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Younger Voters: Unaware of What they Will be Paying for?

By Doug Bandow on 8.6.09 @ 6:13PM

Rasmussen Reports tells us that a majority of Americans worry about the debt being piled up by the Obama administration.  Yet younger voters, who will pay the bulk of the bill, have convinced themselves that he is "investing" their money for the nation. 

Reports Rasmussen:

Most likely voters (53%) believe President Barack Obama's economic policies will translate into debt for future generations, although younger voters are more likely to take the view that the President is making an investment in America's future, a new Zogby-Scoop44 interactive poll shows.

Thirty-eight percent of likely voters believe the President's approach to dealing with the U.S. economy is an investment for future generations of Americans - another 10% are not sure. Younger Americans are most likely to take this view - 47% of those age 18-29 feel this way, compared to just 32% of those age 65 or older. Democrats (72%) and liberals (83%) largely view Obama's economic policies as an investment, while Republicans (94%) and conservatives (96%) overwhelmingly believe those polices equal debt for future generations of Americans. Sixty percent of self-described political independents view Obama's policies as leading to debt, while just 28% think they are an investment. Moderate voters are evenly split at 43%.

If only it were so.  Younger voters who believe that the government is "investing" for the future should go back and read the misnamed "stimulus" bill.  And they should ponder Social Security and Medicare--those "investments" have generated a $100 trillion unfunded liability.  Those programs sure turned out well financially!

The real trick is to figure out how to pass the bill to liberals and Democrats, the large majority of whom have deluded themselves that the government is making "investments."  If they are willing to cover the debts being rung up, I'd let them reap the full "return" they can expect to receive from their "investments"!