I just caught a little bit of Good Morning America's coverage from Iowa and had to switch to Noggin (for my toddler and for my sanity). Chris Cuomo was seated with what was obviously a cherry picked group who had very different views on how to pick a president. The one that really got to me was the young woman.
They went around the table and said who they were supporting. The one man who sounded most intelligent and informed said he was undecided. The young woman said she was supporting Obama. Stating that she supported Obama isn't what disturbed me, it was her reasoning. When asked about the issues near and dear to their hearts, the young woman said health care. Fine, that's a big one that many are concerned about. But here's the first disturbing part, she just doesn't want to pay for it!
She described herself as a young woman who isn't in college and isn't covered by her parents. She doesn't want to get married just to be covered and she doesn't want a job just to be covered. She, in her own words, just doesn't want to pay for it and none of the candidates are addressing people like her.
Ah yes, her people. The young, lazy, selfish, unthinking masses who want the "government" to take care of them because "they just don't want to". Yikes! But I'm sure she's far from alone on this sentiment.
Here's the kicker though. When asked why she's picked Obama, she said it would be really cool to have a minority president and noone is talking about that either. Maybe because it's racist and insane to pick the leader of the free world based on skin color!!
This young, air headed, confident, self involved young person embodies my biggest fears about our country. Too many of our young people are not thinking in reality. They are thinking in idealism. It's all about what would be "cool" and what they want from the government. No thought behind who will then pay. Where will the money come from to pay for the things they don't want to work to pay for?
God help us!