Generation Y wants justice

A new survey amongst women 18-29 by the YWCA shows that more than three-fourths of those known as Generation Y want incoming President Barack Obama to make civil rights and racial justice top priorities of his administration.

Lorraine Cole, chief executive officer of YWCA USA, said she didn't know why 77 percent of Generation Y women want civil rights and racial justice to be top priorities in Obama's first year — again, more than older women. Slightly more than half, or 54 percent, of women ages 30-70 said the same.

Unfortunately, as I noted in a previous blog, that isn't going to happen. Not in the first year at least. Two Obama advisers have stated that Barack Obama will not move for months, and perhaps not until 2010, to ask Congress to end the military's decades-old ban on open homosexuals in the ranks.

The YMCA survey further found:

...that half of these younger women say ethnic- or religious-based discrimination will be a "major obstacle" to their progress as a whole, compared with 31 percent of older women.

"I don't think that the election of Obama in anyone's eyes has given anyone the belief that racism has ended in this country," Cole added.

Obama's transition office had no comment.

It absolutely great that more young people are able to see beyond themselves and be concerned with the quality of life for others. Discrimination breaks down when we all see each other as people and not as "different". Not an "us" vs. "them" situation.

Nine in 10 women, or 92 percent, say Obama and the new Congress should make solving the U.S. financial crisis the No. 1 priority in the first year. Obama has said the economy will be his top priority.

While he has many plans for the economy, Obama advisor Bill Daley has already stated:

Obama will "more likely than not" postpone a tax increase for the rich until 2011, when the Bush tax cuts expire, rather than pushing to repeal them now.

While he won't immediately increase taxes on the wealthy (which was a major part of his campaign) his advisers have promised that Obama will "do what's necessary" to fix economy.

Obama on Saturday offered an outline of his economic recovery plan to create 2.5 million jobs by 2011, saying American workers will rebuild the nation's roads and bridges, modernize its schools and create more sources of alternative energy.

Details of the plan are still being worked out by his economic team, Obama said, but he hopes to sign the two-year, nationwide plan shortly after taking office January 20.

We need more jobs. We need better schools. I don't think any rational person can argue against creating more sources of alternative energy.

I just hope he sticks to these proposals and doesn't waffle as he is already doing on the Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell policy or the tax increase on the wealthy. These were major campaign promises and he is dropping them, or at least "delaying" them, and he hasn't even stepped into office yet.

Obama needs to listen to the people who voted for him. Much ado was made about Obama courting and getting the youth vote. With 77 percent of Generation Y women surveyed saying that civil rights and racial justice should be top priorities...then Obama's administration should make them top priorities. When 92 percent say the financial crises need resolution, then Obama should listen.

One final point from the survey:

Most women say personal economic problems present the biggest barriers to their success in the next decade, including lack of retirement savings (10 percent), major illness or medical expense (68 percent), job losses because of layoffs or jobs sent overseas (63 percent) and the cost of higher education (60 percent).

During the campaign, Obama stated that he wanted to more progressively tax the wealthy to aid those with greater needs. If most women feel that their personal economic situation is worrisome, then I think Obama should rethink waiting until 2011 to put his campaign promises into effect.

American's overwhelmingly voted for change. Let's see some.