The economic struggles of young men are not just a result of market forces but a direct consequence of policies that have systematically shifted wealth from younger to older generations. This manifests in unaffordable education and housing, crushing debt, and lower relative wages compared to their parents and grandparents.

Many U.S. policies, from tax cuts to social program funding, effectively shift wealth from younger generations to older ones. This is evidenced by prioritizing Social Security adjustments over the child tax credit, making it harder for young people to achieve economic stability and start families.

Economic policies benefiting older, asset-owning generations at the expense of younger ones are reshaping politics. The traditional left-right divide is becoming less relevant than the conflict between classes, which is highly correlated with age, creating unusual political alliances between formerly opposed groups.

Scott Galloway connects societal issues like declining birth rates to tax policy. He notes that over 40 years, seniors grew 72% wealthier while those under 40 became 24% less wealthy. This economic precarity disincentivizes family formation.

Social Security is framed not just as a successful anti-poverty program, but as a system that annually moves over a trillion dollars from the younger, less wealthy working-age population to the most affluent generation in history, who are often asset-rich.

Galloway argues tax policies like capital gains and mortgage interest deductions disproportionately benefit older asset-holders. He proposes eliminating them and creating tax holidays for people under 30 to combat generational wealth inequality.

The defeat of fiscal hawk Thomas Massie highlights a generational voting divide. His message on the national debt resonated with younger voters who will inherit it, but the larger, older demographic voted him out, demonstrating a preference for immediate concerns over abstract, long-term problems.

The federal budget reflects the values of those who vote. Since young people vote at lower rates than seniors, policies benefiting seniors (like Social Security adjustments) are prioritized over those for children (like the child tax credit), effectively defunding the young.

The notion that politics is a "young person's game" is obsolete. With more older than younger people in America, the most consequential political debates will now revolve around aging policy. Older citizens are becoming more, not less, politically relevant as they age.