Gen Z and Millennials will make up 60% of the votes in upcoming elections. The successful leaders will have done the work and articulated the principles that motivate this up-and-coming group. The old platitudes will not work. Neither will the old political parties…
They reject the petulant baby-boomers vitriol and want answers to hard questions. These are the same questions every generation asks. Its just gotten very real for this generation and they want workable answers. Not platitudes.
The excesses of past generations have finally come home to roost. The national debt crushes the younger generation’s ability to afford a home. Excessive federal spending on pipe dreams, like renewable energy, have robbed this generation of a reasonable life style or career.
They want a strong, vibrant, free-market economy because they can work hard and smart and get ahead on their own efforts. They don’t want anything handed to me because it weakens their spirit.
They are tired of people who always kick the can down the road and say: “let’s have a new government program to fix the problem.” Well, the movers and shakers of this generation see through that nonsense.
They’ve seen the Federal Reserve destroy the buying power of their dollars. By allowing inflation to cut into the buying power (dollar devaluation) of their money.
They’ve seen a morally corrupt education system promise everything and deliver nothing. It’s become a system that tells what to think, instead of teaching students how to think.
They’ve seen a welfare and entitlement system create generations of despondent victims unable to break the bonds of a government handout.
They see their government hiring and paying bureaucrats at their expense, while they suffer under student loan debt and are unable to afford a starter house.
They’ve seen their taxes and fees go through the roof, but all this government spending is going to someone that didn’t earn the money.
They’d like to keep more of what they earned.
They are intrigued by Tribalism because early on it resembles Patriotism. But later, they see its danger. Tribalism leads to the tyranny of the majority over the minority, just like the concept of democracy.
They are tolerant of differing lifestyles and different ideas. They respect your religious beliefs, but draw the line at anyone telling them what to think and what to believe.
They respect the various religious beliefs others hold, but demand their inalienable right to think for themselves. They respond to enlightenment, but reject any form of dictate, guilt or coercion.
These generations are not monolithic, but highly diverse. One group says that capitalism has failed and its time to try a new way, like socialism. The other group says capitalism has been thwarted at every turn by a federal bureaucracy mad with its own importance. They want a free-of-government- interference-markets. They want true capitalism and truly free markets in which they decide, not some bureaucrat.
Gen Z and Millennials will, and are, getting their turn at the wheel of life. I only hope they will learn from our efforts and clearly see the path ahead.
Jay Davidson is founder and CEO of a commercial bank, a student of the Austrian School of Economics and a dedicated capitalist. There is a direct connection between individual right and responsibility, our Constitution, capitalism, and the intent of our Creator.