1. #Lead2012 A BLUEPRINT FOR 21 ST CENTURY GOVERNANCE… BUILT BY YOU. AN INITIATIVE OF THE ROOSEVELT INSTITUTE | CAMPUS NETWORK

2. #Lead2012 GOVERNMENT BY AND FOR The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country. - President Franklin D. Roosevelt Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us.

3. #Lead2012 GOVERNMENT BY AND FOR We’ve got challenges to solve.

4. #Lead2012 GOVERNMENT BY AND FOR ‘Decaying roads, bridges, railroads and transit systems are costing the United States $129 billion a year…if investments are not made soon…within 10 years, U.S. businesses would pay an added $430 billion in transportation costs, household income would fall by $7,000, and U.S. exports will fall by $28 billion.’ – American Society of Civil Engineers If this year’s fiscal cliff were to occur due to congressional inaction, the National Institute of Health would lose $2.5 billion, the Food Safety and Inspection Service would see an $86 million loss, and there would be over 9.4% cuts to defense programs. - National Public Radio In the past three decades, the cost of attaining a college degree has increased more than 1,000 percent…this debt often burdens entire families for decades and can stunt the very economic mobility that higher education is designed to offer. - Campus Progress ‘Only six percent of children born to parents at the bottom of the socio-economic milieu make it to the top…Children in many European countries have greater socio-economic mobility than those in the United States. - Mark Edwards, Executive Director of Opportunity Nation To name a few….

5. #Lead2012 GOVERNMENT BY AND FOR These challenges will require all of us as citizens working proactively, creatively, and collectively.

6. GOVERNMENT BY AND FOR But today, only 29% of young people believe they have a say in government and the future of this country.

7. #Lead2012 GOVERNMENT BY AND FOR And see non-profits and businesses ahead of the democratic process and government as drivers of bold social change.

8. #Lead2012 GOVERNMENT BY AND FOR WHY?

9. #Lead2012 GOVERNMENT BY AND FOR The United States Congress has an approval rating of 17%. Despite the most severe economic crisis since the 1930’s, this has been the most unproductive congress since the 1940’s.

10. #Lead2012 GOVERNMENT BY AND FOR This year alone, over 5 million voters, mostly of young, low-income and minority background, will be disenfranchised because of voter suppression efforts – that’s 5 million people who have no voice in their future.

11. #Lead2012 GOVERNMENT BY AND FOR It is instead 'corruption' in a sense that our Framers would certainly and easily have recognized: They architected a government that in this branch at least was to be…'dependent upon the People alone.' You have evolved a government that is not dependent upon the People alone, but that is also dependent upon the Funders. That different and conflicting dependence is a corruption of our Framers' design, now made radically worse by the errors of Citizens United.” -Harvard Profressor Lawrence Lessig, in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee To date, Super PACS have spent over $242 million in the 2012 elections.

12. #Lead2012 GOVERNMENT BY AND FOR Something is not working. We can do better… …to live up to our nation’s democratic ideals, values, and potential.

13. #Lead2012 GOVERNMENT BY AND FOR To affect the positive change we wish to see, and realize our vision for the future, we need to realize a democratic system that empowers all of us and is at the forefront of progress.

14. We know it’s possible. 1830’s: Local government financed free mandatory primary schools, catapulting the United States as an education leader on the world stage in less than 20 years. In the 19 th century, government ushered in an era of unprecedented commercial trade by building canals in New York, Massachusetts, Delaware, Pennsylvania. In the 20 th century, the internet originated as Pentagon defense technology, and the National Institute for Health spurred major medical breakthroughs. To name a few. CIVIL RIGHTS UNIVERSAL VACCINATION HIGHWAY SYSTEM GI BILL 19 TH AMENDMENT SOCIAL SECURITY ELECTRIFICATION CLEAN AIR ACT ENERGY INNOVATION BRETTON WOODS AGREEMENT THE MARSHALL PLAN

15. #Lead2012 GOVERNMENT BY AND FOR So how do we build a Flexible Responsive Efficient Inclusive Participatory Forward-thinking Bold Proactive Problem-solving Visionary GOVERNMENT?

16. It starts with us, as a generation.

17. #Lead2012 GOVERNMENT BY AND FOR As the largest and most diverse generation in this country’s history, we have the opportunity – and responsibility - to change the name of the game – to go bolder and better.

18. #Lead2012 GOVERNMENT BY AND FOR So the Roosevelt Institute Campus Network, the largest student policy organization in the country, is building a to redefine our democracy in the 21 st century.

19. #Lead2012 GOVERNMENT BY AND FOR It’s not just a vision, but an ACTION PLAN to reclaim government as a vehicle for driving bold, positive change. Let’s get started. It’s time to change the game.