A professor once told my class that the three most important determinants in a person's life are their parents, where they live, and the economy. So far every word has held true, and the existence of the American dream for our generation rides on whether or not we have a good economic climate. 240 years have passed since the founding of this country, with its greatest achievement being the opportunity for Americans to climb the socioeconomic ladder due to limited government and the principles of the Declaration of Independence: The protection of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
We are now drowning in personal and government debt. Our recent graduates struggle to live for more than paying back student loans. They need high-paying jobs that match their skill level, enabling them to pay taxes then buy American goods and services. Of my many close friends who are under the age of 30, only two have bought houses. People of past generations, like my parents who themselves had large student loans in the 1980s, bought a house at age 25. I'm not saying that college needs to be free—quality goods and services demand an appropriate price—but in this day and age, we are no longer able to afford college independently. Also, while the interest rates are very low they do not give young people the ability to take out loans and mortgages. Banks today only lend to people who are low risk of default and they demand people who have already made money with history of making risky investments. We need an America that will let its people take the risks which spin the wheels of the economy again.
Abraham Lincoln said in his 1861 State of the Union Address, "Labor is prior to and independent of capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration." It is not about just making money, it's about pride: The pride of the people to achieve the American dream. To me, nothing is more satisfying than depositing a check on Friday then heading to the gas station to fill up my tank and buy a six-pack. I am not the embodiment of the weekend warrior, I like the knowing that with hard work comes personal reward and progress, and I want my work to match my skill level. We need employers who value their young workers again, who pay adequately for the labor given.
The United States used to have jobs with a foreseeable future for people straight out of high school. College was not required to have the opportunity to make a living wage. Many companies took apprentices and trained them; they invested in their employees. In return, the workers stayed for the duration of their career, raising families, owning homes, and earning pensions. We need companies who are willing to invest in their employees again.
Many millennials were raised by reward without effort. Trophies were given away for merely participating and not earning. Young people have not had a chance to experience the rewards gained from their hard work. Even in my classes, students expect grades for just showing up, not learning. If the nation fails to redevelop a work ethic, it will effectively bleed off its remaining industry. We need parents who will again instill in their children that reward only comes from hard work.
Our entire lives we have had television and Internet-based media spoon-feeding us thoughts. Why should we listen anymore? Why should they tell us that we cannot succeed and that with hard work we only pay into social security and other failing government programs? While it is important to know about current events, the opinions of someone coming from a studio located in a New York high-rise should not be taken so seriously. When riots are going on in the streets, there is no logic involved. People go ballistic because of a small action and because they are too easily offended. We as Americans need to form our own opinions about the world using facts and logic again.
I believe we should focus more on what we want for ourselves and our families. We should study what will make us happy and foster creative ideas for the academic and business world. It is time to be positive. In the words of Ronald Reagan from a 1964 speech, "The Founding Fathers knew a government can't control the economy without controlling people. And they knew when a government sets out to do that, it must use force and coercion to achieve its purpose. So we have come to a time for choosing." We must choose a path that gives rebirth to the values and principles that made America a great and powerful nation.
When my great-grandparents immigrated from Norway, Scotland, and Austria in the 1920s and 30s, they came so that their children could have better lives. They came to escape poverty, oppression, and the threat of Nazi Germany. They were given new names at Ellis Island, learned English, and eventually became naturalized citizens. One of them worked a humble job as a dredge operator for over 40 years, pulling levers and playing a critical role in building the infrastructure of America. His son went on to become an engineer, and my father entered corporate America. The point is, they all worked hard to pursue and eventually achieved the American dream. I want to continue on their path of excellence. When I hear that Chrysler manufactures its engines in Mexico and Pfizer plans to do a corporate inversion, relocating its headquarters to Ireland, I am disheartened. Let us become the generation that rebuilds America. I may not become the man operating a dredge, but I want my career after college to help make us the envy of the industrialized world again.
There is still much greatness in the United States. We the people just have to believe it again. Let us be willing to work hard and never settle for being second best. Our ancestors literally fought to gain the protection of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. We are blessed to be given a country where it no longer takes the same amount of bloodshed to have those rights.
