Why is the 2016 election so important for Millennials?
Trump vs. Clinton a showdown many thought would never come to fruition is now upon us, and everyone has very strong opinions about it. But as a college student, why should you care which one of them is elected? How will the agenda of each of these candidates affect your daily life if they serve as president for the next four years?
As college students within the age range of 18 to 25, we are considered to be a part of the “Millennial Generation,” or as we like to call ourselves the 90s babies.” Our generation has been fortunate to see many transcending firsts in this country – The first personal computer, the first legally recognized gay marriage, the first electric car, the first African-American president and many more. If Hillary Clinton is elected, we will see the inauguration of the first female president. As a generation, we have been lucky to live through some amazing firsts. But as our generation is growing up and becoming adults we have many personal firsts fast approaching in our lives. Many of us will soon be buying our first house, starting our first career job, our first health insurance plans, making our first student loan payments and maybe even having our first child. With all of these firsts to look ahead to, this election is more important to this generation than others.
After you graduate college, you will want to find a job with the degree you just worked so hard to obtain. You want the newly elected president to have a plan on how to improve the impeding job market to help ensure you are able to find employment in your field that will allow you to support yourself. Along with finding a career, you will need to establish your own health insurance policy, because by the age of 25 you can no longer be a member on your parents’ policy. Whoever is serving as president may have a large hand in that too. You may want to vote for the candidate who ensures that health insurance will be affordable and that the insurance companies won’t take advantage of you. With a new career you will also be establishing things like a 401(k) retirement fund. The social security crisis is an issue that has been a hot topic in the news over the past year. The government fears that by the time our generations reaches retirement, there will no longer be funds to support the social security program.
It’s important to know how each candidate plans to address this issue. As an a adult you will also be participating more in the economy and you may find yourself relying on products that may come from a foreign industry. When choosing who to vote for, you may want to take a look at how they plan to maintain relations on the world stage so you know your beloved Brazilian coffee will always be available in the U.S. market.
There are many reasons this election is important to this generation, mainly because this is the president that will serve as we are beginning our ascend into the adulthood. With the election fast approaching, it is important as a millennial to seriously consider your options and do some basic research on the candidates. The next president may have a major impact or some of the next big steps in your life.