Generational Theft: How the Washington Political Establishment Is Robbing Millennials of Opportunity

"We cannot do everything at once, but we can do something at once." — Calvin Coolidge

"Generational theft," it’s a harsh term but it’s true. Every day, millions of Americans for paying into systems they will never see a return in, never utilize, never receive even adequate service from. Even worse, millions of people are paying into programs they don’t want to participate in. The disheartening piece of the matter is that we aren’t paying taxes simply to fund unpopular federal programs, we are paying taxes simply to pay off the interest and debt, hoping that one day we can start paying off what needed to be paid for in the first place.

What have we done to ourselves? The better question at hand is what did our parents’ generation do to help get us here, and how does this affect the future of our posterity? Generational theft is not simply one generation of Americans who stole from another, it’s the permanent enslavement to the debt we place on future generations who will inherit an inconceivable toll upon their entrance into the world.

From March 11-13, FreedomWorks brought down 20 millennials to educate them on the incredible burden their generation is facing. Brought face to face with prominent figures such as economist Stephen Moore, activist and FreedomWorks fellow Rev. CL Bryant, Marty Cummins of the Free Marketeers, John Goodman of the Goodman Institute, and even Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), the group of students and recent grads were given a crash course of the current state of America’s financial debacle. From Medicare to Social Security and ObamaCare, the group was informed in detail how these socialist institutions were conceived, how we got to where we are, and what can happen if the next generation of American’s took action to save the republic.

The group of millennials ranged from high school seniors to those finishing off grad school. From bloggers, student activists, candidates for state office to regular students with a passion for the political process, the group of young people brought in a wide range of opinions, worldviews, and thoughts on the important matters of the day.

On top of the excellent guest speakers, the group also had VIP access to the entire FreePAC event in Cincinnati, where they got to go back stage and meet conservative figures such as Andrew Wilkow and Brent Bozell. The weekend ended with a group discussion on how to market key principles such as free enterprise, private property, and above all liberty, to a generation enticed by progressive coercion and false promises.

FreedomWorks would like to thank the Generational Theft attendees for taking time from work, classes, and spring break to discuss, learn, and engage in a discussion that could ultimately shape the course of American history for a better tomorrow.