Restore Ownership, Defeat Socialism, Rebuild America

The Reality Facing Gen Z and Millennials: Why America Must Let the Next Generation Own the Future

As America celebrates graduation season, over 4.5 million new college graduates are entering a workforce and economy unlike what their parents knew. The stakes are higher than ever: to preserve capitalism and win young voters, conservatives must address the harsh economic realities facing today’s youth. If the next generation isn’t given a stake in the American Dream, socialism could become the new norm. To reverse this trend, we must offer specific, actionable reforms—ranging from affordable homeownership programs to expanded job training and real relief for young families. Solutions are within reach, and this document, by Republican people of Color, outlines the bold steps needed to restore opportunity for the next generation.

A Broken Ladder: Labor, Cost of Living, and Ownership

The numbers tell a grim story. Baby Boomers now control 51.1% of all U.S. wealth, while Millennials and Gen Z combined own just 10.7%, even though they make up more than 42% of the population. (Tierney, 2025) The cost of entry into the American Dream—homeownership—has skyrocketed beyond reach for most young people:

In the 1980s, the median home cost 1.5 to 2 times the average household income. A Boomer earning minimum wage ($3.10/hr.) needed 15,225 hours of work to buy a median home ($47,200). (Conte, 2025)

In 2026, the median home price is $403,700—over four to five times the average income. At minimum wage ($7.25/hr.), it takes 55,682 hours of work to afford a home—nearly four times as long as it did for a Boomer. Even college graduates earning a starting salary of $68,873 must spend more than 12,000 hours working before taxes just to get a foothold in the housing market. (Thompson & Pagan, 2026)

Starting a family is harder than ever. In the 1980s, raising a child to age 18 costs between $30,000 and $121,000. Today, it’s $240,000 per child. Healthcare and delivery expenses are up 46% for Gen Z, with hospital birth costs at $3,000–$5,000—compared to a few hundred dollars for Boomers. (The Cost of Raising a Child, 2017) Nearly a quarter of young adults cite finances as the main reason, they’re not having children. Single-income families are rare: in 2026, 42% of Gen Z live paycheck to paycheck, including many earning over $100,000. (Minkin et al., 2024)

The Job Market: More Degrees, Less Security

Colleges will award over two million bachelor’s degrees this year, but a diploma no longer secures a stable job. (Arrojas, 2023) The unemployment rate for recent college graduates (ages 22 to 27) is 5.3%, meaning thousands will leave school and still struggle to find steady work. (College Enrollment and Work Activity of High School Graduates News Release – 2023 A01 Results, 2024) Compare this to earlier decades: in the 1980s and 1990s, the unemployment rate for recent grads hovered closer to 3%, and a four-year degree nearly guaranteed entry into a middle-class job with benefits. (Unemployment Rate for College Graduates (1992-2026), 2025) Today, entry-level jobs require advanced technical skills—35% require AI literacy—yet only 10% of graduates enter the technology sector. (Gatta, 2026) Many graduates accept lower-paying jobs; starting pay in education, social work, and counseling is just $48,000 to $52,000, which is barely enough for rent, student debt, or a mortgage. (Social Counselor Salary in the United States, 2026) The pathway from graduation to economic security is no longer assured like it was for generations past.

The Political Consequences: Why Socialism Is Surging

Gen Z and Millennials are turning away from capitalism. Among Americans aged 18–29, only 19% identify as “capitalist,” down from 29% in 2020. Just 26–39% view capitalism favorably; 62% view socialism favorably. Only 9% of young Democrats support capitalism. For young Republicans, support has fallen to 59%, down from 67%. Young conservatives are shifting toward economic populism, with 53% supporting the MAGA movement over corporate capitalism. (University, 2025)

But “socialism” for young Americans doesn’t mean Soviet communism—it means a call for robust social safety nets: affordable healthcare, student debt relief, and access to housing. It’s a direct response to a system they perceive as rigged against them. Nearly half (48%) of Gen Z believe society’s rewards should be distributed by need rather than by productivity. (Blake, 2024) Waiting for the “Great Wealth Transfer”—the projected $84 trillion Baby Boomers are expected to pass down over the next two decades (Hanley, 2026)—is not an option for them. They want change now.

The Choice for Republicans: Reform or Forfeit to socialism.

Conservatives, as espoused by Republican people of color, stand at a crossroads. If capitalism is to survive—and if Republicans want to compete and win in future elections—the party must directly address the needs of Gen Z and Millennials. The next generation will play a decisive role in determining which party leads the country in the coming years. Unless Republicans deliver policies that offer real solutions and a tangible stake in the American Dream, young voters will continue to turn away, costing the party crucial votes and ultimately control over national and local elections. The system must show Gen Z and Millennials something real to believe in if Republicans want to secure both the future of capitalism and their own electoral future. That means:

Making homeownership accessible again by reforming zoning laws to allow for increased housing supply, reducing barriers for first-time buyers, and expanding affordable lending options specifically targeted at young families and individuals.

Reforming healthcare and childcare costs by increasing subsidies for childcare, expanding access to public options, and supporting reforms to reduce out-of-pocket healthcare expenses, ensuring that starting a family is attainable for more people.

Supporting entrepreneurship through expanded access to startup capital, providing targeted grants and mentorship programs, and streamlining the process for young Americans of all backgrounds to establish and grow small businesses.

Expanding access to technical and vocational training by increasing federal investment in apprenticeships, incentivizing public-private partnerships, and promoting alternatives to four-year college degrees in high-demand sectors.

If we do not act, the current economic system will collapse. Socialism will not come from the top; it will rise from a generation with nothing to lose. Capitalism and the Republican Party will only survive if we let the next generation own part of America. Otherwise, they will build a new system. Yet, there is a unique opportunity before us: Republicans can lead with vision and practical solutions, giving young Americans new reasons to believe in the future of our country.

By meeting this moment, we can revitalize both the American Dream and our Republican party, ensuring prosperity and leadership for generations to come. We at Republican People of Color will keep espousing these values in long form articles for now till we get access to resources to do so in popular culture engine means for mass consumption in America, inshallah, easier said than done, we need allies, friends and partners to cause in joining our, peacefully and nonviolently,  so others can take these ideas forward, till we are allowed back the freedom, liberties, and rights in America. Please spend time on the website www.rpoc.org. We are doing this grassroots work for America, despite outrageously stacked odds set by a systematic, coordinated, well-funded, and well-organized process. It is what it is.

If we want capitalism to last, it must work for everyone—not just early entrants. This is the way forward.

These challenges did not appear overnight; they took generations to manifest, helped by the uniparty system, whether Democrats or Republicans. Before, in the trickle-down economic model that has now turned to a drip economy for the next generations of our Free People Power, we, the people. The American way of life is dying on our watch if no changes happen; capitalism is on the way out. Hello socialism, over taxation, centralized government, social engineered megamarket, and control by bureaucrats is all on our horizon. If that happens, we introduce the kissing cousin of communism, socialism, into our American way of life, and everything changes for top-down centralized control.

The most dangerous words, according to President Ronald Reagan, are: “We are from the government, and we have come to help you.” No, this country will be for the bureaucrats by the bureaucrats claiming to be for the people, period. This is what Milton Freidman warned us about for a generation in America.

Socialism has failed everywhere it has been applied on this planet. Mohamed Ahmed, a proud American Immigrant from the old world, in our new world called America, we know too well from Somalia, Venezuela, Cambodia, East Germany, Cuba, the Soviet Union, and Yemen that this is our future. This must not happen if we are to see another 250 years of American glory and prosperity for all. We are mostly conservatives and republicans’ lovers of capitalism as we know it, without bias, crony means galore now today by uniparty format of America, we seek for true capitalism merit applied means of it to be free and fair, we all have work to do. If we are allowed freedom as Republican People of Color, to do so in America. To spread this gospel of economic prosperity for all, no exception, no exclusion for the American races of people, the red, white and blue folks all of us, Inshallah.

Yet the dominant political narrative, often shaped by psychological operations and media, seeks to blame today’s Republican leadership for these trends. (Schultz, 2024) To be clear, the Trump administration made significant reforms, including raising the SBA lending cap to $10 million to help Gen Z and Millennials start businesses. In addition, recent Republican-led policies have extended Pell Grant eligibility for career training programs, expanded 529 education savings for apprenticeships, and increased funding for career and technical education. The GOP has also championed reforms to make health insurance more accessible to young adults, such as expanding short-term health plans and facilitating association health plans for small businesses and freelancers. By doubling the child tax credit, Republicans put more money in the pockets of young families. As Gen X, Gen Z, and Millennials, we believe real incentives are needed to encourage family growth: expanded child tax credits and direct inducements to have children.

What good is America if the next generations are unable to have babies to carry its flag forward?

We urge Republican leaders: make housing affordable for young families. Limiting corporate home purchases was progress. Do not let big banks and hedge funds block homeownership for ordinary nobody citizens Americans. True Republican values are opportunity and individual ownership, not top-down control. We should refuse the renters economy for our next generations of free people power in America. We all free people power want to own something of America.

Republican People of Color warn: if affordability isn’t addressed in the coming elections, socialism will come to America, and capitalism will disappear. Taxes, maximum control, and government spending will rule. As capitalists, we echo Thomas Sowell: “How much of someone else’s sweat are we entitled to?” The next generation receives nothing in today’s system. If we do not fix this, they will demand a new one. The Democrat Socialist Alliance is saying try us, we will tax away America into prosperity for the millennials and Gen Z, and sad to say they are going because the current system has failed them in our new drip economic models. If the polls are to be believed today in political play. Think about this even NYC home of wall street capitalism has a socialist mayor! As Bob Dylan sang, times they are changing fast, America.

Don’t let these donkeys kick us into socialism the kissing cousin of communism, to own the next midterm and elections for a generation!

Let’s go, elephants, we got work to do!

References

Tierney, A. (2025). U.S. wealth distribution 1989-2025, by generation. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1376622/wealth-distribution-for-the-us-generation/

Conte, N. (2025). Charted: American Income vs. Home Prices (1985–2025). Visual Capitalist. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/charted-american-income-vs-home-prices-1985-2025/

Thompson, E. & Pagan, S. (May 20, 2026). Housing Affordability Edges Up in First Quarter but Challenges Persist. National Association of Home Builders. https://www.nahb.org/news-and-economics/press-releases/2026/05/housing-affordability-edges-up-in-first-quarter-but-challenges-persist

(2017). The Cost of Raising a Child. U.S. Department of Agriculture. https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2017/01/13/cost-raising-child?os=0slw57psd

Minkin, R., Horowitz, J. M. & Aragão, C. (July 24, 2024). Why US adults say they don’t have kids. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2024/07/25/reasons-adults-give-for-not-having-children/

Arrojas, M. (December 14, 2023). Job Outlook Down for 2024 College Graduates. BestColleges. https://www.bestcolleges.com/news/job-outlook-2024-college-graduates/

(April 22, 2024). College Enrollment and Work Activity of High School Graduates News Release – 2023 A01 Results. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/hsgec_04232024.htm

(2025). Unemployment Rate for College Graduates (1992-2026). MacroTrends. https://www.macrotrends.net/2510/unemployment-rate-college-graduates

Gatta, M. (April 19, 2026). Demand for AI Skills in Entry-level Jobs Nearly Triples Since Fall 2025. NACE. https://naceweb.org/job-market/trends-and-predictions/demand-for-ai-skills-in-entry-level-jobs-nearly-triples-since-fall-2025

(2026). Social Counselor Salary in the United States. Salary.com. https://www.salary.com/research/salary/recruiting/social-counselor-salary

University, T. I. (April 30, 2025). Harvard Youth Poll Reveals Mounting Strain on Young Americans — Financial, Institutional, and Social. Harvard Youth Poll. https://iop.harvard.edu/press-releases/harvard-youth-poll-reveals-mounting-strain-young-americans-financial-institutional