And as usual, the old are winning. Since we are discussing voter turnout this week in 2301- and I like to emphasize the consequences of disparate voter turnout between the old and the young - these stories highlighting the plight of the young are worth considering:
The War Against Youth:
Twenty-five years ago young Americans had a chance.
In 1984, American breadwinners who were sixty-five and over made ten
times as much as those under thirty-five. The year Obama took office,
older Americans made almost forty-seven times as much as the younger
generation.
This bleeding up of the national wealth is no accounting glitch, no
anomalous negative bounce from the recent unemployment and mortgage
crises, but rather the predictable outcome of thirty years of economic
and social policy that has been rigged to serve the comfort and largesse
of the old at the expense of the young.
Nothing for You, Sonny:
I suspect the American political system is too slow to really change
its priorities and redirect its focus on my generation, but there is
always time to refocus on the next one. We now know that the first two years of life
are the most consequential for child's development. I would consider
reduced Medicare spending now coupled with an increase in efforts to
ensure adequate early childhood nutrition to be a successful policy
trade-off.
Or we can just make the Ryan Budget law and protect the baby boomers with a firewall to preserves their benefits.
The question will be: how long can an arrangement like that last
before the side which knows it is getting the raw deal protests it?
