I get that we are a march nation now. Grace from the Howie Carr show once famously said, "VB, if I don't put it on Instagram, did it ever even happen?" I would add to that this concept for America, "VB, if we didn't have a march, are we even a thing?" Occupy, Black Lives Matter, Woman in P hats, Scientists Save the Climate, and now March For Our Lives. It's what we do now as a culture, we organize massive marches and then we feel like we've made a difference. Where I continually fall on all of these marches is this- once the march is over, then what? And usually the answer is- well nothing, we marched.
The Parkland kids could be different. They can make a difference, but they must come up with solid ideas and proposals instead of yelling at "we don't like chain stuff" Congress to change stuff. May I offer one suggestion to these students? Yes, I may. So here's what. Never in the history of this country have a mass of young people been given such a platform, and they now have people that actually want to pander to them. So think big kids. The Founding Fathers set the age requirement to serve in Congress as follows: 25 for the House and 30 for the Senate. Why not ask for both of those ages to be lowered to 18? After all, if these kids can organize marches and go on CNN, they could presumably serve in Congress too, no?
And before you say, "VB, we're not changing the Constitution," remember, those age limits were set at the very same time the voting age was set at 21. Ye indeed, we changed that. Why not this? After all, what sense do those age requirements make anyways? If a Congressional district wants to send a 23-yr-old or an 18-year-old to Congress to represent them, why shouldn't they? They can buy a gun after all, why can't they serve in Congress?
Look, there has been plenty of lip service given to these kids. But these kids need to start making demands, and not just to the hard right. Demand the right to serve in Congress, challenge these "vaunted" leaders make a real change that could, in theory, actually affect them. Then let's see how seriously those in Congress really take these kids. I'm for it, are they?
More wisdom next week.