"But we have always understood that when times change, so must we; that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges"
-Barack Obama's second inauguration speech
Although a majority of Auburn students did not vote for Barack Obama to have a second term as president, there are several ideals he espoused in his inauguration speech that we feel most Americans, particularly those of college age, can agree are important. While what we feel is the right route to achieve our goals may not be the same, many of the goals themselves are.
Job growth to ensure our generation is as well-employed as those before it, national security as well as a general international peace and good public services like schools, roads and water systems are all things we think very few people on Auburn's campus would say they don't want as a part of their future. The right tax plans and government support of infrastructure may not be easily agreed upon, but as public university students in a state that takes in a large amount of federal dollars compared to what it contributes, most of us probably owe more thanks to the federal government's help in our state than we realize.
Equal rights in the arenas of marriage, wage and opportunity are ideas a growing majority of the nation values as important to who we are. Even many opponents of gay marriage believe laws should be extended to cover blatant acts of hate crime against the LGBT community and for them to be treated fairly in spaces ranging from the middle school hallway to the hospital to the eyes of the IRS. Though there are still giant strides to be made on campus as far as ignorant hate speech goes, there is a strong, albeit sometimes relatively silent, number of people at Auburn who are perfectly comfortable with gay couples being treated the same as straight ones.
Though immigration reform remains a hot topic in many parts of the country, particularly this state, young Americans are leaning heavily towards a type of amnesty program like the DREAM Act which would grant citizenship to people living here undocumented on the condition of their getting a college education or joining the military. A two year old Gallup poll shows Americans as a whole support this 54%-42%, while those under 35 said they would vote for it at a 66%-30% rate.
This is just a sampling of a few issues that will be addressed by governments of all sizes and jurisdictions over the next presidential term, but what appears to be obvious is the generational gap on many issues. As college students mostly between 18 and 22, we fall in what is certainly a liberal demographic of the country, but this doesn't mean we all are liberal; far from it at Auburn. But what may have been considered very left wing ideas thirty years ago are becoming more and more accepted as right in 2013. As President Obama begins his second term, we will all not like many of his aims and measures, but there are several principles younger Americans seem to be warming up to, if not already full on embracing. Over the next four years, agree with him or not, let's be a voice for what we believe in, keeping in mind that our action, or apathy, determines the world we graduate in to.
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