My generation has a huge battle ahead of it.

Hey everyone. Awhile back I somewhat introduced myself on a thread as a politically active 17 year old, who, with pretty much everyone else my age and near it, has all the reason to be concerned with the current affairs of our nation. And why not?

We have a political party who has financially ruined our country, turning a Clinton surplus into a massive debt of over 10 trillion dollars, the result of economic mismanagement ranging from cutting taxes on those who had absolutely no need for them and would not do anything with them for the average American to having two unpaid, illegal wars, leaving our generation with the bills, and the last one having more than financial implications.

We have a political party who has announced that "corporations are people", and have aided them in shipping millions of American jobs overseas, jobs our generation severely need, all for the sake of maximizing profits and escaping their duty as technical citizens in paying taxes.

A party whose politicians have engineered the eroding of our Constitution by passing bills such as the Patriot Act, expanding "free speech zones", trying to suppress the vote of citizens by whatever means necessary, attempting to censor the internet and generally viciously attacking anyone who does not parrot their hateful, divisive party line slandering them as communists, fascists, and the like.

Education is clearly not a priority, as perhaps best illustrated by the Texas GOP, which has taken a stand against the horrors of "critical thinking". They favor blocking the teaching of relevant subject material such as evolution, and substituting in its place the completely unscientific alternative of creationism, a symptom of the the pervasive ignorance that ails the party. Let's cut funding while we're at it, we don't need more educated young Americans.

Health care is a privilege, not a right to these people. As long as they can provide for themselves and their families thanks to their own taxpayer-subsidized health care and the millions they make in their own private corrupt bargains, the rest can simply become bankrupt thanks to an illness, disease or condition that they had no desire to contract, maybe even die off in the process. Even better to them, as it reduces the surplus population. I know many young people whose families have suffered because of this. The rest of the industrialized, civilized, if I may, world recognizes the opposite. Why do we continue to the point in the direction of callousness and moral irresponsibility in the face of overwhelming evidence?

They have begun to wage a war on just about every group who is not like them. Women (particularly in these past few days), ethnic minorities, LGBT, the middle class, the poor, the elderly, and everyone else are not safe from their onslaught of stupidity, benightedness, and sheer insanity.

Of course, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Their foreign policy is more or less unchecked "freedom building", being the world police (anything to justify the massive defense budget and the military-industrial complex), and throwing a healthy amount of disrespect at our allies for good measure. Global warming is a liberal hoax, the environment is our playground. To paralyze an entire nation by obstructing progress simply to spite the "liberal muslim marxist" president and attempt to relegate him to one term
is acceptable. The list goes on and on.

The Republican Party is this nation's very own modern domestic threat, which is why you, the adults of today, must do all you can to stave off their incessant threat to bring us back to the age long gone of barbaric simplicity and backwardness. But for the future, I have a few bright spots for my generation.

We are young, energetic and full of life. Perhaps as many of you remember in your own youth, we have plenty of idealism and optimism for the future, in spite of the massive challenges we face.

We are the most tolerant generation to date. While bigots certainly and unfortunately exist, for the most part we see each other as what we truly are: fellow Americans. As each succeeding generation dies out and the ignorance they carry goes out with them, this bright spot will only increase.

We are what many consider the technology savvy generation. We are the direct recipients of the massive proliferation of technology, and its incredible advances from the past few decades, all the way to right now. This is what will potentially make or break this generation. If we can somehow harness this massive force for good, from the disseminating of information for education all the way to using it to provide jobs, we can thrive in the future.

Yes, our generation has its problems. Things such as broken families and alcohol and drug abuse are two problems that come to mind. But then again, which generation hasn't had its own obstacles? I believe that if my generation works together to achieve the original promise laid down in the Constitution, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and to work for the betterment of all Americans, it is no exaggeration to say that America's brightest days are still ahead. We are young, we are ambitious, and we love our country and its people. We love the values that it represents, freedom and justice for all, and the belief that with one's sweat and blood, one can prosper. We have faith in the belief that we Americans are forever united as one in the face of adversity, and while that concept may seem more remote in the realities of today, there is no reason why this belief can't be true in the future. In the legendary words of our President, "there is not a liberal America and a conservative America, there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America, there’s the United States of America."

And we, ladies and gentlemen, are Americans, together in this fight. Thank you.

EDIT: I am truly humbled and in awe by all your responses, and can't thank each and everyone of you enough. It's my hope that both our generations can someday join hands and work together to keep this nation progressing forward, not backwards. Thanks to you all again.