I have discovered that I am the ultimate political minority. To begin, I am part of a small subset of constituents who actually contact Congress. Then I am in a sliver of that small subset of angry constituents that is composed of voters below age 25.

I hope you are too. It’s good to think and talk and tell others about political issues. But it’s another thing, and the next necessary step, to take action. Fortunately, it’s as easy as picking up the phone.

I don’t think NextGenGOP should become a political alert center, a blog focused on what’s happening and what you can do about it. But at the same time, there are some issues that demand push, pull, and outrage (for example, Aaron’s coverage of Congressional pay hikes).

So let me stand on a soapbox for a minute–and then I’ll return to long-winded posts about issues and communication. The House is trying to push through its pork-filled $487-billion omnibus spending bill (HR 1105) this week, oh so conveniently in the same week as President Obama is set to give his first address to a joint session of Congress (and, incidentally, send many tingles up Chris Matthews’s leg).

Guess what? It’s our future Congress is mortgaging. So take charge and do something. Call your representative and start asking questions about the bill. If the youth (that would be us) want their vote to be courted, they (and, again, that would be us) better start demonstrating that we care and–more importantly–that we will not be silent.

Here are some notes to start your conversation: interesting expenditures I happened to stumble upon while perusing the text.

• $550 million – National Railroad Passenger Corporation grants (read: Amtrak subsidies) [p991]
• $234,977,000 – support of Howard University, a renowed college (and HBC often called the Black Harvard), but why the only college selected for pet government support? [p643]
• $210 million – Long Island Railroad terminal in Grand Central
• $155 million – National Foundation on Arts and Humanities [p524]
• $80 million – restoration of Pacific salmon populations [p99]
• $31 million – US Institute of Peace [p752]
• $17,687,000 – Supplemental Education GRants to the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands [p630]
• $13,900,000 – Open World Leadership Center Trust Fund [p734]
• many millions – individual grants for individual cities in railroad/public transit(?) lines [p1001-1005]
• $5 million – renovation of the Herbert C. Hoover building [p101]
• $3,497,000 – research at the National Center for National Products Research [p76]
• $2,610,000 – Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe [p755]
• $2,400,000 – Southeastern Poultry Research Lab in Athens, Georgia [ABC]
• $2,234,000 – Commission of Fine Arts [p526]
• $2,200,000 – Center for Grape Genetics in Geneva, NYew York [ABC]
• $1,800,000 – Honey Bee Lab in Weslaco, Texas [ABC]
• $1,408,000 – Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection [Div A Sec 732]
• $599,000 – Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad [p755]
• $500,000 – pilot program of postal patron postcards by senators for the purpose of providing notice of meetings within the county which the senator will personally attend [p698]
• $469,000 – agriculture pest facility in Hawaii [p76]
• $469,000 – Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Foods, and Markets [Div A Sec 732]
• $430,000 – John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Development [p734]
• $94,000 – Graham Avenue Business Improvement District in New York [Div A Sec 732]
• $209,000 – improving blueberry production and efficiency in Georgia [ABC]
• $??? – After September 30, 2008, the Secretary of Labor shall issue monthly transit subsidies not less than the full amount (not less than $115) each employee of the National Capital Region is eligible to receive. [p571]

Last 5 posts by Abby Alger

• Helping the Right Online, One PDF at a Time - March 29th, 2009
• Kids These Days - March 17th, 2009
• Re: Attacking Obama - February 5th, 2009
• What does youth voter outreach look like? - January 11th, 2009
• Let’s Fix the System - December 28th, 2008