I had the pleasure to interview Greg Varnum tonight on Y Talk Radio. Greg is 25 years old and is the Acting Executive Director for the National Youth Advocacy Coalition. NYAC is the national LGBT organization working with both youth and organizations to maximize the talents that young people have and to help them develop their talents for the future.

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I had someone ask me yesterday what I thought about the Miley Cyrus situation (like I am some expert on pop culture). But…I have to admit that I do follow pop culture closely, because it always offers insight into what some of the greater concerns are for Generation Y (and to me, it’s just fun to follow). While I know our pop tarts are not a true representation of “regular life”, their lives are blown up enough for us to learn a few things from them.

To be honest, as a parent who has had my ups and downs, I have to say that we will all never know the full story of what really went on during the photo shoot, nor would I ever want to pass judgment on the situation . When I look at the slideshow of the photo shoot, it appears to me that Miley and her family were very present and in control of the situation. And…the photos with the sheet show Miley at least wearing jeans underneath. It is also quite well known that Annie Liebowitz does not play it safe as a photographer, and she is a well-respected photographer. The Cirus family is smart…they’ve been doing this a long time, and my hunch is they knew a lot going into this, so I really have more questions than answers.

I would just leave this one question to all Gen Y’s to consider “If your actions, photos, facebook comments or e-mail conversations end up on the front of the newspaper (or in this case Vanity Fair), will you be okay with it?” Also…just know that our Gen Y’s brains are not fully developed until age 21, so even though our kids say they don’t want direction or advice from their parents, they will be grateful later on that you cared enough to step in and guide them along the way. As I always tell my kids who are all Gen Y’s…”I’m  a pain, because I love you. Would you rather I not say anything, because I don’t care about you?” They always say “No…I guess I would rather you care.”

For the first time in a long time, Senator Obama is coming across as someone who is presidential and can address the challenges of someone (Wright) who seems to me to be one of the most narcissistic and self serving men I have observed in a while.   I have been wondering how Obama would handle someone like Wright, and I am now convinced that he can draw a line in the sand when needed.  I believe Obama just saved his reputation and his place on the November ballot.

“The biggest U.S. financial crisis isn’t the housing crunch. It’s the government debt bomb being planted by baby boomers to explode in the faces of their children and grandchildren.”

This is an interesting article in the Baltimore Sun.

It really has given me a great deal to think about. We have certainly created quite a challenge that Gen Y will inherit (along with trying to pay off student loans, pay for healthcare, housing and the escalating price of food and fuel). The article points to our $9 trillion in debt, which is going to leave us with very little resources to address our major concerns surrounding healthcare and education.

We need to get on this today! Start getting involved and doing your part to help out.  Contact your political leaders, and by all means…if you think a certain candidate can help the economy, please get out and vote in your primaries and for the national election. I don’t believe it’s fair for us to just sit and do nothing and let Gen Y carry the burden for us.