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Need more help? Contact us at info@twc.edu Example 2 I find one aspect of my generation absolutely startling: the general apathy toward government actions. In some aspects, politics in America have become a second Hollywood. Far too many of my friends base their votes on who is most celebrated in popular culture without being able to explain a single piece of legislation the politician supports. Maybe my peers' views would remain the same even if they were more politically educated, but I would like to find a way to pique the interest of all young adults to ensure they know why they support certain politicians and legislation before voting. A particular issue of extreme importance but usually of little interest to young voters is the tax system. As we graduate college and get our first real jobs, and then our first real paychecks, and then our first real experience with taxes, it becomes clear why tax reform initiatives are so attractive and even necessary. With a taxation system in place that no American seems to like, it is now that young voters must be educated on reform ideas because they are the ones who will be affected by the system in just a few years. An idea particularly interesting to me is the FairTax proposal. The Constitution was written and edited to provide equality for all, yet our tax system penalizes the rich by demanding a greater percentage of their income. It is not, by any definition of equal, equal to charge some citizens half their income to live in this country, and allow capable others to continually pay nothing and depend on the government their entire lives. A fair tax would eliminate this injustice by replacing all federal income taxes with a nationwide consumption tax on retail sales. This would expand the tax base to everyone living in the United States, including the rapidly approaching majority of people who pay zero or negative income taxes, which would theoretically benefit the government immensely, encourage people to save and invest more money, and spur economic growth with the money they would be saving instead of being taxed. Critics argue it would actually be regressive in nature and incite the growth of an underground economy. While the FairTax would offer a "prebate" tax refund for poverty-level citizens as a solution for the regression, it is more difficult to find ways to prevent the growth of an underground economy of people avoiding sales taxes, not to mention the feasibility of instituting a complete overhaul of the system. It is impossible to fully predict what the outcome of such a change would be, but nonetheless, fresh concepts like this are the ones that young voters need to explore and educatedly form opinions on, even if in disagreement, rather than continue on a cycle of broken and outdated political institutions. If campaigns can find ways to engage young voters with such ideas, the political system in America will evolve to support modern times, while still holding true to the foundations of the Constitution.

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