The Millennial Commission

If you believe the stereotype that Millennials, members of the generation born between 1978 and 2000, are indifferent to issues of social insurance -- Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc. -- Congress's recent conversations should change your mind. Even if you imagined that young people across the country were not personally touched by or invested in the support that social insurance provides, you must recognize that the proposed Deficit Commission, intended to decrease the national debt by making cuts outside the democratic process, could serve as a rallying cry -- an impetus for the largest-ever generation of Americans to demand a voice in the debate. Before Social Security or Medicare are targeted and slashed as part of the undemocratic commission's "solution" to our growing fiscal debt, Millennials must be given the opportunity to weigh in. That is because we are engaged in these issues, we are prepared to contribute our perspective, and, most importantly, we are capable of designing the society that we would like to inherit.

It Goes Beyond Debt: Insuring Our Present and Our Future

As many have previously noted, the Millennial Generation is unique. We are interconnected, socially conscious, and innovative. We desire community, hold a holistic view of the world, and value progress. The Social Insurance programs taking the brunt of criticism by deficit hawks in DC have shaped our society since the Social Security Act's passage in1935. If they are to change, reforms should be informed by these values, and not simply by a goal of deficit reduction. A country's social insurance programs should be reflective of the citizens they serve. Therefore, instead of simply worrying about passing debt to future generations, Congress must consider the society that young Americans desire to live in when considering reform.

Millennials recognize the benefits of social insurance. We are beneficiaries of Medicaid benefits. We recognize the important role that Social Security and Medicare can play in our future. We aspire to self-employment and identify ourselves as entrepreneurs--an aspiration made less risky by a strong social safety net.

Additionally, Social Security already supports Millennials nationwide. For example, millions of young Americans are being raised by their grandparents. For many, the income received from social security makes this possible. Additionally, Social Security provides financial support to the families of children whose parents are disabled or deceased. In total, Social Security removes 1.3 million children from poverty every year and improves the impoverished conditions of 1.5 million others. Even Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) reaches less than half of the number of children whose conditions are improved via Social Security. As a generation, we must recognize that both our present and our future are directly affected by the existence, strength, and breadth of the American social safety net.

A recent report by the Center for American Progress and Demos confirms the Millennial Generation's support of strong social insurance programs in America. Millennials favor increased government spending to stabilize Social Security, with 66% of 18 to 29 year-olds in support, compared with 52% of those over 60. Similarly, the number of young adults favoring more government support for Americans' retirement stands at 69%, up from 56% in 1996 and 53% in 1985.

Let Us Design the Society that We Will Inherit

The Millennial generation's support for Social Security does not imply, however, that we are not concerned about the level of debt that we will inherit. We are not ignorant of the cuts or revenue-raising measures that will need to be taken to ensure the solvency of any program that we intend to support. We are concerned. We are conscious of the difficult decisions that need to be made, and, we must be included in these important conversations. In fact, the aforementioned values and attitudes that define our generation--innovation, social consciousness, and interconnectedness--imply a unique potential for Millennials to design a system that is fresh, transformative, responsible, and reflective of those people that it supports. We can imagine reform efforts that pay heed to reality and look outside the box to redesign our social safety net.

So, while we appreciate Congress's efforts to reel in the national debt, an undemocratic process that compromises social insurance without input from the citizens that it supports is not the answer. Failing to include the perspective of Millennials, the generation that stands to be impacted more than any other at the table, would represent a tremendous missed opportunity. Most importantly, by not engaging the Millennial generation on issues of social insurance, we fail to consult a generation of Americans equipped with powerful ideas capable of balancing our budget and reinvigorating social insurance for decades to come. That is something this country simply cannot afford.

This post was written by Hilary Doe and Lucas Puente.

Read more at www.rooseveltcampusnetwork.org and www.newdeal20.org

 

Follow Hilary A. Doe on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hilarydoe

Comments

[Foxlor]

12:43 PM on 01/14/2010

I was around 30 when the Social Security system was a couple months from failure in 1983. To fix the problem required much more than it would take today. Some of the changes involved increased % from employer and participant, a raising of the retirement age from 65 to 66 then to 67. Biggest of all hits was you pay taxes on your social security benefit if you made more than 25k as a single person or 32k as a couple; this level was never indexed and remains fixed, so a retired cop, teacher, nurse, military are paying double taxation on a benefit that you had already paid taxes on. In 1983 25k/32k was a nice income in retirement . not so glamorous now. Realize that we are all moving in the same direction and all will eventually be on the receiving end. The benefits are minimal, you must set aside funds to augment or you will live an absolute near poverty situation, the minimum should be to maintain what we have in place if not augment it. The Gregg- Conrad commission have been backed by Pete Peterson a Wall street billionaire who has a thing against entitlements, watch him on pbs Charly Rose. The fix to this is simple, remove the cap on contributions and increase employer/employee contributions 1% and it will be solid for 75 years.

[Georgeo57]

11:47 PM on 01/13/2010

Thanks for the post. Here are some excerpts about the Millennial Generation from a paper that I'm writing, and some more info and advice that I think you might appreciate;
"Millennials gave Kerry only a 9-point advantage in 2004. Four years later, however, the group voted for Obama by 66 to 32, or a margin of 34 points.
... voting age members of this Millennial group is increasing by about 4.5 million each year, and by 2020, voting age Millennials will make up almost 40 percent of the electorate. "
I'm 52, and looking forward to 2020 when you will make up 40 percent of the electorate. I hope you realize that the top 1 percent of Americans own more wealth than the bottom 90 percent, and that the top tax rate under Eisenhower in 1959 was 91 percent while the top tax rate now is about 35 percent. Also, you may be interested to know that the U.S. spent 43 percent of its GDP EACH YEAR fighting WWII
Don't let anyone tell you there's not enough money to address climate change, jobs, health care, education, etc. Fight to raise taxes on the income of the rich, and if that doesn't give us enough money fight to tax their wealth as well (Some of our European friends tax wealth routinely).
Get involved in the 2010 elections. If Democrats fall short of 60 Senators after this November, your generation will pay for their failure.
Good luck!