ome commentators welcome, rather than fear, the decline in turnout rates in America. If people do not vote, they say, citizens must be satisfied with the government. There is certain logic to this view, because if nonvoters were extremely disgruntled with our leaders, they would undoubtedly take some take some political action. However, to argue that nonvoters are content with government just because they aren’t actively opposing it stretches the logic too far. When the 1996 National Election Study asked people to rate their satisfaction with how democracy works in the United States, nonvoters were less positive than voters were. Furthermore, young people were more than twice as likely as senior citizens to be dissatisfied with American democracy.Why should young adults be satisfied with government, given how few benefits we receive from it in comparison with our grandparents? But until we start showing up in greater numbers at the polls, there will be little incentive for politicians to focus on programs that will help us. Why should politicians worry about nonvoters any more than the rap industry would target people like out grandparents? It is probably more than coincidental that Clinton’s two most visible policy failures—the 1993 economic-stimulus package and the 1994 effort to establish universal health care—had their strongest backing from people who were not even registered to vote.The political apathy amongst 20-somethings is truly sad. Maybe the boomers are correct in calling us superficial, stupid, lazy, and amoral. After all, it’s not long until this country will be solely in the hands of Generation Xers, and honestly I am afraid when that day comes. Would you hand over the future of a country to people who are on the whole more interested in watching MTV and playing Sega rather than taking time to vote or even educate themselves about the issues that are facing the country everyday? I would...
