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Young America's Great Expectations

"The Economics Driving the Youth Vote," our Jan. 21 Cover Story, was a response to the strong turnout in Iowa of young people for the youngest Presidential candidate, Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.). The article examined the forces driving America's 43 million Millennials, the 18- to 29-year-olds also called Gen Yers. It described this generation's collective economic angst—about debt, medical care, Social Security, and the lack of decent-paying jobs. Reader reaction? Online and off, it quickened into a debate between the Gen Yers, who believe they've inherited an economic mess, and baby boomers and Gen Xers, many of whom complain about what they see as Millennials' sense of entitlement. For the record, our story was produced by a multigenerational team of reporters and editors. We never argued—honest.

I graduated from college back when unemployment was 12% and begged for my first job out of college: washing dishes at a Steak n Shake (SNS). I didn't have health insurance until I got my first "real" job at 25. There is no reason for young people to expect everything to come to them at once. Wasn't then, isn't now.

Screen name: Oh Come On

Now that they realize the world isn't perfect, [Gen Yers] are angry. What do you think got the hippies in a huff and the Gen Xers grumpy? Get in line.

Screen name: Bill

The article points out the unprecedented economic challenges facing Generation Debt and how we're fighting to change the status quo. Yes, we feel "entitled": entitled to job security, affordable education, health care, and retirement—all the "luxuries" previous generations were afforded by way of the government or employers.

Screen name: Rachel

I am surrounded by families whose college-age children are accruing debts at Mach speed while vacationing in exotic locales during spring breaks...and who do not work during the academic year or in the summer. The spiral of debt among the young is symptomatic of a mysterious sense of entitlement. Getting into debt is not synonymous with getting an education.

Mary Engelman
CHERRY HILL, N.J.

We Gen Yers feel angry that we have been handed such huge problems that the previous generation did not have the courage to deal with. What makes us even more angry is that when we ask our leadership questions regarding these problems, we get unclear—political—answers. I want straight-up answers, well-defined solutions, and, most important, follow-through.

Screen name: Mafoo

Thank goodness for this powerful Echo Boom generation. Many of us boomers are sick of the stranglehold the party Establishments have on public policy. Maybe Gen Yers can help us take our country back.

Screen name: Marge

—By Michelle Conlin

How to Spot a True Leader

Here's something that might help the Welch team (The Welch Way, Jan. 21) define the difference between leading and managing. While there is overlap, the core of the matter is this: One person leads people, the other manages things. In other words, a good manager does the thing right. A true leader does the right thing.

Evert Weidner
LANSDALE, PA.

Investing in the Wide, Wide World

"Who's Afraid of Mideast Money?" (In Depth, Jan. 21) correctly points out that the fund managers of the Middle East don't have much experience working on massive projects. Another problem is that few people in the region are educated to understand the intricacies of global trade. The Middle East relies mainly on migrant managers who come to the area for comparatively good salaries. They leave as soon as there is any problem.

Screen Name: Satyendra Gupta

Starbucks: Getting It to Perk Again

About Starbucks ("Howard Schultz's Grande Challenge," News, Jan. 21): To me the problem is obvious. The chain has decided to become the office away from the office for folks who rove, with people sitting around for an hour and up after buying just one item.