Conservative Outreach To Millennials

Millennials are the future. They are the next generation that will shape our world. I am trying to reach out to those millennials who may have been ignored and put off by the current political process. The next election in 2016 will have profound implications for all of our future. Especially, the millennials will be bearing much of the load. I am offering my wisdom and perspective. Please provide feedback in the comment section after reading.

-July 2015

The millennials are the people born after 1985 and ages under 30 or so. The Gen-X are people ages from 30-50 or so. The baby boomers are those ages from 50-70 or so. Those are the generally accepted division of the current population. I belong to the baby boomers generation. I have been a conservative for most of my adult life. I have had debates and discussions among many of my peers. I have come to the conclusion that most people from my generation and possibly the Gen-X group are lost causes. They have already made up their minds and few evidence will sway them. That is the reason for this outreach to the millennials. I think it is possible to convince them based on what is in their own best interest. If they will keep an open mind and not be indoctrinated by the liberal academia, I think they may be persuaded to a new path.

The one thing you need to know is that you've been lied to. The media and Hollywood and college professors have given you a distorted image of conservatives.

Jon Stewart's Daily show is a satire on the American political process. Unfortunately, many millennials watch him and thinks he is reporting the news. He is biased to the progressive cause. He makes fun of Republicans and conservatives all day long. He is not interested in fixing anything. He is a political hack that is very talented in what he does. He has won numerous Emmys award. However, he is not looking out for you. Recent news came to light that Jon Stewart was a secret guest at the White House and received talking points from the Obama Administration on a regular basis. I wrote a parting message for Jon Stewart on my hub.

Please bear with me for a moment. Just to set the baseline, I am lead to believe based on my interactions with millennials, that they are nubile to the arena of politics and civics and economics and finance. To confirm this, please take a moment and just answer the following few questions. There are no penalties here, just a check list of where we stand. The answer appears in the next module.

1. Who is your Senator and Congressman and Mayor?
2. What is the legal age to vote?
3. What is the current interest rate set by the Federal Reserve Board?
4. What is the interest rate of your Credit Card?
5. How much is the current National Debt?
6. What is FICA?
7. What is an IRA or 401K plan?
8. What is the rule of 72 or compounding interest?
9. What is the First Amendment?
10. What is Federalism?
11. What percent of people voted in the 2012 election cycle?

Here are my answers, of course, the answers may be different depending where you live.

1. Senators K. Gillibrand and C. Schumer, Congressman Patrick Maloney (18th district), Michael Grace - town of Yorktown Supervisor.
2. Current legal voting age is 18.
3. The current Federal Reserve Fund rate is 0.13%
4. The current credit card rate varies between 12.9% to 22.9% depending on your credit rating.
5. Current National Debt is over 18 Trillion dollars.
6. FICA stands for Federal Insurance Contribution Act - You pay 6.2% of your salary for Social Security and 1.45% for Medicare.
7. An IRA is an individual Retirement Account and the 401K is a retirement plan implemented by your employer.
8. The rule of 72 is a quick estimate on how long it will take your money to double based on the interest rate. Example: if the interest rate is 7%, 72/7=10, meaning it will take 10 years to double your money.
9. The 1st amendment is part of the Bill of Rights of the Constitution.
10. Federalism is the 10th Amendment which states any function not specified by the Federal government is left to each State to implement.
11. Only 57.5% of all the eligible voters turned out for the 2012 election.

So, how did you do? These are very basic questions. If you got them all right, congratulations, you are one of the few individuals who passed the test.

Some millennials seems to be content with the way things are. They have little inclination to follow the news or politics. They take things for granted that all is well and will always be well. Or, they may be dissatisfied with one thing or another but they are under the impression that they have no influence. What is one vote when the system is so complex.

What they fail to realize is that decisions made in Washington have direct implications for them for years to come. For example, tax policies or trade policies or healthcare or spending and budgets will come from their pockets. They need to pay attention to the details for their own well being. Some of the problems facing our nation have been growing for years. Washington politicians are very good at kicking the can down the road. Let someone else fix it mentality.

A case in point. The abortion issue has been in debate since 1973. That's when the Supreme Court ruled that it is a right and legal to abort a fetus. However, it is argued at the time, abortion should be rare and only in early stages of pregnancy. Fast forward 40 years, Planned Parenthood is promoting abortion and even selling body parts for profit. How did we come this far? Is this what you want your world to be? Abortion on demand?

Sometimes, it is good to be selfish. When you go fly on a plane, you are given safety instructions in case of emergencies. When the oxygen masks drop down, you are instructed to put your own mask on first before helping your children. It makes sense that you need to be in control before you can help others. When it comes to personal finance, it is the same way. You need to be financially stable before you can help your friend or family.

Being selfish means looking out for number one. You need to understand the policies that can and will affect your finances. Social security is an unfunded liability. It is a ponzi scheme ran by our government. The FICA collected from current employees are used to pay the benefits of retirees. There is no trust fund and never has one. Currently, it takes 2.9 workers to pay for 1 retiree. Due to the rising baby boom population retiring in the coming years, the ratio will soon drop to 2 to1. The millennials are on the hook to pay for the retirees.

Our national debt has risen to over 18 Trillion dollars (that's 18 followed by 12 zeros.) That is debt that must be paid back in the future by the millennials and their children.

When I speak to some millennials, they often tell me that they are fiscal conservative but social liberal. This is an odd position to take. Let me explain. Conservatism is a philosophy and a way of life. It integrates politics and economic policies with social and personal responsibilities. These ideas and principles do not operate in a vacuum.

Planned Parenthood and the abortion issue is now in the forefront. We have been told that there is a "war on women" and conservatives wants to take the right of "pro-choice" away from women. That is false. Conservatives wants to preserve life - all life. Abortions should be rare and in special circumstances. We don't want our tax dollars to fund Planned Parenthood or abortions. We don't want abortions on demand or in the last trimester of pregnancy. These are not extreme positions. If possible, adoption is the preferred path.

Conservatism is the right path. It is the right policy for our government as dictated by our Constitution with limited government and Federalism. It is the right way for economic policies (free enterprise capitalism) because it delivers the best results. Not promising equality of outcome but equality of opportunity. It is the proper social behavior that leads to a better and happier life for our selves and our family. Conservatism works every time it is tried.

Noticed I did not divide the millennials by race, gender, or economic status. The policies and principles of conservatism apply equally to all people and benefits all people.

Conservatives are not opposed to change. They just believe that change must come slowly and via prescribed Constitutional process by way of Amendments. Change is an evolutionary process rather than by judicial fiat or by revolution.

In order to know what is going on, you need to keep an eye on the news and read. We are the only species that has the capability to pass on our collective knowledge, That is why we have libraries and museums. It is a record of our history and our past. It is important that we learn from our history and not repeat the mistakes of the past.

I don't want you to take my word for it. I want you to look and research for yourself. That's the only way you can learn and comprehend and see through the clutter. There is a lot of disinformation on the web. They are there by design. Many groups have their hidden agenda. They use front groups to mislead and to confuse. The good news is that their is an absolute truth. If you take the time to search for it.

To all the millennials, even if you don't buy into some of what I'm saying in this hub, you can take the following free advice. These are simple ideas that will make your life better and easier. These are the things that you should have learned in school. You will thank me later.

• Keep your debt at a minimum. Always pay off your credit card balance every month.
• Don't do drugs (even when pot is legalized in your State)
• Take full advantage of your 401K plan at work.
• Learn to use common tools and to perform some basic repairs.
• Do some volunteer work - it will give you a purpose and enhance your self esteem.
• Stay close to your family. They are your lifeline and support.
• Be an informed voter.
• Minimize your social media activities.
• Keep a balanced life - work, family, leisure...
• Eat healthy and exercise daily.

I try to lay out the case for a conservative approach to life. I am targeting millennials in particular because they are our future. They are the one's that will be bearing the load in the coming years. Our country is at a tipping point. America can go in the direction of Greece or be the great country she were destined to be. Please take the time to consider the items I discussed here. I hate for you to wake up years down the road and wonder - what the heck happened?

Steve Backley, who wrote "The Champion in All of Us" said the following. “There are three types of people in this world. Firstly, there are people who make things happen. Then there are people who watch things happen. Lastly, there are people who ask, what happened? Which do you want to be?”