My generation gets a bad rep. We’re seen as the “me” generation; it’s all about the individual. Me, me, me. Well, they’re right. We are selfish and one thing that we’re selfish about is our social security.
Most people assume that college students don’t think about social security or retirement. “It’s for old people,” they say. They’re right; it is, but old people aren’t born old.
My first job was at Subway; I was 16 and that was five years ago. I spent four years with Subway. Since then it’s been nonstop work, either as a freelance journalist, writing tutor, editor for my school’s newspaper, or as an intern, all while going to college full time.
I work to live; I try to save as much as I can for my future. But in the wake of the 2009 economic depression, and in the milieu of national and state budget crises, my generation and I may be living to work.
According to whitehouse.gov, President Obama “rejects the notion that the future of hard-working Americans should be left to the fluctuations of financial markets.” I feel the same way. We are entitled to retirement and social security, but I’m not sure that it will be there once we get over the hill. President Obama may need a little help.
The national debt has risen every month this year. According to treasurydirect.gov, as of June 18th, the public debt was $8.5 trillion and the total public debt outstanding was $13 trillion.
Since 2009, the air on the Wall Street has been still. No one wants to disturb the delicate balance of buy and sell. Financial experts and economic analysts franticly offer what they think is the best course of action. America, as a democracy, should rely on the people for its direction. When things come crashing down, we the people are there to pick up the pieces and put the country back on the right path.
For the first time in a long time Americans will have an opportunity to point the country in the right direction. America Speaks: Our Budget, Our Economy, a national town hall meeting on the national debt, will be hosted in 20 cities across the nation, Jackson, Miss. included.
Right now, I work to live. I would like to retire some day; take a cross country drive or go on a cruise. But at this point it looks like my generation is living to work. No matter how much we save, we’ll always need to work. Always. But I’m selfish, and I won’t let this happen.
Yes, things are getting a little scary, but that is no reason to allow a future that is not in our best interest. For my generation, fear is the father of freedom. If we are afraid of what might come in the future, we work now to change it.
The hallmark of an American is the struggle: the struggle to create a great nation, the struggle for equality, and the struggle for a government that protects all of its citizens, young and old, physically and financially.
The current administration says it is committed to “protecting social security… to preserve its original purpose as a reliable source of income for seniors.” Let’s make sure that we hold the administration accountable.
Join me on Saturday, June 26 to ensure that voices in Mississippi are heard. The America Speaks: Our Budget, Our Economy National Town Hall meeting will be held in downtown Jackson at the Roberts Walthall hotel from 10:30 am to 5 pm. Check in starts at 9:30 am.
Matthew Caston, a student of Mississippi College, is a communication intern with the Foundation for the Midsouth.
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