American politics are a joke I despise the principle of "vote blue no matter who" but like what options do you even have. You could vote Republicans, whose views are "kill everyone I don't like and let the country burn into a trash pit for 99% of the population," the Democrats, whose views are "Let's call the GOP meanies on Twitter and then do literally nothing (or help them achieve their goals and lie about it) for the next 4 years," or independents, who will literally never win jack fuck because if you don't appeal to one of the two big parties then nobody cares except for a few fringe leftists (and libertarians, I guess). American politics in the public sphere is less "let's vote for a candidate we actually like and think will make the country a better place" and more "let's vote for the Red or the Blue guy who has the more Loud Words that I can slap on the back of my truck"

A rant/essay from a Facebook friend. (LONG post ahead)

Since the depression, every generation has had to work more and more to get by. In the 50's and early 60's, a family could easily survive on a single income. By the 70's it was almost standard that if you weren't in the higher tax brackets, both parents had to work. By the 80's (because of the 'new' financial difficulties of the late 70's, and people relying more and more on credit), most people had debt, and two incomes barely covered it. Debt went NUTS in the 80's, mostly because capitalism was HUGE then because of Reagan. There were all these things that quickly went from a 'luxury' to a necessity, like home phone, cable, and multiple cars. By the 90's, the wage gap that sprouted in the 70's and flourished in the 80's had come to be a way of life. People had tens of thousands in debt, the population was growing faster than ever before, and people depended more and more on government assistance. The Clinton era saw tax breaks for the middle class, better less expensive healthcare, more readily available medicaid, and people were finally starting to get on their feet as a nation (Clinton left us [National debt] in the black for the first time in decades). Then Dubya happened. Or, outright stole the election, I should say. He took away most of what was helping people become self sufficient, raised taxes on the middle class, and simultaneously gave huge tax breaks to the wealthy and corporations. He was able to make it seem acceptable because of the influx of tech wealth. Cost of living grew much faster than the average wages, and he put us right back to where we were before the Clinton era in two years. He managed to destroy 8 years of progress with two years of greed plus two wars he put on an imaginary credit card in attempt to make himself a hero. Then Obama took office. What he did in his 8 years was to get us a deficit again, raise wages (as much as he could) and give us affordable healthcare. Unfortunately, because he was black (and also progressive, but mostly because he's black), republicans openly blocked him and fought him every step of the way. 

Funny enough, one of the main reasons that was able to happen, is up until this past presidential election, people under 30 (millennials) didn't bother to vote. The older republicans who had been duped into believing the scare tactics from the Dubya years came out in full force, while younger progressives couldn't be bothered to vote in local elections. Starting around 2000, America had record lows of young voters, and this allowed republicans to gain a strangle hold on the government. The Tea party gained traction. A black, progressive president was new, and people are generally fearful of anything new. Because of the non-progress spurred on by Dubya and then the obstructionism of the right through the Obama administration, not only did republicans gain power, but millennials (who were finally having to live on their own) were faces with an even larger wage gap (as every generation before then has been) and took to the new format of social media to complain. STILL numbers of voters in that age group were pitifully low, but the small percentage that did vote often voted for 3rd party candidates or worse, Tea Party/republican candidates, because all they knew is they wanted change that they weren't seeing. 

Then came the 2016 presidential election. Social media (created largely by baby boomers, btw) allowed them to feel more engaged with less effort. They finally started becoming more involved (though small and local elections still saw little to no rise in young voters), and they blindly glommed on to the 3rd party candidates again, who this time used the same social media platforms millennials were dependant on to spread their message of "change", without giving any solid solutions as to how to attain it. Social media also allowed conservatives, the right, and outside forces (looking at you Russia) to push a false narrative about the only major candidate that could actually enact change and continue Obama hard won achievements. Most of the "oligarchy" argument as well as the other blatant lies that were spreading around like wildfire have been proven time and again to have originated on the right.

Unfortunately, now more than ever (thanks again to social media) younger people determined that they wanted to be" different" and "anti-establishment", ironically by throwing their support behind a 30 plus year career politician. They're a generation who saw that collective online organization could affect real life change through petitions and threats... so instead of working together to improve the only progressive candidate's platform that had a chance of winning, they chose to hold the election hostage. Now, this is not speculatory, they openly did so with the "Bernie or Bust" malarkey. Bernie, having a long track record of attention whoring, helped to amp up the growing unrest, and instead of directing at the right (who got us into this mess in the first place) he falsely directed it at Hillary in attempt to be remembered for more than collecting a government paycheck and to bolster his own ego. He had zero solutions, and zero practical experience, but millennials en masse bought into his empty promises. Because of that divide, and people claiming 'political purity' by voting for Stein, writing in Sanders, or simply not voting as a protest (if not voting for Trump to "teach people people a lesson"), Trump won. The exit polls showed as much. 

Trump has shown in his time so far that we're not only heading back to pre-Clinton era tax disparity, but that the wage gap will only increase, this time with fewer routes of government assistance. So, no, it wasn't baby boomers who caused it. They aren't too blame. The blame lies squarely on the shoulders of Republicans, millennials who only vote when it's "exciting" if at all, and the conservative/right/outside forces that pushed the narrative that Dems and Liberals were ineffective in achieving nationally benefitial goals. If you look back at American political history, it's been the same story over and over again. People want change (but only to benefit themselves) some vote for a candidate to achieve that change, usually the 'outraged' right. A republican wins, digs us deeper and deeper into debt, causes the cost of living to increase, and (in recent history, 80's to now) seem to TRY to get us in a war. People again want change, then some people vote, usually for a Dem, and change for the better starts happening. The original group of voters (Reps) get mad because their taxes (that they would have paid anyhow) start going to programs designed to feed, house, and give medical coverage to those in need (they like to call them moochers), and the current group (Dems) get mad because they aren't seeing change occur FAST ENOUGH. So again people start voting for change, ANY kind of change, and we end up with another republican in office, starting the whole process over again. This time it was almost different. If all the people who claimed to want progressive improvement had actually voted for the candidate that would've won (and technically DID win by thousands of votes) in a few years we would have had better wages, a less expensive housing market, and probably universal health care. Hillary ran on increasing minimum wage to $12 then increasing it incrementally over the next 4-6 years, and free college for most degrees within 2 -4 years (both of which she had a well thought out achievable plan for) Yet younger voters wanted $15 and free college NOW, and supported the guy who promised them that with no actual plan to achieve it. (I believe his actual words were 'we'll figure it out when it comes time'). 

Millennials aren't the first generation made to struggle. Far from it. The only reason it seems like it's so much worse than it used to be (aside from the ever increasing wage gap born of the back and forth of political parties elected by impatient voters) is that what's considered to be necessity now was luxury a decade and a half ago. People expect to have fast internet, cable (or online viewing services), newer cars (made more expensive by republicans making eco-friendly vehicles more expensive to buy and own), central heat and air, roomier/updated housing, "organic"/gluten-free/"GMO free food (that's costs 50-75% MORE than traditional food w/zero added benefits), and hell, even gourmet coffee. In 1998, if you paid $8 a DAY for a single coffee drink you did so because you were rich. Now people expect to be able to afford it. The cost of living is growing higher and higher because people just EXPECT to have things that 1)aren't really necessary (think a new car every few years, fancy pod coffee machines, all of the over priced food that's basically snake oil, freaking lipstick that's $60 a tube, etc) and 2) people who don't vote allow politicians who are actively working against them to gain or stay in office. So, yeah, baby boomers are in the same boat. A lot of them were fortunate enough to have been able to save money back during the Clinton era, but it was much harder for them then it was for their parents. The money they would've been able to live on then runs out exponentially faster today. They, too, have to go without healthcare (although thanks to the Clinton era boom and the Social Security they paid into then they have a little more to work with. 

Also, if you're working 3 jobs, they're probably minimum wage, less than 30 hours a week jobs. While the job market isn't great (it also has declined due to republican tax breaks and the population growth), people can still find full time jobs that pay more. A small investment in practical/ technical education (like auto repair, forklift operation, dental assistant, etc) or even the willingness to do manual labor (cities are constantly searching for workers (even with zero experience) to lay roads, collect garbage, etc. And those are good paying full time jobs. A friend of mine, with no experience, got a job working in distribution. It's physical labor so they're still looking for workers as people don't want to do strenuous activity to get a paycheck. In less than a year, he's gotten full insurance, and went from the $12 per hour he started at to $16 per hour with time and a half for (frequently available) overtime. In Texas alone there's thousands of great paying jobs that people just ignore because it's physical labor and/or outside work. I know of at least three millennials personally who turned down full time jobs because they were tough. THAT'S where the disconnect happens between older generations and millennials. Older generations actually did the jobs millennials (who grew up in a somewhat pampered tech rich world) don't want to do. THAT'S why older generations expect millennials to 'work harder', because THEY DID. Older generations see that millennials want the pay for tougher jobs without doing the tougher job, and they (pretty rightfully) don't think they deserve it. Should minimum wage be higher? Hell yes. Should a person be able to work 30 hours a week and have all the things the generations before them worked 60-80 hours at a full time job for? No. A single full time job can (and often does) pay as much if not more than 3 part time jobs. It just takes a stronger work ethic, the willingness to actually work a harder job, and the ability to not assume you should have all the things that you could do without. I have absolutely zero sympathy for someone spending $8 for a coffee everyday, $6 for a sack of "organic" oranges, and $20 a month for each online viewing service, only to bitch that they can't save money. Keeping up with the neighbors doesn't get you where hard work and frugality will.

Another side note: Millennials tend to be a bit more gullible when it comes to snake oil fixes for things. 99% of the people I've seen pushing "essential oils" and "cleanses" to cure things are millennials. Someone I used to be friends with on here bought into the "organic/GMO free/ gluten-free" BS, paid way too much for "holistic / naturpathic medicine" (read sugar pills), "healing crystals" and also $120 eyeshadow palettes/frequently changing their hair color at $75-150 a time/$30 "vegan" body wash used to complain about it being so hard to make it every month, and -while still spending ridiculous amounts on pseudoscience and overpriced luxury beauty items- frequently asked for financial help. They seem to feel they "need" these things and that they're "saving the world" through buying expensive personal products that they think are eco-friendly that really aren't. You'd think a generation that grew up having educational resources like the Internet would be smarter, but they generally don't seem to be. It's really sad that instead of using their portal to infinite knowledge, they want information spoon fed to them in memes and sensationalistic sound bites.

Not to continue on my rant/essay but... it should also be noted that with every advancement in history comes a higher cost of living. That's just a fact of life. People were pissed when they had to pay more for a bottle of milk when pasteurization became the norm because it saved lives. People were pissed when safety standards made meat cost more. People were pissed that Internet service became more expensive when they switched to fibre technology instead of modems. Every improvement comes with cost. It's how it's been since the beginning of time, and that's without modern capitalism. You can't expect the technology of tomorrow with the expense of yesterday.

ME: True, but it seems increasingly like the rich are just hoarding their wealth, and not giving enough of it back to the people (wage increases, charity funding, etc.), not to mention that politics really isn't helping this much (seriously, the GOP's mindset seems to be 'work until the day you die' - that Georgia senator that said she opposes a livable wage is a prime example), and I'm just wondering how long until capitalism implodes due to it's own hubris.

MY FRIEND: And that's why it's so important for millennials to actually get out and vote instead of handing over a list of demands and expecting it right now. Change takes time and work, and the only thing the 1%ers and the GOP are working for is to line their own pockets. You can't dig your heels in and refuse to vote for the betterment of all Americans just because you don't get your (falsely promised) instant gratification. Plus, political change starts at the local level. Until younger voters start actually giving a damn about REAL politics instead trendy meme worthy politics, we'll stay treading water if not sinking outright.