U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) had a "conversation" with Arkansas High School students Tuesday morning and described them as the "future of this country."
"It's good to speak to high school students. I enjoy it because you're the future of this country. We will depend on you in more ways than you can imagine," Cotton said to the students.
He said when the parents and grandparents start retiring, the country will need their generation.
"We will have to support the federal government," he said.
The government will have a $20 trillion debt. "This will be a credit card that will come due. We will need you," Cotton said.
"More than anything we will need a sense of idealism and hope," he said.
"America could have gone into despair after 9/11, but the country didn't go into despair," Cotton said.
"Think about it right after 9/11. The economy was already in recession, but more important we lost more than 3,000 lives and it affected tens of thousands. After the attack ground zero was still smoldering and the recession got worse and our lives were changed forever," he said.
"We did not despair. We pulled together. We prayed. We gave blood and people enlisted in the military. I loved the spirit we showed in those day. We had a sense of unity and we could still conquer great challenges. But too many adults became jaded. That's why we need you to renew America and make sure this coming century remains America," Cotton said.
He also suggested students need to become active citizens.
"Look for an opportunity to serve. It can be as simple as going to visit a senior citizen in a nursing home. Let senior citizens know someone cares and someone is out there," Cotton said.
"Help a young child who is neglected through Big Brother or Big Sister. Serve each other. Look for an opportunity to serve. Save souls. You can look back and think of these experiences helping your fellow man to improve their lives. That will make you rich and have a rewarding life," he said.