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21 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Don't lump all Baby Boomers together and blame us for America's problems.
My entire adult life, as a Democrat I have fought Republicans for:
- Ending war;
- Civil rights;
- Women's rights;
- Gay rights;
- Women's right to have control of their own body;
- Protecting the environment including climate change;
- Education for all;
- Abortion rights;
- Clean air and water;
- Saving the oceans;
- National parks
- Protecting wild animals;
- Ending gun violence, and more.
LiterateHiker
Level 9
June 25, 2019
5
I didn't lump anybody together. I just posted an article that I thought people might be interested in. I'm a boomer myself.
@tnorman1236 when we post an article without comment to the contrary, the assumption is that one approves of or agrees with the article and its message.
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@tnorman1236
The headline: "The Boomers Are To Blame for Aging America."
If you don't agree, wny did you post it?
@LiterateHiker I just thought it was interesting. Am I not allowed to post other points of view?
@LiterateHiker, @genessa You're right. I should have added a comment saying what I think about it. I knew it would piss people off, and yet I didn't comment. Sorry about that.
@tnorman1236 everyone makes a booboo once in a while! i neber makes boobooz muself.
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at first I thought that said boners. that idea was very intriguing. this one? not so much.
JeffMesser
Level 8
June 25, 2019
4
Smirk
I don't know, every generation blames the one before it. It's always been that way, and it will continue.The Boomers blamed their parents, and I wouldn't be surprised if in a couple of decades the Millenials get a lot of flack from their kids for screwing everything up.
bleurowz
Level 8
June 26, 2019
4
I don't see it. Each generation tends to decry the following generations as horrible, not generally the preceding ones, which they tend to remember with fondness (rosy retrospection). In fact, Boomers call the generation before it "The Greatest Generation" while crapping on the generations after it.
@AlPastor You make a good point, so let me reword it. I would say it goes both ways: each generation is both critical of the one before it and the one after it. It was Tom Brokaw who first coined the term "The Greatest Generation," and then only 20 years ago; also, don't forget all the criticism and protests in the 1960's and 1970's from the Boomers against the very conservative and restrictive 1950's, while their parents were very critical of them for their lack of morals... Interestingly, I found this article on how generations are named; seems most of the names come from pop culture and are named or re-named after the fact. [time.com]
It's so eazy, so tempting to fall into the illusion of putting everybody from every generations in single baskets. All the Boomers are like this, all the GenXes and the millenials are like that and so on. I think reality is far more complex than that.
QuidamOutrepont
Level 8
June 26, 2019
4
First off, I am very distrustful of any research funded by The American Enterprise Institute, a conservative, pro-business think tank founded in the 70s and tied to the Repub party. Secondly, propaganda like this is designed to create generational conflict for the purpose of dividing the masses against each other, besides the way they are already turned against each other thru the corporate media on issues of race, gender, sexual orientation, and religion, instead of being focused on their real enemies, namely the 1% and their corporate politicians that serve them instead of the interests of the 99%. I don't buy this generational warfare crap because I am a woke socialist, not a liberal. I have some hope that many of the young also see thru this con too, as they also appear to have realized that socialism is not the scary taboo thing that most older Americans have been conned into thinking it is.
And, BTW, any future problems of SS and Medicare being underfunded could easily be solved by removing the cap on taxing earned income, which is currently something like 135K or so per year and making the rich pay the same % of tax on all their income towards these programs, like the rest of us slobs. Studies have already shown this to be the case, but you won't hear either of the major parties propose this, at least not their mainstream candidates, because it would offend their rich donors.
TomMcGiverin
Level 8
June 26, 2019
4
The solution is socialism! Systematic denial of medical care from the elderly very nicely solves the problem. One of the stupidest article!
zesty
Level 7
June 25, 2019
2
I realize you're being whimsical, as usual, but it's Repubs, not socialists, that are in favor of death panels or the systematic denial of medical care to the elderly, with, of course, the silent collusion of the establishment, corporate Dems as well. True socialists would start with cutting the military budget way down and instead moving the money into education, health care, and infrastructure. But where would the fun and extreme profit be in that for the 1%? That's why it doesn't happen under the present system. Got to keep plenty of desperate, poor people available to exploit for profit and do the shit jobs in the society as well as fill the private prisons and serve in the so-called volunteer military.
@TomMcGiverin Whimsical? You are an incredibly kind person!
@TomMcGiverin Thank you for the compliment and for not being personal. I agree with you regarding the problems caused by private prisons. This system is inhuman and must be changed. True socialists? Don't you see in history that all the socialist implementations resulted in mass murder, hunger and misery?
@zesty I think you may be mixing or confusing socialists with communists. They are not the same thing, even tho they are lumped together in the minds of most people.
@TomMcGiverin Not at all. All the killer, inhuman dictatorships were/are socialist. There are/were no communist countries in human history as per Marxist/Engels definition.
@zesty We'll have to disagree on this zesty.
@TomMcGiverin How many more 100-s of millions should die for you to agree?
@zesty Done zesty..Be nice now....
@TomMcGiverin I'm always nice! Well, most of the time. Unless talk to a socialist. Lol
@zesty But even when you're nice, you're always a very bad girl, lol.....
I'm a boomer fought for civil rights equality ect no other generation has fought for progress moron than ours
bobwjr
Level 10
June 25, 2019
3
You guys had better music, too.
how about the 'greatest generation' which came before the boomers. they were in charge of the country right thru the 90s. they started all the wars/invasions after ww2. they voted for increased deficits & ran the national debt up to unimaginable figures.
it seems that every generation takes out of the system as much as they can get away with.
callmedubious
Level 8
June 25, 2019
3
Bunch of whiners that need to look how each generation works hard to contribute so that the future generations can benefit...better nutrition, better exercise, better supplements, better medical diagnosis, etc. etc. have contributed to longer life spans that will be even longer for the next group...
So many things are taken for granted that people before us and each generation had to work hard for...when I see a young woman who can get a job in a male dominated field I think of how many of us had to struggle for her to do so...when I see a young black person drink from any water fountain, I think of those who fought for that...etc. etc.
We are the generation that takes no guff...let us live out our lives as we want...we are not done yet and too bad...until you get there, it is easy to write off the older generations...
thinktwice
Level 8
June 26, 2019
2
@Mb_Man What did I do....well, I worked to get the 18 year old vote...I was a volunteer at Planned Parenthood to make abortions safe and legal...I protested the Vietnam and subsequent wars...I helped settle in Syrian refugees...spent many weekends cleaning up litter and the beaches...I would post more, but there is no need...a sampling is probably more than most do in a lifetime...
I talk to lots of younger generations and understand the need for a living wage, access to affordable higher education, a place to live independently, the need for keeping our planet viable for all forms of life...
I chose not to have children so that I could use my resources to donate to causes I think will help us all...I can't fix everything, but I think not enough credit is given to some of us that are trying to do what we can and continue to be placed in a group as a whole without much thought to what it would be like if we had done nothing or continue to do nothing...
Yes, there are people in my group that can easily sit back and enjoy their retirement years oblivious to the future generations...but, some of us won't...I am at the height of what I am able to contribute financially and time wise to society...why won't the same people who complain seek our help and help us by letting us know what else we can do?
@Mb_Man What have the millennials given us? Oh yeah, you helped give us Trump, you whiny little bastards. When Bernie didn't get the nomination, the millennials whined and didn't vote or some even voted for Trump. Go fuck your whiney little selves. Take "man" out of your moniker. Men don't whine. Every generation does some good things. Every generation does things which don't turn out well. Yours will be no different.
@Mb_Man You have every right to your anger...I saw more people my age dissing the young as being lazy, big cry babies, etc. I belong to several online sites where I have seen more charitable work than ever before...I have been to protest rallies where most of the people were younger...I am proud of most of the efforts by the younger generation, and, as with most "groups", there are always those that spoil the whole bunch and that people seem to hone in on...
We can't keep bashing each other if we are going to get anything done...let those who can provide the money (mostly boomers) help those with the physical energy and time (mostly younger people who are not yet so jaded and can juggle fifteen thousand things at once)...
I am angry to be put into a group that I feel I don't deserve to be in...I can see how generalized bias has poisoned us against each other...it has to stop...
@Mb_Man He is everybody's problem, and we probably have the most complicated political world on the entire planet given our size and diversity. Don't worry, your generation will have it's opportunity to fuck things up for the generation or two after you, and no doubt will, as will they. Such is life.
@Sticks48 I think not paying attention by all generations to elect a person who is going backwards affects us all and can't be blamed on any one generation...I do agree that some things can't be undone...hindsight teaches us nothing, it seems...
@thinktwice I know, people from every generation voted for Trump. Our generation did the same thing. We whined and didn't vote because the person we wanted didn't get nominated or we said things like it doesn't matter who is in office. In the 2016 election it changed the Supreme Court in a way that may have dire consequences for a long time. Think how much different things would look if those were two more liberal justices on that court. Not all generational ideas seemed bad at the time they were implemented, but unintended consequences do happen.
@Sticks48 Look at the young women who are going to have to do the same thing women my age had to go through...illegal abortions, covert birth control, etc. etc. I am betting every millennial woman is rethinking the consequences of that...bet they are shocked that it would never happen again...
@thinktwice How very true. Reality can be a real bitch.
@Mb_Man I know I won't get any amens here for getting biblical with you all, but it seems like there have been people with their heads up their ass since time began, or at least in the time of Jesus. Something like what he was getting at in the New Testament when he talked about people who could not see the speck of wood in their brother's eye because of the huge wooden beam in their own........hee, hee....
@backwardsman Other assholes. If you pay attention there are plenty of them here and we get along fine. I have no patients for whiny young people. Life is a bitch. It always has been and always will be. Every generation has to deal with crap. Some generations way more than others. Life is what it is and you figure out how to make work for you as best you can, or you don't.
@backwardsman Hahahahahahaha. Look, l think you are an ignorant douchebag, and you feel the same about me, so let's just not respond to each other anymore. You have nothing to say that l have the slightest interest in, and you feel the same about me. Besides, you have a very disturbing fascination with sticking things up asses. 
@Mb_Man exactly what I was thinking...ha ha I am staying out of that fray...ha ha
@Mb_Man Huh? you guys get off my post...lol...I am getting notifications and I am lost in this conversation...weren't we generation bashing? lol
@backwardsman I don't think it is just old farts that were not listening to you...to be fair, your approach is off putting...you lecture and seem to shove it down people's throat instead of wooing them in with a teaser, the opportunity for them to formulate their own conclusions instead of you spoon feeding it to them as you do...there is no discussion because you have already given them the conclusion you want...does it work for you? Appears not...so why not try a different approach that is more palatable to many...I bet by holding back and actually having a dialog, you can get the ear of others to support some of what you say instead of making them immediately tune you out....
@backwardsman sorry, I tried to help...I will butt out..good luck...
Perhaps the solution is to cull the population at 65 so they are not a burden on the state and allow the oh so wise and wonderful youth to believe they are the solution to the world’s problems as we did in 1967!
All I can say to them is don’t get bogged down in the American Dream that you are sold because it doesn’t exist.
Geoffrey51
Level 8
June 25, 2019
3
Nonsense.
The AEI is a right wing business group who eschews regulation.
TommyNIK
Level 6
June 26, 2019
2
That was one of my points. They also have no use for taxes either.
I’m a boomer. 
ADKSparky
Level 8
June 25, 2019
2
Me too. There's a lot of us on this site.
Whether you win or lose it's how you place the blame.
oldFloyd
Level 8
June 26, 2019
1
Great paraphrase and play on the old saying about sportsmanship. My dysfunctional family had a similar attitude, namely, before we start worrying about how to solve the problem or situation, the most important thing is to first make sure we correctly place the blame..........
What is a Boomer ?? <> A child born in the 60's ?? Blame ? Hang on a min there . Aging America can blame time, not a generation of people for the age they are. In my experience it is only privileged children and self created people from that era, that are now causing a lot of problems for the world, as well as America. I am a boomer, as are all of my friends , all of them are the most moralistic great to know people i have ever had the pleasure to know. I have no egotistical friends , no richer than rich friends . I just have average friends whom are all from that boom period . Blame is an odd word , it generally relates to someone needing something, to excuse a situation they don't themselves have an answer for , and need to feel there must be a culprit to lay the responsibility upon . It is not the boomers and there is no blame to place on anyone or anything , that is the result of a natural event, ( time ) . If you want to blame something , blame time , not the people for their age . 
. BTW have you lot all not learned yet , it is not the generation or leaders that dictate to us , they are just the hand puppets to say what they are told to say . A democracy is a "wheel" of sales men, all selling fake parties of division, the wheel is supported by the spokes< The spokes are the sales men, ( politicians ) of each pretend stand alone party . The axis of that wheel of political manipulation, is money, capitalism etc , so every face pretending to be a different political face, is actually using the same tactics as all the others, that are also being controlled and dictated to, by the axis leaders of this whole farce, of a wheel of ever rotating fake parties all representing the same thing , capitalism . It is not the age or the generation of the people leading is the issue , it is exactly what is leading them is the problem , so even if a younger man or woman was in power , it would not matter one iota , nothing would be any different , as the train for want of a better word, is still on the same tracks !!!~!! in the UK we have socialist , nationalist , conservative, liberal, independents etc etc etc However not one of them are any different from the other , even though they will divide the public surgically, into thinking they all stand for different things . But!! here we have capitalistic socialists , nationalists , liberals , torys , indep's etc etc etc . Capitalism has the control of the wheel, the parties are the spokes that support fake political parties, to divide us with, to easier manipulate the public. the game is capitalism , the party that you support no matter its name , is capitalistic .
Pictishpup
Level 3
June 26, 2019
1
Quite true and thank you for the analysis. I was so disgusted by all of my foolish fellow Americans who continue to be conned by identity politics, thinking that if we elected a black man like Obama or a woman like Hillary, that it would really change anything about the system or how our country was run. What fools! Before you know it, TPTB will be selling us a presidential candidate that is a gay Hispanic male in order to suck in all the liberals who think the key is just electing the most diverse type of identity group member, instead of dealing with the real problem of capitalism and control of the society by the 1%.
Actually , boomers were born beginning 9 months after soldiers returned from WWII , so around 1945 . Otherwise , well said !
yes, how dare i be born when i was born and then recklessly keep living even until now. what a terrible thing i've done. i mean, it's not as if i ever was young, and it's not as if people can stay alive for several decades and still have hearts and brains and not be fogies, right? maybe i should just crawl off and die, because i wouldn't want to make an atlantic magazine opinion-holder mad.
g
genessa
Level 8
June 25, 2019
1
You and me both!
We did indeed have a different set of values . When we , as baby boomers borrowed money , we paid it back , both principle and interest , according to the rules set up when we made the agreement to borrow the money . Student loans were created , using an extremely low interest rate , with the intention of the more highly educated students , then being able to get higher paying jobs . Instead , they chose to take the easy courses , that didn't require much effort on their part , that don't have much calling in the job market . Next , they decided to over spend on easy to com by credit cards , with high interest rates . So they simply didn't bother to make the payments in their low interest rate loans . Now , after twenty or thirty years of non-payment , the laws are catching up with them . And these thoughtless , whiners , have now decided they shouldn't pay their loans back at all . We as the tax paying adults , should shoulder their debts .
Cast1es
Level 9
June 29, 2019
0
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