As a generation, the Millenials or the "Me Generation Y" is "selfie" driven and they know what they want. Their priorities are jobs, control of debt, and they want you to stay out of their way. They aren't called Generation Y without reason. They should be considered "Generation Y Not" due to their demonstration of moxie and their reputation as an entitled group.
Our hope for each American generation has always been to leave them better off and pick up the ball and run with our country -- teach them well and build them up. But are we providing these new generation warriors the proper models of integrity, fiscal responsibility, accountability, respect for differences and the American way?
The answer is a resounding, "No."
Millenials are using their critical thinking skills and it "ain't" good news for Obamacare/The Affordable Care Act. According to a December, 2013 Harvard Poll:
...40 percent of young Americans believe Obamacare will bring worse care, 51 percent believe it will bring higher costs and 57 percent said they disapprove of the president's signature law .. less than a third say they're likely to enroll in the exchange.
And according to a recent Quinnipiac poll, 54 percent of young people now disapprove of the job of the president and government.
Social media is burning up about the recent Jimmy Fallon Show, when Michelle Obama called young adults "knuckleheads" claiming they will be slicing their fingers, dancin' on the barstools -- they need to be protected by Obamacare. The First Lady set the expectation, but is this jest or a self-fulfilling prophecy? Not to disparage Mrs. Obama's tenor, but it was not well-taken by the younger generation.
Nonetheless, let's face it: This generation is needed to buy Obamacare -- actually 2.7 million of them must pay for subsidies in order to keep insurance premiums from increasing. And Mrs. Obama first referred to young people as "knuckleheads" at a 2012 presidential campaign rally.
The Obamacare ads targeted at Millenials show keg stands and relationships called brosurance, advising "Don't tap into your beer money to cover those medical bills." Got Insurance? "Let's get physical, OMG he's hot, Let's hope he's as easy to get as this birth control." "You better not be naughty and make other people cover your health care bills." But the program needs this generation to buy insurance to pay for subsidies.
The self-respecting Millenials are not happy, calling this condescending and stereotypical.
This treatment is far from working with this generation. Groups such as the multimillion strong, Generation Opportunity provide a retort to this targeting. They are asking, "Does Mrs. Obama think all young people are idiots?" And in response, Generation Opportunity has their own Obamacare Opt Out Campaign, claiming young people can get a better deal on their own, touting their own version of a Creepy Uncle Sam.
The President himself criticized the young people that want a better deal. At a White House Youth Summit in December, 2013, he claimed it was really bizarre that organized youth are opposing efforts to get free preventive care and catastrophic coverage. They don't agree that healthcare is free.
When the bi-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) announced dire affects to the workforce due to Obamacare, predicting the loss of 2.3 to 2.5 million full time jobs, there was collective spin of this bad news along with career advice from Washington.
• HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius claimed this is a popular myth and there is absolutely no evidence of Obamacare-related job loss.
• White House Press Secretary Jay Carney advised that Americans should stop working to pursue their dreams. They don't need to be trapped in a job to get health care.
• Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi claimed if you want to be creative, you can leave your work and focus on your aspirations.
• The Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors, Jason Furman said the CBO Report was a small picky thing concerning part time jobs vs full time jobs (FTEs) claiming less work is good for the economy.
Tell that to those outstanding driven Olympians, the returning military vets, and the struggling young adults trying to find a full-time job. And the ladies of "The View even discussed this disturbing development -- Jenny McCarthy recognized that this was a disincentive to work, a mountain they can't climb.
I have the pleasure to know many Millennials. This includes fine, attention craving, driven young people whose careers will steam roll those who sit on the beach taking a break to be left behind. This generation does not want to wait and see; conversely, they continue to ask, "Are we there yet?" They want to rock their goals and jobs. Collectively, they will not end up behind the eight ball.
The top issues with this generation are concerns with taxes and debt, jobs, Obamacare, privacy and education. And since we want the next generations to be motivated and driven, there is a lot of work to do in Washington. Millenials collectively don't want to sit back and rest on their laurels. Ooo, ooo, ooo, we see a new attitude from our next generation.