displayed his knowledge of the AA debate with the following comment: "Busing people to other schools is dumb. God, AA is so stupid!" This is the full extent of what AA is to him. I'm sure he once heard some authority figure say that same exact line about 10 years ago. It stuck. We young 'voters' are hopeless. It's ok to leave us behind. Save yourselves!

[napi21]

16. Well, I didn't care about politics when I was young either!

I'm 61 now, and I remember the first election I was interested in was Jack Kennedy's. It didn't have a damn thing to do with his promises, positions or anything like that. My interest was because I thought he was really handsome! He was the first dark haired man I ever knew to ever run for President. Remember Truman andIke were old bald men. This new guy was more like me, and his wife was a dream too!

Young adults simply don't relate to political issues. In order to gain their interest, you have to give them something to relate to. The draft is one issue of course, but if or until it becomes a real threat, few will pay any attention. You simply can't convince a 20 year old that they should care about SS, health care (they'll never get sice, remember!), or global warming. Tell them you're going to reduce the price of gas for their car, you'd ge their attention, but it wouldn't last, because they'd realize you couldn't do it!

Come up with some issues they can relate to, and they'll get involved!

[rockedthevoteinMA]

17. It's a lack of education. I'm 26, and just became interested in politics

in 2003. I have a very politically active family, but not until the Iraq war did I wake up.

I think it's the lack of civics courses in many high schools in the country. Think about it - if you keep the young people uneducated about how the country works, doesn't that work in the Republicans favor? I do know that many colleges across the country are trying to counteract this trend by making it a requirement for many students to participate in a Service Learning Project.

Service-learning is a teaching method that engages students in service to their schools and communities as part of their academic studies. Service-learning helps students master important curriculum content by supporting their making meaningful connections between what they are studying and its many applications. Service-learning also helps young people develop a range of service skills, from acts of kindness and caring, to community stewardship, to civic action.
Unique Benefits
Service-learning supports the American commitment to public schooling as preparation for an informed citizenry. Former Senator John Glenn chaired the National Commission on Service-Learning, which called service-learning "the single best way" to educate young people for active citizenship in a democracy. (Learning in Deed report)

Well-implemented service-learning fosters benefits for young people, their families, educational institutions, and community organizations. The Partnership concentrates on the impact service-learning has on young people's learning and development, especially their academic and civic preparation. When teachers are rigorous about partnering with young people to design and carry out service-learning projects that are tied to curricular objectives and standards, they are likely to benefit in the following ways:
# Civic and ethical benefits. Service-learning allows young people to explore and develop skills for a range of ways to serve, including acts of kindness and caring, community stewardship, and civic action.

more at:
http://nslp.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=SL_index

Many who I have spoken with in the administration in my college say that this could be a negative for the republicans because it's creating so many young activists. Fingers crossed. :)

[HughBeaumont]

18. Apathy, hopelessness, non-belief in democracy and other things

They've become disappointed with the way that America has become a Corporate Theocracy with politicians as their pocket pals. The two party system is an illusion. Real people never get helped and rich people exist no matter what economic shape the country is in. They have a media that goes tits-up for the GOP and exposes only one side of every factoid. They hear reports that every career they study for now isn't going to be there for them when they get older.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

19. my children register to vote on the very day of their 18th B'day and have

vote in every election (including local school board) since.

[mikelewis]

20. They don't care and pot is cheap - Ever see the Simpsons?

There was a Simpsons episode where Homer is prescribed medical marijuana. He absolutely loves it. A few months, days, weeks, who knows, he was high, later, a bill is going to be passed that outlawed it. He goes out and rallies all the people who use medical marijuana and gets them to agree to vote to keep it legal. The only trouble is, they got stoned on election day and forgot to vote. It was hysterical but sadly true.

[denese]

21. I'm 35 and I vote

I have voted in every election I was eligible to vote in since I turned 18.
Not that my vote was exactly counted or anything...

[ProgressiveDepot.com]

22. Your Social Security Comment Sounds Like

an argument George W. Bush would approve of. If people under 35 think they are paying into Social Security to make old people into fat cats then they don't know many old people, the majority of who watch every penny and count on Social Security just to get by. Your comment sounds like a riff on Reagan's "Welfare Queens" riding around in Cadillacs.

The easy answer to why younger people don't vote is that they care mainly about themselves and the world at their immediate fingertips and don't look much beyond that. If one of the candidates was advocating banning cell phones as a central plank of a campaign, this would get more younger people involved as they would see it cramping their style.

This is not to say that younger people don't care about others or are somehow unintelligent. I'm not being a cranky old man. I AM 35 and am not far removed from being fairly clueless as to politics in general, so I speak from my own experience and those of many others I know. I voted every time out, but not much else. I spent my early 20s looking for a job, then enjoying finally having a little spending money once I got one, and enjoying life in general with few responsibilities. Should I have done more? Probably. But I don't get angry at younger people's apathy. It's not until you get older and life gets more complicated (marriage, kids, mortgage, etc.) that you realize how much politics can affect you. When you're younger it seems like a problem for another time -- I wouldn't go back and trade my own care-free 20s so I can't begrudge anyone else their self-centered 20s. (This is all generalizations of course; I know there are many young people who are very involved and very knowlegeable. I just think they are the minority.)

However, not voting is unacceptable. Uninvolved, fine. But not even taking a half hour to go vote? Ridiculous.

[WI_DEM]

23. there was a good size uptick in the turnout of under 30's in 2004

and it was a group that Kerry won by a sizable margin. There are many young people who are involved and who do vote. But like other voting groups there are also many who have given up on the system or they don't think their vote will count or don't care and just want to party.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

24. I'm in!

When I found out after the election that NONE of the 4 guys out in the plant voted, I flipped out. Told them I'm dragging them bodily to register, and if I find out they didn't vote next time I would demote them. LOL! I was so mad after Nov. 2, they thought I was serious!. After a few months of reflection, I think I really will! Ok, Ok, I'll limit it to making sure they know HOW to register, reminding them daily to mail back their ballot, and keeping them up on the real news.

[demokatgurrl]

25. No draft. n/t