Politics from Gen. X to Gen. Y
Posted under: How does Generation Y – a.k.a. the “Millenials” – feel about politics?
[Millenials] are still more likely than any other age group to identify as Democrats.
A study by the Pew Research Center, The Millenials: Confident. Connected. Open to Change, showed that our generation, compared to Generation X-ers, voted the least, tended to support Barack Obama (although not so much anymore) and didn’t see eye-to-eye with our elders’ views on issues like national security or social agendas.
In general, we’re liberal, hands-off and pretty easy-going about politics while our parents tended to be more involved and conservative. I set out to see if this disparity still existed.
Listen to the audio clips to hear thoughts from both generations. I asked members of each generation what is the most important political issue to them right now, why and if they had any solutions to those problems.
Generation Y
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I’m not interested in anything right now.
Mike Ogare, 22, Republican
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I think universal healthcare is good.
Katie Brower, 22
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As a part-time student, I’m maxing out my federal loans very quickly.
Eric Wong, 26
Generation X
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People need to work… there’s no stability.
Diann Dillard, 48
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I’m not getting a raise but I still have to go to work.
Tara Tate, 45
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Just the way [the economy is] running, it’s downhill.
James Abell, 55
Chicago’s ongoing battle with coal
The city’s coal-fired power plants have been the center of controversy for years. From Environmental Protection Agency standards, to the Clean Air Act, to being called out as the city’s largest causes of pollution, where have the last 10 years of Fisk and Crawford taken Chicago? What’s next?
How bad is this winter, anyway?
Alma Bahman/Chicago LoopsterBetween now and early spring, Chicago would have to see almost 43 inches of snow to have the same amount it had last winter. But that’s unlikely, said Richard Castro, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s Chicago office.
After getting more than 50 inches of snowfall for four consecutive years, why was Chicago’s first real snow day halfway into the season?
The mildness comes from two weather systems: La Niña and the Arctic Oscillation.
At its very basic, La Niña is a polar jet stream from the Pacific Ocean that causes chilly winters. La Niña allows cold air to drop south into the Midwest, Castro said. “But there’s been a very persistent feature above Alaska that’s keeping cold air from dropping down here.”
Alma Bahman/Chicago LoopsterThe National Weather Service has been keeping weather records since 1885. Here are a few other weather milestones the city reached since.
That feature: Arctic Oscillation, which refers to pressure patterns over the Arctic and has two phases, positive and negative.
Castro said it’s in a positive phase this year. This means less pressure at the polar region, which moves storms toward the north.
Since 2000, Chicago had comparatively cold winters as well as mild ones, but it’s not that unusual.
“It’s all over the map,” Castro said. “It fits the theme as how variable the weather patterns can be in this part of the country.”
To get more details, read Castro’s article about this year’s mild winter.
Alma Bahman/Chicago LoopsterSince 2000, Chicago has seen colder and colder winters. Data from the National Weather Service.
Alma Bahman/Chicago LoopsterIn the past 11 years, 2009 had the coldest season low. The only other year that comes close is 2001. Data from the National Weather Service.
Alma Bahman/Chicago LoopsterSave for a few crests and valleys, snowfall steadily increased since 2000, particularly since 2006. Data from the National Weather Service.
