After her latest Instagram rant, many are questioning Alexandira Ocasio-Cortez’s knowledge of the horrors of the Holocaust. In the same broadcast, AOC also stated that millennials have never lived in a prosperous America. Yet again, she proves that her warped view of the past and present influence her anti-capitalist ideology.
“An entire generation, which is now becoming one of the largest electorates in America, came of age and never saw American prosperity,” she complained.
The irony is that when young people swear off capitalism, they are usually doing so by sending a tweet from their shiny new iPhone, in their nice air conditioned apartments, wearing a trendy “Sharing is Caring” Karl Marx T shirt. The United States is not perfect, and capitalism has its flaws, but millennials should be thankful to be living in the most prosperous country in history.
We are experiencing an era of prosperity: Job growth, better income rates, small business successes, access to new technology, and more educated communities are all just a few sure signs of prosperity that AOC seems to miss.
Across all genders, ethnicities, and age groups, almost everyone is doing better financially. We are living with both the lowest unemployment percentage since 1969, and with earnings reports continuing to show gains across all levels. The New York Post reports that we are on track to be living in the longest expansion in US history, “with the nation poised to add at least 2 million jobs for the ninth straight year.”
Small businesses are thriving, which makes communities more prosperous and introduces us to new technology. Entrepreneurs have been able to innovate and improve local conditions. For example, small time internet providers like the new HC Wireless in Johnson City, Texas, have brought better broadband connection to rural areas. With an economy focused on growing businesses, instead of stifling them with regulation, the whole country benefits.
Why are millennials not recognizing these successes? Some may point to the overwhelming amount of student loan debt that is weighing down young peoples’ bank accounts. On the other hand, more people are educated now than in the past. According to a Pew Research Survey, millennials are on track to become the most educated generation to date. With so many of us having access to so much opportunity, right now is a good time to be alive.
For a congresswoman who popularized the Green New Deal–a proposal that relied heavily on modern day technology and innovation–she sure seems to turn a blind eye to all the successes we enjoy today. Taking for granted the upward trajectory of our nation on all measurable metrics has left many young people, including AOC, ignorantly pushing for an economic system that would halt progress.