Washington, DC (PRWEB) January 24, 2012
Generation Opportunity today said that while young Americans are being courted and encouraged by the White House to listen to the State of the Union address this evening and to pose questions to administration officials through social media, young adults and their friends will actually be listening more closely for what represents either a true change of course or more rhetoric in defense of the status quo. After being unfairly and negatively impacted by 35 consecutive months of a national unemployment rate that is above 8 percent, young adults are very dissatisfied with leadership in Washington, the direction of the country, and policies that have put them at a disadvantage due to the resulting lack of economic opportunities.
Tonight, young Americans will be listening for a substantive, immediate change of course for America. While they invested heavily in the promises and hope this President offered them in 2008, the reality is that the results do not match the rhetoric.
Promises of expanded opportunity have instead ushered in record levels of opportunity denied historic levels of government involvement in the private sector are denying millions of young Americans the opportunity to access the private sector through jobs, denying them skills and paychecks, denying them the promise of the future, and denying the country the benefit of their creativity and talent, said Paul T. Conway, president of Generation Opportunity and former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Department of Labor.
It is not fair that over 3 in 4 Millennials now say they have or must delay their dreams and plans for the future due to the dire state of the economy. They are not interested in more rhetoric and long speeches. This generation cannot wait any longer. They are experiencing first-hand the results of failed leadership and policy to them, the impact on their lives and futures is real and not simply a talking point or statistic.
Nearly half of young Americans ages 18-29 are unsatisfied with their current level of employment, just 31% approve of President Obamas handling of youth unemployment, and an overwhelming 69% say the current leadership in Washington fails to reflect the interests of the younger generation according to Generation Opportunitys national poll of Millennials (Commissioned by Generation Opportunity with the polling company Inc./Woman Trend, April 16-22, 2011, +/-4% Margin of Error) and reinforced by subsequent polls by other non-partisan organizations such as the Harvard Institute of Politics (IOP).
Millennials: Washington is Out of Touch
