This past Wednesday, I had the amazing opportunity to see presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speak in the Town Hall event hosted by Carthage College. Like most individuals my age, I've never taken the time to pay much attention to politics. However, after attending Sanders' campaign event and learning more about the views and opinions of other presidential candidates I've come to realize the importance and necessity of having a political education.
Most millennials are stereotyped as "ignorant" when it comes to world matters. We're also grouped and categorized as democrats. And both of these statements aren't wrong. We don't pay much attention to politics — the majority of us identify with the democratic party. And here's why:
1. Income and Wealth Inequality
Sanders addresses the issue of income distribution by pointing out that, "fifty-eight percent of all new income since the Wall Street crash has gone to the top one percent."
The middle class that the majority of college educated millennials parents belong to is disappearing due to an imbalance in the economy. We are living in a world where working a full time minimum wage job has become the only option after graduation. Making minimum wage is not enough to tackle the cost of living coupled with student loan debt. It is projected that we will have a lower standard of living than our parents.
As a student in college with several loans taken out already (and more to come) it is a frightening idea that our education investment is going to end up lowering our standard of living rather than raising it. So, fixing the issue of inequality of wealth and income sounds like a great solution to a problem that we will be dealing with for the rest of our lives if left unchecked.
2. Making College Tuition Free and Debt Free
If there is one thing I'm tired of hearing it's the argument that millennials just want free stuff. Perhaps it's not wrong. Who doesn't like when something is free? Especially when money is such a major issue for the majority of us.
I can't tell you how many times I've been told not to worry about the cost of something by someone older than me. "It's just money." But every time I sign for yet another student loan I get the terrifying feeling of signing my soul to the devil. Because by the time I am done paying off what I owe for my education, I'll have paid nearly triple the original cost. It's not just money. And student debt is a huge issue for millennials.
So, for those of us who are dealing with sticky financial situations regarding college education, words like "refinance" and "free tuition" are music to our ears. The cost of a college education in the United States is mind boggling. And the burden that we are faced with regarding student loan debt and additional costs of education, such as housing and textbooks, is impacting our outlook we have on our futures.
Sanders call for making higher education available to everyone regardless of income and social standing appeals to millennials because it would turn something that is currently a financial punishment into a financial reward.
