By: Zack Murray, November 2012
By the time this column is printed, we will know who was elected into office.
2012 has marked a stunning surge in young voters, eager to finally make a difference in national politics. Some will have voted for incumbent Barack Obama, some for Mitt Romney, and even some yet will have voted independent.
But perhaps there are ideals that each separate candidate holds that are not the ones that this younger generation should be focused on. Very common topics this election year are abortion, and same-sex marriage. The latter has been referred to as the “civil rights movement of our time” by Vice President Joe Biden. The former has been called upon again and again by bringing questions upon the original Supreme Court ruling Roe vs. Wade.
These issues are important. That much I will concede. Howver, it is my opinion that there are priorities far more important than those.
Why are hardly any young Democrats poised to start a protest for this country’s failing economy? There are daily marches for both abortion and same-sex marriage, yet there is hardly anything being said about America’s finances.
This may be a generalization; I’m certain there are some out there who are deeply concerned with the welfare of our money. But the United States almost hit the debt ceiling in recent years, nearly defaulting on our loans and plunging the world into a recession of that to rival the Great Depression.
My fellow generation is not terribly worried about what we soon will have to deal with. The summer jobs we hold will not support us in three or four years when we are either in college or out on our own. We are going to have to find a way to make ends meet. A little more focus on the delicate economical situation at hand could not hurt. No matter what the election outcome is, the next four years are ones to be watched and studied very closely by young voters.
They could very well be our saving grace, or our plunge into financial hardship.
Zack Murray is a student at North Andover High School and is our North Andover High Student Columnist. You can email Zack at zack.ffstudios@gmail.com