Qvisory - Tools for Life Blog - Want to be President? Start Talking About Young People

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Want to be President? Start Talking About Young People

Suzanne Kahn

Posted Oct. 10, 2008
Tagged: Qvisory, TakeAction, News

Did you hear Senator Obama and Senator McCain talk about our issues at the last debate? Me neither. Sure, they spent a lot of time talking about issues that matter to me—health care, the environment, housing, etc.—but I didn’t hear either of them say much about what they will do for young people. Let’s change that!

Young people are voting in record numbers, so it’s time for Obama and McCain to start talking about our issues. There’s plenty to talk about.

One-third of young adults are uninsured. The average young adult with credit card debt now spends a quarter of every dollar earned on debt payments. Two-thirds of college students graduate in debt. Median rent in almost all major metropolitan areas rose by more than 50 percent between 1995 and 2002. Between 2000 and 2002, incomes for those under 35 dropped by 14 percent. These are just some of the many issues we struggle with everyday. What are the candidates going to do about our issues?

Take Action! Instead of just applauding our participation, the presidential candidates can and should start addressing the issues young people face.

In the last three weeks of the election, let’s make sure that Obama and McCain talk about our issues!

I graduated from college last May and went straight to New Hampshire to work on the presidential primary for Americans for Healthcare, an issue advocacy group working to make health care reform the top issue for each presidential candidate.

In college, I worked with think tanks, grassroots advocacy groups, and on candidate campaigns at the local and national level. Again and again, I saw how powerful our generation can be when organized.

In New Hampshire, I realized that activism in our generation drops off after college. Most of the people who volunteer are our parents and grandparents. I am excited about Qvisory because I believe it's a chance for young adults to define and take action on a policy agenda that serves our needs.

I currently provide support to Qvisory on educational and policy topics. See Suzanne Kahn's other posts and profile.

Qvisory's educational content is supported in part by the Qvisory Education Fund.

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