Establishment vs. progressive. Centrist vs. leftist. Washington insider vs. outsider. These comparisons have all been made to characterize the primary fight between Haley Stevens and Abdul El-Sayed to determine the Democratic candidate for the upcoming Senate election ‒ a fight that just became even more intense with outgoing Democratic U.S. Sen. Gary Peters’ endorsement of Stevens.
But there’s another important schism at stake here: old vs. young. Polls have indicated that younger Democrats are overwhelmingly in favor of El-Sayed, while Stevens has more ground with older voters.
Part of it has to do with what El-Sayed represents: a new wave of liberalism that is not necessarily just more progressive than the norm, but directly reflects the voice of young people. His campaign priorities ‒ getting money out of politics, securing Medicare for all, stopping meddlesome and harmful military campaigns abroad ‒ are those that students and youth have served as some of the strongest advocates for.
In a country where the average U.S. senator is over 60 years old, though, it doesn’t always feel like our voices are represented. And as a member of Gen Z myself, the endorsement of Stevens by Democrats who have spent the last several decades in politics only seems to indicate a continuation of the voices that already dominate the political sphere.
This race isn’t just about whether America is ready to move in a more progressive direction. It’s about who gets to have a say in our political future ‒ the older generations that already have the power or the youth who can’t help but wonder when it will be our turn.
Ari Hickman
South Lyon
Please turn the lights off at night
The concern over energy waste in this era of climate change should be leading us all to do what we can to conserve it. Sometimes that waste is staring us in the face and solutions are obvious. One example is the needless nighttime lighting of empty buildings, parking lots and parking structures. Drive down any freeway in the metro area and you will see thousands of light poles and office buildings burning electricity for no reason. If security is an issue, install motion detectors, which will do a better job of alerting security guards to any intrusion. Beyond huge savings in energy costs this over lighting creates massive light pollution and creates havoc for wildlife like migratory birds.
A little common sense could make a huge difference for all of us.
Rob Hendrickson
Troy
Where are we heading with education?
Recently, it was reported that more Americans place a gambling bet during the year than read a book. Seems to me, gambling is the opposite of learning. Gambling says, “Who needs education to get ahead? I can get rich quick.”Another education problem is ever-rising truancy in public schools. Many parents just don’t have the ability or the desire to enforce mandatory education for their children. The consequences are noticeable. College entrance SAT scores declined steadily for decades.
For another thing, non-partisan public school civics education today is being replaced by evangelical Christian Sunday school. Meanwhile, the current presidential administration is defunding many federal educational programs. They are gambling on the states picking up all the pieces. Either that or just hoping that education for working families goes away entirely.
Kimball Shinkoskey
Woods Cross, Utah
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 1 reason I’m for Abdul El-Sayed: The average U.S. senator is 64 | Letters
Reporting by Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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