The East Bay Young Democrats and the Action Caucus are hosting a
panel discussion by Markos and other young progressive leaders on February 16th in downtown Oakland.
Here's why:
Last week, youth and students suffered a devastating political blow.
The budget reconciliation bill cut funding for a host of social programs, but student loans were by far the biggest target, with $12 billion making up about a third of the overall cuts. As of July 1st, student loans will have a fixed 6.8% interest rate, and borrowers will lose their right to opt for a repayment structure based on their income, as well as the right to reconsolidate loans at lower rates.
Why did young people get so
royally screwed? Because we are not organized enough, we do not vote enough, and most of us do not think of our personal problems (like student debt, the high cost of living, and an increasingly crappy job market even for college graduates) in political terms.
Sallie Mae, on the other hand, is the biggest single donor to
John Boehner, the new majority leader and head of the House Education and Workforce Committee. They know their interests are political, and they protect those interests directly.
It's time for youth to recognize that
we are getting sacrificed to more wealthy, organized interests, and to do something about it. And it's time for the Democratic Party to back us up.
There are some great groups leading up this fight: The
PIRGs and the
United States Students Association have been fighting tooth and nail on the student loan budget cuts since the beginning. The
College Democrats of America have been fighting, too. But there are also big pieces missing from this coalition for higher education, and the fact that this bill passed with only scattered and isolated voices raised in opposition shows how fractured the progressive youth movement is.
I'm the president of the East Bay Young Democrats, and I'm working to make my club part of the solution. We need a stronger, better organized and bolder progressive youth movement, especially in the Bay Area. We're having a panel to discuss how young adults can realize our political power, and after that, we are getting to work.
The panel will feature Daily Kos's own Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, Hallie Montoya Tansey from the
League of Pissed Off Voters, Liz Geyer, the head of the
UC Students Association, and others. It will be in Oakland on Thursday Feb. 16, and it is open to all. Click
here to learn more.