MLAP Intro Part 2: Millennials and Politics

Politics. Yikes, so there's a red flag first date question. Something that seems to be so special and personal to everyone, yet such a taboo conversation with possible significant others, friends, sometimes family....and somehow it is so crucial to us as a generation. When starting this blog I tried to look at how I could present my personal thoughts and ideas on how politics are important to millennials, while also showing how they go hand in hand with labor. Organized labor generally finds solace within the democratic party and left side of the government. However, this is not always true, as some more moderate conservatives find labor to be an appealing way to connect with their constituents. I've had both positive and negative experiences with both parties. For this first post, I'm going to try to keep the theme limited to "get involved".
For millennials, we are nearing a point where I believe we have much to gain but little to lose from politics. The job market, rising student debt, and quality of life have changed for us compared to the baby boomers. Where a baby boomer used to be able to work part time through college and not have any student debt, that would be equivalent to us having a part time job for $40k a year. Unfortunately the latter hasn't generally been the case for millennials. On the job market, internships have become the new free labor, and sometimes it won't even pass having "internship" on a resume at the next job interview.

Politics play a role in all of this. My fiancee and I always say that a lot of "our" issues come back to three major categories: Labor, Health care, and Education. These are the pillars that make our world easier when they are strong, or hard when they are weak. The specific areas also happen to be three positions in Presidential Cabinet. These people have a direct role in the quality of the pillars of your life!

I argue debate quite a bit that local politics has become more important at times than national. These are the items that are effecting issues right in your backyard. Tough traffic on the commute to work? Perhaps there is a bill to widen the freeway. Crime on the rise? Maybe there is a budget meeting where elected officials are looking for input from citizens on how to spend city funds. There are plenty of more aggressive ways to get involved too! A grassroot movement called runforsomething.net has a mission that states, "We'll take a chance on people the usual "institutions" might never encounter. We'll help people run for offices like state legislatures, mayorships, city council seats, and more. We'll do whatever it takes to get more under-35 year-olds on the ballot." Now how cool is that?!? You've got someone in your corner and you didn't even know it. But what do Millennials think about politics? Check out the chart below, made courtesy of www.themillenniallegacy.com

Looks like this chart shows some engagement! In my future posts, I will talk about specific ways you can get involved in politics. I would also like to showcase some individuals that are millennials and making a difference in the political spectrum. As always, if you have any questions about anything, feel free to leave me a comment or catch me on twitter @millennialLAP

-Brandon