There has been a growing concern expressed about the need to attract the “Bernie” vote which was comprised of progressives of all ages but also a large number of Millennials and GenZ voters. But while the party faithful were able to put Biden in the “presumptive” nominee slot, it did so without really identifying the issues that attracted the majority of the youth voters to his platform.
As a “Boomer” my education into the motivations of the Bernie crowd was through detailed conversations with son who has been a progressive and Bernie supporter since 2015. He is adamantly opposed to Biden and believes Biden will not see the support of Bernie supports until he makes major changes in his stance on issues that the Greatest Generation and Boomers don’t seem to comprehend.
It’s not enough to have a rational that you MUST vote for Biden because … he’s not Trump. To a number of the Bernie voters, there is no difference in the impact Biden brings if it doesn’t address the issues seriously impacting those younger than Millennials and the majority of the Millennials with the strong support of the Democratic Party.
1.) Livable wages.
Millennials and Gen Z have noticed the growing disconnect between the value of work effort and salary associated with that effort. There needs to be a federal requirement that employers pay a livable wage that insures working individuals earn enough to cover housing and all the associated costs with being alive (utilities, food, medical care, transportation, etc.). The expectation that individuals work 2 or 3 jobs to meet their basic needs is outdated, morally inexcusable and was never historically, the expectation of society.
2.) The manipulation of the salary and benefits by corporations and many employers to avoid employee benefits.
A majority of corporations and businesses have manipulated their work structure to eliminate as many full-time employees as possible. This allows them to withhold employee benefits such as vacation time, medical insurance, sick leave and maybe even profit sharing and wage/salary increases.
For example, as a former CVS employee (part time of course), I learned that CVS has a corporate policy that no one that is part time can work over 32 hours a week because they might be eligible for benefits. Even if the store is seriously under-staffed, managers can draw the attention (and employment discussions) if part time employees start working over the 32-hour benchmark. BUT, because many stores are understaffed. CVS managers routinely schedule employees to work up to 30 hours a week to provide sufficient staffing for the stores needs. The trick that corporate uses is the benefits are “pro-rated” based on an employee working a FULL YEAR at, or above, the 32 hours a week. This means, no time off for any reason for a year. One missed day or any time off and the entire effort collapses. That’s their plan.
Businesses should be allowed to manipulate the workforce to shift the responsibility of its operation to part-time employees to avoid provision of benefits, especially healthcare.
3.) Medical care. Please notice I did NOT say insurance. This generation realizes the entire “insurance” market/medical care field is a game employer’s, established medical interests, and politicians use to dupe citizens into accepting less than acceptable medical access and care for every citizen.
The fact is ACA helped the everyday low-income American who did not have access to health care possibly obtain insurance. People with income limitations even had assistance with premium payments. But INSURANCE is NOT care. What is never discussed is the COST of that care even with insurance. Low income citizens had access to help with premium payments but they also had routine deductibles of $5,000 to $6,000 – or more – for services other than basic doctor office visits and legally mandatory services. Under the ACA, the poor and near poor were still unable to afford being really sick, hospitalizations or obtaining necessary medical care without a serious impact to their financial abilities.
It will be telling the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations that insurance companies deny payment or the number of bankruptcies that occur when all the dust settles from pandemic the true benefit of the policies written under the ACA for the poor or near poor.
4.) Educational costs and benefits that come with it.
“If you expect a decent job, go to college.” That was mantra if the Greatest Generation and Boomers. Higher education equaled a decent job, a decent salary and the ability to purchase a house and meet your financial obligations. Back in the day, it was basically true.
Yhe US has disengaged educational achievement from employment benefits, and sometimes of job itself. America has made the price of a higher education something that mandatorily requires debt, sometimes massive debt. If an individual wants to enter the field of teaching or desires a profession that requires a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree, they can expect a debt load of about $50,00.
According to an article from USNEWS.com, What You Need to Know About College Tuition Costs,
“Among ranked National Universities, the average cost of tuition and fees for the 2019–2020 school year was $41,426 at private colleges, $11,260 for state residents at public colleges and $27,120 for out-of-state students at state schools, according to data reported to U.S. News in an annual survey. https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/what-you-need-to-know-about-college-tuition-costs
We need to the debt that families face when addressing the higher educational needs and training of tomorrow’s workforce. No one should be expected to choose between A) a college education and debt that will last most of their lives and require them to live at home until they are in their 30’s or B) stop at High School and see what happens with your dreams and future.
5.) Not being killed in school, a mall or anywhere else by a random shooter.
This is a no brainer…except any discussion of changes to the current status of firearm legislation immediately raises the “they are going to take your guns” shouts from the Republican party and the far-right (who really want those guns) and is a rally point for the Trump supporters.
5.) Tara Reade. This is a poison from a self-inflicted wound. While Biden stay silent and his supporters deny the facts presented by the Reade, the very issue goes to the heart of this generation. Every party spins the facts to suit their viewpoint and narrative. Trump supports (and Trump himself) deny the claims of his accusers. Really, what is the difference?
Biden and the Democratic Party need to address the real issues of the youth and not dilute the seriousness or what is necessary to correct the damage done by years of allowing the current politics of our country.
Another Pinterest statement...study and think hard about what they are saying:
