Young Voters Betrayed by Obama Policies

Barack Obama, in large part, owes his presidency to young voters.  In two presidential elections he has garnered 66 percent and 67 percent of their vote respectively.  Many of those votes proved pivotal for him in winning key states like Florida, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.  And yet the President apparently feels no loyalty toward this group of voters that has given him so much.  In fact, it has become second nature for him to run roughshod over their interests.

To begin with, the economy Obama has produced for young people in close to five years of his leadership is horrendous.  His policies of regulate and spend have not permitted the economy to recover from the Great Recession that began in 2008.  Unemployment for 15 to 24 year olds is more than double the national average.  Many college graduates, unable to find a job, have returned to their parents’ nests to wait for better days and brighter employment prospects.  African-American teenagers face a jobless rate of more than 40 percent!

And while the President was attempting to “stimulate” the economy back to good health with profligate spending, what he did instead was run up a tab that young folks will have to pay back for many years into the future.  What’s more, when interest rates rise to their historic average and interest payments on the national debt more than double, paying back that debt will have to include much higher taxes or enormous cuts in government services.

Lastly, there is Obamacare.  The President is relying on young folks to make his health care scheme work.  He is counting on millions of them to purchase high cost plans to offset costs for the sick and elderly.  Of course, many will not accommodate the President’s wishes, thereby causing health care premiums to skyrocket for all consumers.  By the time the current crop of 18-30 year olds is interested in purchasing health care coverage the costs will be astronomical.  Thus he has put them in an unenviable position.  They are damned if they do, damned if they don’t.

Young people made a serious mistake giving Barack Obama their overwhelming support in the last two presidential elections.  But, what choice did they have?  John McCain and Mitt Romney weren’t much better alternatives.  What young people need are free market policies – sound money, a balanced federal budget, and deregulation.  It doesn’t appear this is going to happen anytime soon.