Clocks were not the only thing springing ahead this weekend, young conservatives showed their eagerness to restore conservatism and the ideals of limited government and fiscal responsibility. This past weekend thousands of young conservatives descended upon the Washington, DC area for CPAC. Enthusiasm and energy ran high among the crowd throughout the conference showing millennials’ desperation for real hope and change—longing for Obama’s last day in office.
As youth unemployment, student loan debt, and the national debt soar, the real economic impact is felt by our nation’s youth. The Obama administration’s economic policies are hurting an already downtrodden millennial generation. Many young people see the American Dream slipping from their grasp as their financial burden grows and no hope of employment exists.
Many of the wide-eyed, twenty-something’s who attended the conference clutched posters of their coveted conservative champion—Ronald Reagan. Reagan’s legacy is far from dead among this generation of young people if anything it is experiencing a revival. Young conservatives view Ronald Reagan as their hero, a man who truly lived out his values.
Liberals should fear the strength of the Conservative Movement, as more and more young people are attracted to its principles of limited government, free markets, and individualism. Thousands of young people were willing to give up a weekend to attend CPAC then they were to enroll in Obamacare—as we have seen with only 25% of young people enrolling. This administration is struggling to attract those that were among its most enthusiastic supporters. Today’s young people crave to be independent both financially and personally. The expansion of big government programs does nothing to empower youth or benefit them. Disenchantment and frustration with the Obama administration and its broken promises are pervasive among millennials with over two-thirds “less favorable” to the President.
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Nationwide polling conducted by Young America’s Foundation shows that forty-eight percent of young people between the ages of 18 and 24 believe that the federal government is too big with only four percent believing its too small. Limited government and accountability resonate with millennials. The future of conservatism looks bright; millennials left feeling inspired by the speakers and seminars—tasked with the mission of spreading the word to their disenchanted peers.
For too long young people have been reduced to a mere demographic by the Left and they are now making their voices heard. Millennials are more than just a demographic, they are the ones burdened by reckless Washington spending and policies. Millennials are treated like children by this administration believing that they know what is best for them. Nothing proved this to be truer than when Michelle Obama called young people “knuckleheads”. This administration views young people as a permanent dependent class, one that they can control.
What happens though when young people have had enough? Young people across the country are coming to terms with the fact that big government equates to big problems—Obamacare being the clearest example of government inefficiency. The botched rollout of the website launch and the enrollment process only increased the unpopularity of Obamacare. Young people quickly realized that they were expected to subsidize healthcare for the older and sicker generation and were not willing to enroll despite ridiculous public relations efforts from the White House. Millennials are smart, much smarter than the Left gives them credit for. They know that they were lied to when they were promised free healthcare and now they are the ones expected to pay for it.
The sad reality is that one in four young people are living at home and are struggling to find employment as they try to make their monthly student loan payments. Young people don’t need the federal government acting like a parent, telling them what to do. They are fed up with the federal government’s intrusive involvement in their daily lives. They are eager for the future and for restoring America back to its greatness through restoring individual liberties and reducing the size and scope of the federal government.
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