The conditions of the youth in the United States continue to
deteriorate. According to the 1995 National Household Survey on
Drug Abuse conducted by the Health and Human Services Department,
drug use amongst American youth is spiralling. The report estimates
that between 1992 and 1995, drug use rose by 78 percent amongst the
youth. =20
The criminality of the American system can be seen in the
attitude towards the youth. This tragic matter has been made an
election propaganda issue with the Republicans claiming that it
proves the failure of the Clinton administration in dealing with
the drug problem. They promise that a Republican administration
will make the 'war on drugs' a national priority.=20
Speaking on behalf of the Democratic Party, White House
spokesman Mike McCurry adds insult to injury by stating: "One thing
we can't do is to turn drug use among young people into a political
football because it sends the wrong message to kids - then they'll
just think it's just an issue for the politicians and not something
that they have to take responsibility for."
In other words, neither the Republicans nor the Democrats
think that society is responsible for the problems facing the
youth. Neither party recognizes the youth as a collective because
their raison d'=88tre is to defend the system based on private
property which negates the needs of the youth. They do not
guarantee the rights of the younger generation. One of the needs of
the youth is to grow up in a healthy environment which provides
them with a high level of education, culture and sport.=20
The worsening conditions of the American youth, and those of
the youth the world over, show that the capitalist system offers
nothing but violence, cultural and spiritual devastation. Far from
resolving the problems, the bourgeois political parties seek to
make headway in their election campaigns. This will only contribute
to the further deterioration of the conditions of the youth.
Shawgi Tell
University at Buffalo
Graduate School of Education
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
