Young Voter Turnout

December 7, 2022 Crosscut

Yet again, turnout was lowest among WA’s young voters. Why?
Less than 40% of people aged 18-24 voted in the 2022 midterm election. Some say it’s because of disempowerment rather than apathy.

Elementary School Teachers

Some families avoid discussing politics.

What about school teachers? Do they have a part in teaching students about government structure and the honest role of the US Armed Forces?

Each November, school teachers across America host Veterans Day assemblies– and promote the idea to children that The Troops are in distant lands-fighting for American rights and freedoms-as if the US Armed Forces function as some sort of giant civil rights organization.

In Washington State, these assemblies are mandatory.

The VA tells teachers that The Troops are Defending Liberty and Freedom.

Possible reasons for low turnout:

Elementary students grow up and enter the adult world to find out that both major political parties are now OK with treating 18-20 year old adults as second-class citizens.

Alcohol, marijuana, tobacco and firearms restrictions are in place for 18-20 year old adults. Is there any state where recreational marijuana laws remove prohibition for adults at age 18?

Doesn’t seem to fit with a society that can’t stop bragging about freedom, thanking the troops for freedoms, fighting wars for freedoms, staging military jet flyovers at sporting events for freedom, etc.

Certainly, Americans do not live in a free and honest society.

Growing up in the 60s & 70s- veterans were all around- church, school, Boy Scout leaders, family, the neighborhood, etc. It was all just an average thing. These folks weren’t seen as a separate part of American society.

People weren’t stepping over to say “Thanks for your service” to my Dad- who did time in the Navy in the 50s- but looked just like anyone else out in public.

These guys weren’t lining up for free dinner promotions marketed by major restaurant chains.

They weren’t looking for head of the line parking spots over at the grocery store.

In the 60s & 70s I never attended a Veterans Day assembly at school.

There were none.

Probably enough veterans around to remove most of the mystique, or maybe those veterans thought it was all just an average thing and did not want to be seen as a separate part of American society, or get priority parking spots over at the grocery store.

Love to see a student ask: If The Troops fight for your right to sit, stand, kneel, etc.-why were black people still riding at the back of the bus after the big WWII victory?

Love to see a student ask: If the wars aren’t won-how can they protect our freedom?

Love to see a student ask: Whatever happened to lessons about Armistice Day?

Hey school teachers,

Whatever happened to the formal congressional declaration of war?

This would be the time to hear from elected leaders and top generals Re: lessons learned on all the issues that have doomed the Department of Defense track record for winning wars since DOD was established in 1949.

Not here to say that most of what the Dept. of Defense touches turns to crap, but, if DOD was an NFL team, sports talk radio would feature comments like:

The Dept. of Defense was nowhere to be found on 911. We haven’t won a war since.

It feels like the people who run the Pentagon specialize in undeclared/unwon wars.

Top generals and politicians have a recruiting crisis on their hands. They will blame young people who are overweight. They will not blame a DOD brand that is known for decades of undeclared/unwon wars.

When do we get to vote our way out of undeclared/unwon wars?

Marketing Partnership Update

We are the very best at militarized pageantry for pro sports events.

TV newspeople perform like paid actors reading a script.

Newspeople play the role of federal public affairs staff as authorities prepare for the Super Bowl.

Sorry, no time for newspeople to ask:

Did the advantage of US air power allow the undeclared wars in Iraq or Afghanistan to be prevented, won or shut down?