During his presidential campaign in 1976, Jimmy Carter frequently referenced the Misery Index, a percentage produced by adding the unemployment and inflation rate.

The index is an indicator created by economist Arthur Okun. During the summer of 1976, the Misery Index was at 13.57 percent. It rose to 21.98 percent during Carter’s four-year term.

Crafted from the idea of the Misery Index, the Young America’s Foundation created the Youth Misery Index. Taking the same basic concept, the percentage is found by adding together the youth unemployment rate, 17.4 percent; the average graduating student debt, $26,300; and the national debt per capita, $46,900.

The number currently stands at 90.6 percent — the highest it’s ever been.

Just in case this generation wasn’t already terrified enough about entering the current job market, now we get to place a number on just how terrified we should be.

With the upcoming election, and the dysfunctional circus that is the Republican Party, the GOP candidates have done little to address how they might plan to ensure that we kids won’t have to depend on the federal government for the rest of our lives.

And of the 5,000 debates that have taken place during the past eight months, the nominees addressed every issue from whether states have the constitutional power to make contraception illegal to why God loves Republicans. There’s been little discussion on how the candidates plan to inspire prosperity among the generation that will be running in the country in the future.

An opinion article published Jan. 4 in The Washington Times written by Ron Meyer and Nathan Harden states, ‘Today young people face a three-pronged attack on their financial security — educational debt from their past, unemployment in the present, and a future plagued by the burden of massive government debt.’

Rather than hearing the GOP candidates bash Barack Obama for the state of our country, or criticizing each other for everything, they should start focusing on plans to help lessen the burden being placed on Generation Y.

They’ve done plenty to expose each other’s flaws and oust every skeleton in each other’s closets. Ron Paul’s a crazy libertarian. Jon Huntsman has been off in China for the past few years, so what does he know about running this country. Mitt Romney killed small businesses during his time at Bain & Company. Newt Gingrich preaches the sacredness of marriage, but he has been married three times. And as for Rick Santorum, he’s kind of just there.

Dirty politics are inevitable, especially during such a contested candidacy, but for a party that largely blames the younger generation for getting Obama elected, they’ve done little in terms of inspiring the youth vote.

Our generation didn’t make the mess, but we’ll be cleaning it up — all the while depending on government to fund the expense. Whoever receives the GOP nomination this summer will be hard-pressed to run a successful campaign without recognizing and addressing the not so bright future, the miserable 90.6, our generation faces.

Lauren Tousignant is a senior communications and rhetorical studies and writing major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at letousig@syr.edu. 

Published on January 17, 2012 at 12:00 pm