We have a great opportunity here at Syracuse University to exploit current political contention, the divided state of the nation and the sense shared across ideological lines – that if the other party has their way in Washington, we are all doomed.

We should exploit these passionate feelings regarding the actions and role of government by calling on our very own College Republicans and College Democrats to debate.

Using polarization to provoke thought is the goal.

The public expression of political arguments with clearly defined assumptions and logically derived conclusions is something we all need at SU because it forces us to question our convictions.

Too often we make conclusions that form the foundations of our political beliefs based on intuition. In other words, sometimes we support policies because they sound nice, and we should stop.

For instance, a college student might justify federal student aid this way: the government is helping us pay for college, and because this sounds good, it is good — look no further.

It is time to throw out intuition and take up reason; there are plenty of popular issues of importance for college students to debate, from fiscal policy and federal student aid, to gun rights, minimum wage and immigration policy reform.

Regarding fiscal policy, the College Republicans would likely remind us that all current federal borrowing and spending will be repaid by subtracting from the future earnings of today’s college students – such is the nature of borrowing. We get something now but must pay for it later.

Hence, it is in the interests of today’s college students to require justification for every dollar borrowed and spent.

For example, it is undeniable that without reform, costly government programs such as Medicaid, Medicare and social security mean more debt or new tax hikes.

“Slowing the growth of government debt to hold down future interest payments would require increases in taxes or reductions in government benefits and services,” according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives made their position clear in an open letter to President Barack Obama: no reform. House Democrats urged the president to “reject any proposals to cut benefits” and opt for “more fair revenue-raising policies,” meaning they want more taxes.

We are the future taxpayers. If we do nothing, we will be made to pay. A debate would tell us if our College Democrats also reject reform and want to make us pay.

Regarding the long-term solution to unprecedented future debt, we should have a debate because favoring entitlement reductions or increased taxes is contentious. More debt, however, is not an option.

Continuing current policy means a debt-to-gross domestic product ratio that passes 150 percent before 2033, according to the CBO’s 2012 Long-Term Budget Outlook. Because doing nothing is not a valid option, new options must be defined and arguments must be made that justify them.

Since the effects of government debt accumulation will be felt in a decade if we do not divert from current policy, college students should be most interested in this issue. How Washington handles this situation will determine the limits of our prosperity.

Of the student body, our College Republicans and College Democrats are best suited to take on this task.

Michael Stikkel is a junior computer engineering major and MBA candidate in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at mcstikke@syr.edu.

Published on February 25, 2013 at 2:20 am