Obama supporter: Change is here!

By Travis Fick
Guest Columnist

Our generation is assumed to be ignorant, even careless, regarding politics and our future, but with the slate of past presidential candidates, both Republican and Democrat, do you blame us? They do not respect us nor do they have our priorities at heart. Our parents had their JFK and their Reagan. But where are they now? One candidate believes in our generation and sees the true influence we have on the political process. Senator Barack Obama knows that our generation is a sleeping giant and knows we are the future of this country.
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Our generation began to be heard in 2006, when the state of Minnesota led the nation with 69 percent of young voters. One candidate understands our generation’s frustration with the current political system. On Oct. 1, 2008, in La Crosse, Wis., Obama said, “I realize that many of you are fed up with politics. I understand you’re disappointed, even angry with your leaders; you have every right to be. Despite of all of this, I am asking you in this election to believe, believe in this country, believe in your ability to change this country.”

Our generation is not like our parents’, and we view the world differently and we crave change from politics as usual. Change from tax cuts for big oil companies. Change from spending money we do not have and plunging the future generations into further debt. Change from making an economy that works for some, but not for all.

Our generation believes in responsibility and accountability. That does not include a system where companies who are responsible for ruining the United States economy are bailed out by American tax dollars. Our leaders need to understand that our priorities are different. It is our nation too; it is our future that leaders such as Senator John McCain and President George W. Bush are using to gamble with.

They do not give us credit for our beliefs or priorities. They do not respect us and go so far as to believe that we are ignorant about world events. But we are not unintelligent, nor are we ignorant; we are smart and innovative and we know and care about what is going on in our world. We see the world in a different way than the previous generation.

Obama understands our desire to make the world a better place. He outlines a detailed plan on how we continue to fight the war on poverty by making jobs more accessible, making housing affordable and assuring that all Americans receive a livable wage. But McCain does not even mention the word poverty on his website.

Obama’s plans go further than that and acknowledge that there is a problem in our society regarding pay equality. Currently, women are paid 77 cents per every dollar men make. Obama sees that this is wrong. He seeks to create a society that values women’s contributions by implementing the Fair Pay Act, which will assure that women are paid as much as their male counterparts. But McCain has spoken out against this historic legislation and said that this is government playing a greater role in business.

Obama realizes the importance of going to college and has proposed giving all Americans a $4,000 tax refund in exchange for serving our nation by joining programs like Teach for America or the Peace Corps in order to receive the funds.

Our generation seeks unity instead of partisanship. Our generation demands the same respect and acknowledgment that we are going to lead our nation. Our generation has our JFK, our Ronald Reagan. Our generation has Barack Obama.