Darn, this page is old. Really old by Web standards. As in, I last worked on it two years ago. Funny how time flies. Anyway, there's a very fair (two-year-old) roasting of Lead... or Leave, from As We Are that you should peruse if you're wondering what the organization was really like. It is, of course, now defunct.
The As We Are article makes for interesting reading, to say the least. Makes ya think a little, at the very least. Sort of the way John McCarthy makes me think with his Web piece on Progress and its Sustainability: forget the naysayers, and be an optimist about the future! Or like how Noam Chomsky's Archive makes me question all that I think I know. It's great!! Or like how Simson Garfinkel makes me think with his Web pieces in Packet: will computers ultimately liberate our minds or enslave them? Yes, I'm suddenly a big fan of thinking. I think that thinking is good.
Good for you! But act locally: pick a single issue that is meaningful to you, and work for it. For example, if you're dying to be active in something student-related, get active in your campus government and/or USSA. If you're dying to be active in general, pick an issue that's near and dear to your heart, and be active in that thing. Looking for suggestions of issues? See my active links list.
Thanks for all the email I've gotten from Web surfers like you over the years! I read every note, even if I sometimes don't get a chance to respond to them all.
One thing the email I've gotten at this Web site has taught me is that it is wrong (and achieves no good end) to engage in generational warfare. We are ALL in this together. Furthermore, there are 80 million American generation Xers subsuming every different ideological, cultural, political, social, ethnic, religious, sexual, and economic community. To think that one organization could speak for all those people is just plain ridiculous; for grass-roots activism, I say you should pick an issue near and dear to you and pursue it.
Anyway, this was never an official site or anything. Just something I did with my spare time a few years ago. And now? I figure I'll leave it on the Web for the heck of it. Questions or comments on this page should be directed to me.
Lead... or Leave was a large Generation X political organization in the United States, lobbying and consulting in the effort to put generational issues on the national political map. Here I have typed in some tidbits about the organization and the policies it advocated.
Even though Lead or Leave has officially disbanded, life goes on, and we can still be active, though I am not sure what to do with these pages for now. Guess I'll leave them up for now; when in doubt, slack.
While there are many more good ideas than the ones presented here, these 13 challenges represent a good starting point; they are each battles that will be fought over the next decade or so, not issues that will be resolved during one Congress, or even one presidency.
As a younger American, I care deeply about my future and my country, and I believe that the politicians in Washington do not listen to younger voters. I am registered to vote, and I will encourage others to vote as well, because there are many national issues that matter to me. Jobs. AIDS. Crime. The National Debt. Education. Homelessness. Social Security. Gay Rights. The Environment. Welfare Reform. Health Care. Racism.
I believe that focused activism is the key to creating a better future direction for our country. The problems of today will not go away, so we should confront them now. I know no party lines; I know only that I want these problems addressed. People say my generation doesn't get involved, and it is my opinion that such people are wrong.
Phil Gramm (R-TX) said, "Up on Capitol Hill, we know your generation
is in trouble. Do you know why we continue to borrow from your future,
racking up huge debts? Because you don't get involved and you don't
vote." Well, to Mr. Gramm and any other politician who professes such
sentiments, the time has come for a wake-up call. Surprised?