Of course, these young people tend to not actually show up on election day, but, they want their “free” sh*t
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont is solidifying his standing as the frontrunner of the Democratic presidential race after a victory in the New Hampshire primary and a strong finish in the Iowa caucuses. The self-proclaimed democratic socialist seeks to enact universal healthcare in the US, wipe out student debt, and fight climate change.
Combined with promises to take on the political and financial elite, the ambitious proposals are helping generate a wave of enthusiasm among younger voters that’s propelling his unabashedly progressive campaign, similar to 2016.
Business Insider recently reviewed exit polls from the New Hampshire primary on February 11, and they indicated that Sanders drew nearly half of voters ages 18 to 29, more than the other four major Democrats on the ballot combined.
But conspicuously missing from his nascent coalition of voters was older Americans, long a force at the voting booth. Exit polls from New Hampshire indicated that Sanders drew only 15% of voters over age 65. (snip)
Part of the reason is the unpopularity of socialism, particularly among voters born before 1975, according to Gallup. The same poll indicated that favorable views of socialism among young adults is still relatively high while those for capitalism steadily dropped over the past decade — 49% and 51%, respectively.
Older people know what real Socialism causes. They’ve seen it in action. Soviet Union, Cuba, Vietnam, China, and others. If you don’t know the problems, there is no point in explaining them.
Young adults are pressing to widen the reach of government benefits to include them. A key reason is that the traditional stepping stones toward a life of prosperity are no longer easy to secure. Higher education, affordable housing, and quality healthcare are out of reach for many.
As Thompson put it, Sanders seeks to expand the “existing social contract” that older people already enjoy to include a new generation of Americans.
So, they want things they haven’t earned. Social Security and Medicare? People have been paying, forcibly, into that pool their entire lives. Mortgage deduction? Buy a house and you will get it. These young folks have been brainwashed into believing that Other People owe them something simply for existing. They do not want to work for it. The benefits that boomers enjoy now come after about fifty or sixty years of being in the work force, paying taxes on incomes for fifty or sixty years, and contributing mightily to charities, organizations, and colleges, not to mention state, city, county, hospital and college districts. The young kids will get the same. They just aren’t willing to wait. Free money for all!
"As to reducing carbon footprint, younger people fall short. They buy cheap clothes from Asos, ride Ubers vs. buses, have fast food sent via Deliveroo & eat avocados from Mexico vs. local vegetables – boosting emissions and non-recyclable plastic use."https://t.co/kvc0u98Lya
— Steve Milloy (@JunkScience) February 17, 2020
Sadly, as usual, that article is behind a paywall. But, you get the point.
Don’t forget that they expect for their college loans to be cancelled as well.
I had this conversation with a family member back in 2016. She was a Bernie supporter simply because he was going to cancel her student debt. I asked her simply which would you rather do, pay off your debt in 5 or so years or pay for it the rest of your life with higher taxes. She told me that she never thought of it that way. All she was thinking was her immediate debt would be gone. Instant gratification with no work.
The silliest thing is that she went into debt, was willing to vote for a socialist and have her cost of living go way up to erase that debt BUT she no longer works in the field she went into debt for. All that debt, all those payments, all for nothing.
In 20 or so years these same kids will be singing a different tune when what they have worked for is stolen to hand to the next generation of leeches. That, or the number of takers will outnumber the earners and then no one will have anything and they will wonder how that could have happened.