The address right now is 8643 Ivy Mint Ct, Springfield VA 22153. Click here for directions.

But we are going to be moving to some office space next week (crosses fingers) so RSVP to Mike(at)HurstforCongress(dot)com, or call us at 703-455-1014.

Most groups just get young people registered, and then forget about us, because of our low turn out numbers.  So the only way i see that getting better is if young people educate other young people and encourage them to be political active. 

You guys just never see me, because I'm busy with a full summer grad school class-load. Don't worry...my face will pop up in the fall.  I'm the main proponent behind the scholarship too.  I'm THAT Matt.

=O))

We have a debt to foreign countries such as imperialist China that is growing by the billions every day.
He says as types into his made in China computer.

We have a hurricane alley that is being abandoned by the Bush adminstration to never recover in the near future.
> Good riddance. People are fools to live on barrier islands and below sea level in the hurriance zone.

We have a global warming epidemic that imperils the future like no other.

We have three to four crazed regimes hell-bent on nuclear proliferation, and an administration that is helpless to stop them.
> India, Israel, Pakistan has them.  Saudia, Germany, Japan, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Ukraine, etc. could build one next month.  It's a 1940s technology.  Get used to it.

We have a War in Iraq that is spiralling out of control, and administration that is loathe to admits its horrendous incompetence and corruption that would put the Nixon and Grant administrations to shame.
>The war's not any worse now than it was last year. No admininistration admits it's corrupt.  Sound minds warned the nation about the war and the occupation and they were ignored.  Exiting this mess will not be easy and will cause more problems.

We have a Middle East conflict going on, and no current grown ups who are willing to punish both sides to get them to stop this constant bloodshed.
The conflict's been going on for 60 years.

We have a congress (and this is both sides) who are all using their office to fatten their wallets and reward their families and cronies with lucrative deals.
Been going on for a long time.

We have a nation that is being pushed by fear, ignorance, hatred, and bigotry.
Been going on a long time.

We have a world that is slowly becoming less and less friendly to the United States as a whole.
They still send their kids to college in the US, buy S&P 500 compaines and drink coke.

We have religious fanaticism on the rise not only abroad but here at home too.
Again, this is not new.

We have more and more incompetents controlling the levers of power.
Again, this is not new.  Great men stopped going into politics a while ago.  Compare Lincoln, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Eisenhower with Reagan, Clinton and Bush.  We are living in a leadership desert that affects multiple generations.

We have more and more consolidation of businesses, less pay, less benefits, no pensions, no vacation time, and more threats of outsourcing.
> Some of that is true, some is exagerrated.  Depends on the time frame, too.  401Ks replace pensions.  Americans have ALWAYS worked their asses of compared to the rest of the world (except maybe Korea) and not have vaction time. Want 6 weeks vacation?  Go into academia or move to France.

We have more and more diseases being created by abysmal animal farming techniques that create unstable populations and ferment disease mutation.
> Hmmm.  I'd like some references on this one.  I think the modern economy's done a great job on limiting food borne pathogenic illness..

We have people who are actively rooting for for World War III
>We've always had nuts.  We tolerate them.  It's called the 1st amendment

We have energy shortages, gas shortages, water shortages, and overpopulation to look forward too.
We've been faced with these problems for hundreds of years now, we seem to manage.  It is a challenge.

We have a social security system that the republicans are actively trying to destroy, and instead further the burden on us.
A legitimate bitch!  I don't think "the young" are limited to getting screwed by this.  Anyone under 55 years is going to get a little screwed by this.  I say a "little", your going to get 70 cents on the dollar.  Too bad.  Vote for Bush's privatization proposal if you don't like it or tell granma the Social Security check she is getting will be cut in half. The choices to fixing this are not easy.  I say spread the pain.

We have a news media that is whimpering, hemming, and hawwing at actually doing investigative journalism instead of being a copy editor for whoever is in power.
Again, this has been a long time complaint.  We do have the internet now

We have a Democratic Party that while resurging, has many members who are actively counter-progressive.
Democratic party has always been hodge-podge.  I welcome them back.  We have to compromise.

We have an education system that is constantly underfunded so that the military can buy shiny new planes, while more and more kids are left behind.
Crap.  We OVERINVEST in education.  What we don't do is pay front line teachers in public elementary and high schools.

We have a xenophobic/anti-Hispanic crazy spree, that is seen as being part of the mainstream
Got news for you: It is mainstream.  Americans want a little less immigration and front door only.  Yes, Jenny Trust Fund will have to pay market rates for her nanny.  Sorry.  How can you bitch about overpopulation, corruption and pollution in a prevoious compalint and then give this issue a pass?  Illegal immigration and too much immigration is a huge problem that American want fixed.  Helping these people stand up to their corrupt governments is a form of "xenophilia".  Making them pick up garbage for yuppies is the real "xenophobia".

We have a President who is consolidating powers and looking less and less Democratic each day.
Not a new problem.  Vote the Repubs out if you don't like it.

We have KNOWLEDGE OF TORTURE by the mainstream media and yet nobody has been brought to justice.
Vote for somebody to bring them to justice.  Statue of limitations should still be valid.  BTW, If they ever catch Osama, I'm willing to look the other way.

We have KNOWLEDGE OF LIES ABOUT WMD'S and yet nobody has been brought to justice.
New York Times, CNN and Washington Post bought into it. You should be mad at them.  Hell, If your just now getting angry about the government lieing to the, then you've been naive.

We have KNOWLEDGE OF ADMINISTRATION LEAKS TO DESTROY A CIA AGENT'S CAREER and yet only on person of many is being punished.
I'm not joining the revolution on this one issue.  Sorry.

I am mad as hell, and I hope many of my fellow young people are too, because I am goign to make damn sure we fix these problems and soon.
Getting mad will not fix them. It will take time.  Don't be surprised if you got a couple of gray hairs by the time you have a real chance to fix them.

  Its time for the Me Generation to get a load of Generation Y's new motto, "Stop Being Selfish Asses and Screwing Us Over...Or Else!!!"
Crap.  You sound just like them: bunch of whiny hippies that think they're progressives and wind up something else.  Good luck, though!

And let me just say, although I think republicans are massively screwing over young people, I don't think Democrats are really paying attention to us that much either.  I am a strong Democrat, I work in the party, I'm actively working out youth issues.  But whenever you look at the national platform, the parties never work to help us.  They have a tit-for-tat feel to youth voters.  If the youth come out for them, then maybet they'll pay attention to them.  When really it should be, if the parties pay attention to the youths then the youths will come out for them.
You can start by voting.  Young people should but don't vote.  I do encourage you to push back.

I'm the ONLY young democrat in my local party's district committee here in Fairfax.  Also...I'm working on a Democratic Scholarship to reward young democrats who show passion and interest in democratic ideals.  I do vote, and I understand why young people don't vote, because like i said, no matter what we do, older people don't care about us as a voting bloc, we come out, they forget us, we don't, they forget us...its a tough racket for us.  But I'm still gonna push people to vote, because we have to have some people interested in politics in the future beyond just the young people on this site.

I think young people like you and Matt are the real answer to this problem. You have to mobilize your peers and educate them on all the issues.  I see so many young people who think downloading free music is the big political issue, when they couldn't name the three branches of Government or identify their own Congressman.  Informing young people and educating them on the issues is your first priority.  I does my heart good to see you bring this issue up.  I believe if the young people in this country come out to the polls, we could win nearly every election in the country. 

I can agree with everything you have on the list.  Many of them have been problems we've had all my life.  You can add the disenfranchising of rural Americans and the efforts of the coal industry to destroy the Appalachian Mountain range to the list. 

You hold the key in your hands and in your hearts.  Maybe you can unlock that door.  A lot of us have really tried and failed to get you guys to the polls, but you shouldn't blame my generation.  It is your responsibility.  But if we actually get the young vote out, we can change the face of this country in one election. You're gonna be surprised how difficult this task is, but you're sure making the right first step.  Good for you. Keep it up.  I'm glad to see a young person aware of the problem.  Maybe this fall...

I worked on the effort to get the voting age down to 18 - the 26th Amendment to the Constitution (now THAT was a worthy Amendment).  The call was, "If you are old enough to die (Vietnam), then you are old enough to vote." 

Those were heady days, because everyone anticipated that the youth vote would change the culture, shit-can Nixon, and bring an end to the Lies. Youth, untainted by attachment to worn-out dogma would take America to it's promise. Whoa boy.

Older people vote, especially the ones that have lived long enough to know we have an Obligation to the ones that bought our Republic with their own young lives; the least we can do is lumber down to the polling booth and cast a vote. The older you get, the lamer the excuses become for not voting or participating.  The ghosts stare at you.

Encourage your friends to become informed and involved in the discussion about America's course.  You are precious treasure, the hopes and dreams of your kin. You are the future.  Shape it early.

We could get more young voters, they need to feel like they count. Right now, they feel like voting doesnt matter that who is electing has always already been decided.

I know this.

Check this ad out from 2004:

Back during the draft, I had reason to vote. I was interested in politics.  My very butt was on the line.  Why not have all young people spent a couple of years in the service or a CCC before they go to college.  Maybe then, being an American would have more meaning to them.  Just a couple of years, no on exemption, no exceptions--rich and poor alike.  Sometimes doing something for the good of others is a way to get people involved.  One thing for sure.  If a military draft comes along there will be a lot of young people wishing they had voted. With people leaving the military in droves and suspecting we'll be in the middle east for a long time, a military draft may come sooner than you think.

I have been serving my country since 2001, and many in the ranks do vote because they understand the gravity within thier obligation.

So, yes.. however I have always believed that in a democratic society a mandatory service for everyone is not healthy or democratic.

Especially when the majority of our citizens in this country oppose the draft.

If it has to be done yes, but we should prevent a draft like any war at all costs.

Shit is constantly hitting the fan.  Has been since man was intelligent enough to realize that bopping the guy next door over the head with a club would help him get that guy's cool shiny rocks without the hassle of manners and polite trade.

Me, I'm young, but I don't get mad.  No sense in that.  Nothing happens when you get mad.  Besides, it's basically a given that things aren't good for progressives: we aren't in charge.

They key is to just keep pressing ahead.  Even the slightest change in the right direction is an improvement in my book.  Maybe I'm not asking for much, but I'm happier that way; even the slightest inch toward progress gets me excited.

And in my opinion, we aren't apathetic.  At least no more than any other generation.

So I guess my advice is: keep on going with what you believe, and don't get discouraged, no matter what happens.  Progress happens slowly, and we are condemned to share the world with people who are scared of it.