Millennial apathy
TO THE EDITOR:
Midterm elections are only a few weeks away and I would be surprised if most students knew who was on the ballot.
The millennial generation has earned a bad reputation for being uninterested and uninvolved in politics and public service – I think that reputation misses the point.
The policies and laws passed today have a greater effect on us than on those who pass them. Sometimes it feels like the people in power today don’t get that.
Students need legislators who fight for our schools and universities to have more funding. We need legislators who advocate better and fairer options for student loan repayment – Including lower interest rates. Students need legislators who work to create good paying jobs upon graduation – jobs with equal pay for equal work.
We all need legislators who pledge to preserve a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions without consulting her boss or congressman. Students need legislators who will protect our state’s natural resources and ensure that we will have clean air and water in fifty years.
In short, maybe our generation seems uninterested because no one running for office seems to care about what we need. I believed this too – until I met Bryan Mielke. He gets it. Mielke understands that it is young people who are often saddled with the lasting consequences of today’s bad decisions. Mielke wants to hear from students, wants to fight for what we need, and most importantly, he wants students to show up and make a difference on election day.
Kelsey Heck
McBain, CMU alumnus
