kellyjay's blog

As the Senate prepares to follow the lead set by the House of Representatives and tackle global warming through a comprehensive climate change bill, a new poll shows young voters are united behind this action, no matter their party affliation.

The poll, released by the Clean Energy Works Campaign, campaign shows that 68% of those polled say "investing in renewable energy to create new jobs" should be an important priority for their Senator to address and 69% say they would be more likely to re-elect their Senator if he or she votes for the bill.

"Poll after poll shows that the American public strongly backs comprehensive clean energy legislation," said Maura Cowley, Clean Energy Works campaign youth coordinator in a press release. "This latest poll shows that America's youth—regardless of their party affiliation—stand strongly behind the president's clean energy agenda and are now looking to Congress for urgent action. It's time for the Senate to act on a clean energy and climate plan that delivers more jobs, less pollution, and greater security."

Click here to write to your senators today and encourage them to pass comprehensive climate change legislation this year!

Also, check out this new website to see just exactly what is at stake for our generation and how you can take action!

“This isn’t a wait until we grow up kind of thing. Our country needs our leadership now.”

On July 8, I had the privilege of attending the Campus Progress National Conference in Washington DC. Together with 1,000 young progressives from across the country, I listened to speeches made by some of our nation’s most inspiring leaders and participated in discussions about my generation’s role in our country’s most progressive battles.

Without a doubt, there are two issues that dominated nearly every conversation – climate change and healthcare. For the millennial generation, these issues are very real. We are, or know someone who is, uninsured. We know that the effects of climate change will begin during our lifetime if we don’t act now. We are ready to get involved and our country’s new leadership is ready for us to play a vital role.

As someone with a vested interest in the ongoing fight to pass a comprehensive climate change bill, I was particularly inspired by Van Jones, author of The Green Collar Economy and Special Advisor on Green Jobs to the White House, and Speaker of House Nancy Pelosi. Both gave significant credit to young people for the passage of the American Clean Energy and Security Act in the House and called for our continued action in the Senate debate.

Speaking to crowd of college students and recent graduates, Jones kept his focus mainly on the massive potential for job creation in a clean energy future by saying everything our country can do that will be good for the environment will also be good for jobs. He also called on our generation to unleash our sense of innovation and entrepreneurship.

“We are relying on Barack Obama to get it done, he’s relying on you to get it started.”

Following the House vote on ACES, several articles have be published showcasing the work Speaker Pelosi did to assure at least 218 votes would be cast in support of the bill. With the final vote coming in at 219-212, it is clear that her work was justified.

During her speech, Speaker Pelosi admitted the process of passing legislation can be gruesome because of the significant amount of whipping needed to get the votes, but the end result is worth it.

“A lot of people don’t like to see legislation made…but I’m willing to take the heat if it means we get the bill.”

Other speakers at the conference included Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Center for American Progress President and CEO John Podesta, Daily Show Correspondent John Oliver, and President Bill Clinton. I complied my tweets from the day in a post here and comments about the conference are being added here.

bumped by Sarah

When I first heard that Mike Lux was going to be speaking in Lawrence, I, admittedly, didn’t know much about him. A progressive powerhouse, Lux served in President Bill Clinton’s administration as National Constituencies Director. While this was well before my political involvement began, I must pay my respects to a man who helped paved the way for young activism.

Lux is traveling around the country to promote his recent book “The Progressive Revolution.” In the book, he offers a historical look at America’s progressive revolution and how key events like desegregating schools and establishing social security helped shaped our country.

At the event, Lux pointed out that even the sheer idea of a democracy was a progressive movement for our country. Shifting away from the established political norm is always a scary idea for some, but it is leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. that take us on a path to abandon outdated views and strive for a bright future.

The most interested part of the evening for me was Lux’s discussion about the important role blogs play in the political process. With back-door deals and vote trading serving as common practices for politicians, it is essential our representatives are held accountable for every vote they cast while in office. Blogs are able to create a 24/7 news cycle, assuring that a story doesn’t die after the newspapers are recycled.

“Two things that I feel are vital to moving politics forward and government into the 21st century are accountability and transparency,” said Chad Manspeaker, who serves as Treasurer and Labor Caucus chair for the Kansas Young Democrats and attended the event. “We need to know what our representatives are up to and have open lines of communication with them. Those that believe that new media is a passing fad will soon find this fad passing right by them.”

Living in Kansas, I am fortunate enough to have a superb example of this in the blog Kansas Jackass. While I wish all politicians would work with the utmost transparency, this is not the case. Kansas Jackass works to assure that our elected officials can’t hide anything from their constituents.

Lux also delivered promising news for the attendees of the event, who, for the majority, were under 30. Obama’s Office of Public Affiras has appointed David Washington to serve as a liaison for young people and foundations. By making this selection, the administration is showing that they recognize the youth population is ready to be an active part of our nation’s recovery.

Further Lux said that they consider young people a critical part of the issues narrative. As such each agency will have young people within them that can give a youth perspective to issues. While these individuals may not know the ins and outs of the youth agenda, hopefully their prospective will provide something new past administrations have not tapped into.

Also discussed at the event was the importance for elected officials to embrace new social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. Two State Senators were present at the media, but neither are tweeting. However, Rep. Milack Talia is among those who are utilizing the micro-blogging service to update followers about votes being cast in the House. I would encourage all others to follow his lead and incorporate these sites into their communication strategies.

It was very inspiring for me to hear a seasoned political veteran talk about our country’s need to continue on a progressive path. When Mike Connery returns from his honeymoon, he will posting a full review of the book “The Progressive Revolution”, which can be purchased here.

Kelly Jacobsen is a young college student at Washburn University who has worked as staff on several campaigns and spoken at a Congressional press conference about the College Cost Reduction Act in 2007. We are grateful to promote her work here on FM. --Sarah

As a college freshman, I am often thankful I have several years before I will begin the difficult process of finding a job. But with massive company layoffs dominating the daily news, it is hard for me not to worry about whether or not my peers and I will be able to find jobs stable enough to support our families.

Proponents of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) recognize the current, daunting state of the economy and are striving to lend a helping hand to the American worker.

This piece of legislation, which was recently introduced in Congress, would give workers the freedom to decide for themselves to join a union, rather than facing company roadblocks. By forming a union, workers would then be allowed to bargain for better benefits, wages, and working conditions.

One goal of the EFCA is to level the playing field for all workers and prevent salary increases from strictly benefiting company CEOs.

“Despite our national economy, the production of American workers is up,” said Andy Sanchez, Secretary-Treasurer for the Kansas State AFL-CIO. “Each year American workers improve upon their production, yet they are left behind as the companies profits have grown by leaps and bounds. One needs to only look at what CEO salaries have increased by to realize something is out of whack.”

For young people, the benefits of joining a union are very promising. A 2008 report by the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) entitled “Unions and Upward Mobility for Young People” found that young union workers (ages 18-29) earned 12.4% more, on average, than their non-unionized counterparts.

The report also found that young union members are 17% more likely to have employer-provided health insurance and 24% more likely to have an employer-provided pension plan.

"Unions make a big difference for younger workers," said John Schmitt, a Senior Economist at CEPR and the author of the study. "There is no economic theory that says young people have to be poorly paid or go without benefits."

It is no secret that our country is experiencing a very trying time. While I am confident in our new President’s ability to navigate us back to a strong economy, I am fully expecting the process to be very exhausting. By allowing workers to choose to unionize, we can strengthen America’s middle class and create strong jobs for our communities.

“The middle class is what built this country and it is what continues to maintain America's prosperity,” Sanchez said. “It is also what will get us through this rough time.”

According the AFL-CIO, 60 million American workers who are not union members would opt to form a union tomorrow if given the chance. Please contact your representatives in Congress to encourage them to support the Employee Free Choice Act and give these workers the choice on whether or not to form a union. By doing so, you will be taking action to assure that all Americans get a fair share in the work place.

Bumped by Sarah. Kelly is a newly elected officer to the Kansas Young Dems I hope she comes back here often to blog her experience

It is common for me to be the youngest person in the room. Whether it is in a classroom, at work, or in a presentation at the public library, I am frequently the only one in the room that doesn't remember the 80's.

There was a time when this fact embarrassed me. I would try to keep my age a secret because it seemed like as soon as people discovered I was 18 years old, they took my opinions a little more lightly.

Prior to the election of President Barack Obama, it was a common theme among my peers that we didn't need to care about the daily happenings in Washington D.C. Too often, I heard my friends shrug off any kind of involvement because they felt like issues didn't relate to them. Even more disappointing, they felt like their voices didn't matter because they weren't a deep-pocked campaign donor or persuasive lobbyist.

But now, I am happy to report that a new sun is shining in the lives of young voters and he goes by the name of President Barack Obama. According to Circle, a nonpartisan research center, nearly 53% of voters under the age of 30 turned out in the 2008 election, sending a loud cry to all people that we are ready to be involved.

Suddenly, the issues matter to my peers and we have a leader fighting on our side. The cost of college is daunting, but we have a President who wants us all to afford higher education. The unemployment numbers are rising everyday, but Obama is taking action to stabilizing the economy so we can one day enter the workforce with confidence. Finally, we have a President that has made preserving our environment a priority so there is something left for our children and grandchildren to enjoy.

I have high hopes for the future of my peers. With President Obama leading the way, we can start activating young voters immediately. As we begin to find our voices and our place in the democratic process, we will become the next candidates for city council, govenor, and one day, president.

I am no longer embarrassed to be young and involved. I am able to stand proudly and demand that my elders take me opinions seriously knowing that my President is on my side. It is my hope that our parents and grandparents will follow suite and embrace our generation as powerful members of society.