♪ >> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. same-sex marriage also begin on monday in new jersey. the state's supreme court ruled to uphold an earlier decision. governor chris christie said the determination should be left up to the people of new jersey, but he'll comply with the court's decision. a manhunt is underway for two convicted kill whose simply walked out of a prison with forged release documents. officials say days after their release the two fugitives even registered like they were registered to do with the orange county jail.

bay area rapid transit areas are on strike for the second time in four months. the negotiations fell apart last night over enlisted issues. the bart train leaves thousands with no way to get around president obama has nominated jay johnson, the pentagon's former top lawyer and would succeed janet napolitano. those are the headlines. inside story is next here on al jazeera america. ♪ >> as dysfunction reigns in washington and trust in congress plummets, a look at the millennial generation. 95 million strong and ready to

change everything. that is tonight's inside story. >> hello everybody, i'm david shuster. the government shutdown and the fight over the debt ceiling last the 16 days and the poll shows americans did not like what they saw. republicans are taking a hit, but so are democrats and president obama. younger americans, the so-called millennial generation, those born between 1980 and 2003, are the most dissatisfied with the public institutions, and they want to do more about it. what lies ahead when the tech-savvy service-oriented generation makes its mark on america. >> reporter: the quiet coffee

shop is an easy walk from the white house. but it's miles and miles away from the heart of conventional political washington. inside you're sure to meet a millennial. >> i think in general the way society is going right now, it's a good direction. the way politics are going is not. but in terms of like societal movement and like really working for equality, it's awesome. >> reporter: he's one of the 95 million americans in their 20s and early 30s. they do not believe government is a solution to what ails the country. >> i don't know if government can make those changes. i think actively engagement is what we need. and you don't have to have a government position to affect change in the government. >> i believe i can make my own path in the world, and i actually don't think the government is really all that consequential in any way in my life. it's just like another

corporation. >> they have no concept of what the rest of the country wants of them or needs, and i think it's sad, and it's disappointing. >> millennials are the first internet generation. they're socially conscious, goal oriented and trained in public service. >> the vast majority of millennials believe the way to solve national problems not local problems but national problems is to do so at the local level. they think if everyone in the community can get together and work on something it will get fixed. then through social media it will spread from community to community, and eventually the nation will be changed. >> reporter: legal menials are idealistic but their political ideaideology might surprise you. 86% believe social security should have private accounts. 74% believe medicare and 73%

believe in free trade and only 38% support affirmative action. >> the democratic process is so flawed and varied from what it was intended to be at this point. >> it's important that we allow ourselves to be seen not just as casualees of what ever is happening but to be actively engaged an invested in this country. >> reporter: they will undermine top-down leadership. they will substitute forth the will of the crowds as a way to reach consensus decision making, and nowhere will this disruption be more evident and more clear to the american public than when it comes to the congress. millennials grew up in relative of a fleaffluence, and then sudt was yanked it away and they and their families found themselves in difficulties.

they have become more optimistic. more determined to change things. they do not link away in despair. they don't whine, they don't cry. they unite and they go change the world, which is with what we expect millennials will do this time. >> when the baby boom generation retires the government will need 200,000 people to fill the void. it's not clear whether the millennial generation will step up. right now less than 10% say they want to work in government. >> i feel i could reach my goals much better through my own path and not through working for someone or some larger institution. >> we're struggling between being raised to pursue great dreams and facing the reality that is real life. >> reporter: if you want to know where the future social and political power is, check out a coffee shop just a short walk from the white house or a city

hall near you. >> nor me being millennial means thinking about what is going to be different in this century versus the century that we left 1234 when we come back our panel discussion with three millennial americans and their different takes of government and citizenship in the 21st century.

>> welcome back to "inside story." we're talking about the millennial generation. joining us now is erica williams with ews strategies. and san francisco ben berkowitz, and from austin, texas. erica, i want to start with you. everything that was dysfunctioning in washington or did that change your view? >> being a millennial coming up in a time with many institutions

that our parents believed in or failed or is significantly broken for us. public education, government, religious institutions. so there is a natural skepticism of how government works and how many institutions in our society works. that said research has shown that millennials still believe in their ability to change these institutions. it's not complete abandonment but there is a sense that it drastic changes are needed. >> i see you shaking your head, tell me why. >> i would agree very much with erica that government is completely and utterly--it's completely and utterly useless to us. we've seen it break down so much in the past few years especially with regards to the shutdown and we see how non-essential it is to our daily lives. libertarian christians is a project of mine to talk to

christian churches throughout the nation and really throughout the world what a christian should think about the role of government in our lives, what sorts of theological implications. >> you're challenging government and church but i want to challenge you on that government is utterly useless. it was the government that killed osama bin laden and makes sure that the water is safe to drink and safe to eat, am i wrong? >> well, so many of the government institutions within it can be operated legitimately through marketplace forces. even those things that do seem essential are often done completely irresponsebly and with wanton disregard often for human life and of course its supported through th the deluded taxpayer, through the coercion of resources through taxation. >> i want to talk about your

experience with government institutions, and do you share this view? >> i've been working at the local level for the last six years. we've seen municipal crises, budget crises the last six years most dramatically starting in 2007, what we've also seen are citizens getting much more actively involved. what i think they're really frustrated with government, it's not being presented with apathy. on the other side, i have seen a lot of encouraging response from local governments and willingness to change the way we do business, and to really think about how we move forward as a country. >> then on the local level you have a fascinating project, seeclickfix.com. it allows people to take pictures of potholes, broken stop lights, etc., and takes

pictures and send it to the municipal government. >> we started seeclickfix because we had trouble communicating with our government in knew haven. being able to create these transactions between citizens and their government, and see the feedback loop when the issue gets fixed breaks down some of the barriers we're experiencing with connecting with local government. i'm not sure that we're ready to have that experience yet with the federal government. i don't think we know really where the friction points are between citizens and the federal government. i think certainly we got close this week to finding out. most people would be very aware if the federal government went into default. all the people on food stamps, as an examiner, would suddenly have that experience that i had when we started seeclickfix when we couldn't get potholes fixed

in the street or graffiti removed from a building. >> erica, as far as the institution of philanthropy, is that where you see things going where philanthropy at a local and community level rather than the larger institutional level. >> i'm seeing both, this new trend of micro philanthropy with people to invest in programs and causes they can see an immediate local impact. that is certainly a trend. that said, we know young people believe, and research shows that harvest came out with a poll that young people and young americans no longer believe that politics are able to solve their problems they still do believe in their ability and the necessity of their work to actually change that. this is the yes, we can. this is the generation that really believes that there is nothing that we can't fix and solve. whether that happens inside, it's up for debate. i think a lot of people are

doing exactly what ben is doing, ways to create, innovate and bring solution to government. also at a later date more will enter government. >> norman, i wonder what limitations there may be when you focus strictly on a local parish or church when you have a vatican or pope dictating certain policies towards the church? >> even the catholic church has what is called a principal subsidiary why they have said they want problems to be solved at the most local level possible. when you do have issues of poverty and of despair at a local level these are things that local congregations can often work together and help oh solve. my church here in town operates with a number of other congregations of differin diffeg

denominations to work with the local food bank. we've done this for years with little local government whatsoever. these are the types of things when people, churches, small businesses, whoever, are allowed to ban together and create solutions on their own they end up doing much better, much more efficient work than what the government is able to do. >> to that point all the work that you're doing on the local level, i can see how that reinforces your view that local solutions are much better than federal government solutions but are there certain limitations the local government cannot go in and provide national security. >> absolutely. i'm a perfect example. that. i'm a member of a small local church. i will die for my church. i love and maintain membership my entire life and we're

certainly very effective in administering local aid and administering to a local community. that said, i have spent my career engaging with people in the country to figure out how the government and other institutions can help them live out their purpose and affect dramatic change not just on a national but an international level. >> do you assume therefore for most millennials there is this view the government will exist and there is a certain role for the government to play, but to make change it has got to happen on a local level. and to make change in local business you have to do the sort of thing that you're doing, interacting and starting with municipal government? >> absolutely. i think we're not looking at the eradication of the federal government or anyone who believes it should not exist. i think we're looking at a civic reset. we're saying we haven't been participating enough as a nation, globally as well. and its time to get more involved to help out, to not

just show up at the voting booth every two or four years, but it's really participate in new ways. of course, these kind of community efforts have been happening through organizations and churches and through the internet we're seeing it on a much more personal level as well. that's when you start to see neighbors coming out and saying, you know, we can fund a new dog park together or improve this, improve this bus stop together. something that does happen. >> just to be clear if the federal government comes to you and says, look at these federal buildings, we want to use se see seeclickfix, you're not going to turn down that contract. >> oh, absolutely not. we would love to be able to help. >> we're going to stick around and look ahead to the future and talk more about how millennial

americans may change our country in the decades ahead. this is inside story. >> every morning from 6 to 10am al jazeera america brings you more us and global news than any other american news channel. find out what happened and what to expect. >> start every morning, every day, 6am to 10 eastern with al jazeera america. millions who need assistance now. we appreciate you spending time with us tonight. up next is the golden age of hollywood going golden but elsewhere. why l.a.'s mayor has declared a state of emergency for the entertainment industry there. next.

>> i think we have our own challenges. it's not fair to say we have life easy. cyber bullies that's something that they haven't had to deal with. they say we're narcissistic. i don't think that's true. we have our own values and views on things. it's not fair to say that we're narcissistic or ignorant. i've heard that before. that's not fair either. >> welcome back to inside story. that was alex is a rogers, a

student in dallas, texas. she was highlighting as she sees the disconnect between her generation and older once. we go to erica williams, and ben berkowitz and from austin, another man horn, a professional engineer and blogger at libertarian christians.com. erica, how big of a gab do you u see between your generation and older generation, viewing your generation as being mars assistic, ignorant. >> that is a huge gap. this generation is the most specificallcivilly engaged and d generation. it may not be the same level of political engagement and

involvement. it may look like increased levels of volunteerism, increased levels and new models of philanthropy but we're certainly not narcissistic. the research shows that, and all the entrepreneurs going out. ben here is a perfect example of seeing a problem and fixing it. i don't think he's rear or i'm rearrare, i don't think any of s are rare. we're using tools at our disposal that was different from our parents. >> the research shows that the best and brightest are still headed to wall street and high-paying jobs and not so concerned about benevolence. maybe some of the projects you're involved may be the exception rather than the rule. what can society do to draw more millennials into the type of projects that you and your team are involved in? >> yeah, i think that's a good question, and to piggy back and

contrast eric's point a bit, our data show that a large number of our database are actually boomers. someone told me yesterday that they were at a community center in oakland, and a woman was displaying her first smart phone. she had explained that her son put the first app on the phone, and it was seeclickfix. i think millennials are the first natives to the internet that is creating this engagement. with other millennials and with our parents i think it's a matter of time before they see that suing these digital devices, speaking up is not a fruitless activity any more. more is coming on this personal investment of time and in time i think we'll see more people coming to the table. >> norman, how do you see the institutions existing for the

millennial generation 20 or 30 years from now? >> certainly things are going to change. a lot of it is due to the internet. respect, for instance, to the church, i find that our elders, the boomers and older generation are supportive to those of us who are trying to use technology and new means to enact social change in various ways. whether that looks like trying to engage in the public square a little differently, local government, larger, or whether that looks like doing benevole benevolent-type projects they're interested in seeing what we can do. they have a lot of recommendations for us and we should respect that wisdom in many cases. they're willing to give us a chance, and they're willing to let us experiment in ways that they never anticipated. so what i would expect to see happen in the church in the long run is that we try to continue this conversation between these generations and try to come to a

better understanding of each other and work towards greater social change over the long term using the wisdom of all ages and some that are more new technological means. >> as far as interacting with the federal government and the legislative branch in congress, do you see much more sort of town holes that are electronic town halls or digital exchange not by calling members of congress but e-mailing them and sending them your views? >> absolutely. we're seeing taking advantage of technology, but it's a slow process. we're talking about a huge institution really trying to adapt technologies in what is a complicated bureaucracy. >> yet your generation is not very patient to things that take much time. >> i wouldn't say that we're not patient but what we're seeing between this generation and the next generation is the way we want to change. one, is efficiency.

are we using the best of our resources, the amount of time that we have to get the highest possible results? i think sometimes in the past bureaucracy has been an impediment to that, and the second is values. we have not talked about that much in this conversation, not better values or greater values but different values, transparency, accountability, tolerance. technology efficiency and value shift will see a dramatic change in many institutions that we're talking about. >> ben, what do you see in the institution 20 to 30 years from now? >> yes, absolutely, i think our federal government really needs to do a better job as providing access both ways. you know, under this administration there has been a real effort on transparency, on opening data, on making the federal website and by nature the different organizations within the federal government more acces accessible.

where i think there is a lot of work that needs to be done is also in allowing th the influx k in. the federal government needs to do a better job of listening and understanding where those touch points are for citizens. i don't think that's clear right now but i think it will become more apparent as we move forward. >> do you think the federal government can at least take steps to get to that vision? >> i'm not, our history shows that them using crises to ratchet up power for themselves. even this shutdown we've been experiencing and now coming to an end shows that they're out for political theater in order to abscond with political power in various ways. >> any optimism that you have? >> i do, institutions are systems and structure and people, and we have to work an

changing both at the same time. as we get young people who are willing to bring new ideas and technology and willing to step up and run for office and work for federal government, which there are young people who are doing that. i think the combination of those two force also see great change. >> erica williams, thank you very much. and in san francisco, ben berkowitz, founder of se seeclik seeclickfix.com, and norman horn, thank you very much. we appreciate it. that is it from the team in washington, d.c. and from me, david shuster, for now, you can log on to our twitter and facebook page, thanks for watching everybody, i'm david shuster.

>> senator bernie sanders, independent of vermont, is a rarity in american politics. >> yaiblgly yied, i'm depressed i'm disgusted. >> from the russell senate office building on capitol hill. senator