[meadsjn]

My two cents.

[meadsjn]

FYI

[B4Ranch]

Good article. Thank you for taking the time to put your thoughts on the web.

[William Tell]

meadsjn said: "The major disconnect among the Boomers, especially the liberals, is that they are incapable of acknowledging the results of their actions. Their intentions are all that matter to them. Whenever one of their hair-brained ideas produces undesirable results, their solution is another even more hair-brained idea. "

I like this line.

The major disagreement I have with this article is the time line. I believe that half-measures will be used to patch things up and allow the socialist experiment to continue for longer than suggested here. I think that we may see thirty years before the chickens come home to roost.

Let's see what happens in Kalifornia in the near term. That will give us an inkling of how the system responds to failing socialism. So far, I am not encouraged.

[xrp]

What an awesome article. I personally have a very strong dislike for the politics of my parents and their peers (especially during the 1960s-1970s era) and almost all of the Gen-Xers I associate with feel the same.

I agree with the article foreseeing the demise of the Democrat Party. It is out of breath. It has no ideas. The Republicans will continue to shift left, however.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Nice work.

[DustyMoment]

The analysis is attributed largely to the book quoted in the beginning which is based on theory.

We boomers didn't make this society on our own and to suggest that the politicians are crooks and liars is too simplistic is the fact of the matter. Selectively analyzing those parts of history that conveniently fit a theory is nice, but the real world works differently.

How will you know-it-all Gen X-ers and Gen Y-ers react when you discover that YOUR politicians have learned all the pretty words that you want to hear and do different things? We boomers aren't/weren't selfish, you have to look at the whole period leading up to the baby boom through today. We tried to make things better in a world where we had no roadmap as a guide. Yes, we made mistakes; your generations will, too. Deal with it.

But, while we made mistakes, we also pushed the envelope with successes in science, exploration, the environment, education, engineering, health, etc., etc. Because of the things we did, you have computers in your rooms, PDAs that fit in your pocket, televisions that fit in your hand, DVDs, better health care, new and better medications that allow you to live longer/better lives, the Internet, better and stronger materials that allow cars to be lighter and use less fuel while providing you with greater crash protection. We have learned how to reduce our reliance on natural resources and recycle materials that means we take less away from the earth's resources; giving you more natural resources to work with. We helped bring freedom, liberty and democracy to millions of people around the world who were suffering under the tyranny of dictators and tyrants. Because of the decisions we made and the risks we took, in many places, the world is much better today than it was when we were born into it.

It is unfortunate that the passage of time has eroded the memories of people who were greatful to the Americans who brought them relief and comfort and freedom. South Koreans, French, Italians, even the British once held us in much greater esteem than they do today. We worked on an international scale to try and help rid the world of poverty and disease and, most of all, we tried to rid the world of fear.

Lofty goals? You betcha. Expensive? I'll guarantee it. But, at the end of the day, we can look ourselves in the mirror and know that we did our best to improve the world we share. Somewhere along the way, our largesse got the better of our political elite who think they have an unlimited supply of money to spend; they began robbing us all by increasing our taxes to pay for ever loftier and more expensive programs promising us that the rewards and benefits of such programs would make America and the world better and safer. They knew they were lying; we didn't. Perhaps you will do better at parsing your politician's promises because we discovered how to.

Of all the things we leave you, though, the one thing you learned well is how to whine. It's all the baby boomers fault!! They were selfish and spoiled and thought of no one else.

Unfortunately, most of us will probably be long gone and living under a mound of dirt before you understand the immaturity of those words and your attitudes and realize that it's much easier to blame someone else than to take responsibility for yourselves. It's much easier to whine and complain than to create and develop in an uncharted field.

Hopefully, your children and your grandchildren won't be like you. Hopefully, they won't blame you for all the ills of the world, but will accept the world into which they were born as a reality and deal with it.

[MotleyGirl70]

Good read. BTTT.

[BureaucratusMaximus]

BTTT!

[NotQuiteCricket]

The thing that irks me the most is the whole "social security" fiasco. People actually think that the government could have "saved" the money that was sent in from their paychecks. This is ridiculous. Think about how much money was sent in, and what would of happened had that money been stacked up in a vault somewhere(inflation). Privatization of social security is not the answer - scrapping the whole thing is the answer. Nanny Government should not be the person to take care of you when you get old, your children or your own savings should be what takes care of you.

[qam1]

Thanks for the Ping. Excellent article.

Only a handful of our elected politicians even pretend to represent the best interests of "ourselves and our posterity". Most of them advocate and implement policies that are clearly detrimental to the survival of the nation and its people. Why? Why are they amassing public debt that can only leave future generations fiscally crippled? Why are they opening up the borders, driving down incomes and causing record numbers of home foreclosures and personal bankruptcies? Why do they look the other way as the wealth and productive capacity of the nation is outsourced to foreign countries that are not even our allies? Why do they steadfastly refuse to reform the regulations and taxation that have driven our industries off shore and caused the unemployment of millions of Americans? Why do our policies regularly discriminate against the productive people of this nation and reward the miscreants? And the big question is: why do the people keep electing these same people over and over? And when will they ever just go away?

I kind of know why, Because there is only 10 things on Baby Boomer's minds Me,Me,Me,Me,Me and Now, Now, Now, Now, Now

There is hope, and it is not to be found in the leadership and policies of the destructive Boomers and Silents that have already brought us to the point of disaster. In a few short years, the Boomers and their elders will be irrelevant to the course of the nation, other than forever bearing the blame for its near destruction.

I disagree with the time frame, The baby boomers are entrenched in positions of power for at least another 10-20 years with more good intention feel good programs to come, Especially in light of the fact that many lived for the moment and haven't saved and we be in the workforce longer than usual. But you are right the Boomers have already secured their place as the Worst Generation in the history of the USA.

There is little doubt where we are in the current cycle if the patterns of history hold true, and there is absolutely no reason to believe we are exempt from the powerful forces of generational shifts that have occurred with stunning regularity for centuries.

I agree though it worse now because never has there been a generation like the Baby Boomers so bent on destroying all the institutions that made America great. A case can be made the "Flappers" of the 20's that lead to the Great Depression were bad but they weren't out there attempting to undermine the country. You have to go back all the way to the end of the Roman Empire to find a Generation and leaders that are as decadent as the modern day Baby Boomers.

In Rome for every Nero and Commodus there was always a Trajan or Severus to follow them to clean up the mess until the very end where the people that could have saved Rome like an Aetius were assassinated by their jealous emperors. In the US for every James Buchanan and Jimmy Carter there was a Lincoln or Reagan to follow to clean up the mess. I am really hoping that continues and we get great Gen-X leaders to come in and pick up the pieces, Lord knows there will be no leaders out of the baby boomers to do it. And though while unlike in Ancient Rome I don't think elitist Baby Boomers will be physically assassinating Gen-Xers but through their hold on the media and academia they will be character assassinating anyone attempting to undo the status quo. 

Boomers created this. They must fix it.

Absolute hogwash.

Ditto and worth repeating. They have done enough already.

This even includes Republican Boomers. It should come to no surprise to anyone that the current crop of Republicans in power right now turned out to be big disappointments (to say the least) because after all they are baby boomers and just because a Baby Boomer has a "R" after their name why would we expect them to act or think any different from the rest of that terrible generation.

Business leaders of the last two decades have set records in their quest to lead once prosperous and stable companies to ruin, likewise leaving formerly prosperous and stable communities in ruins. ..Throughout the last two decades, businesses tried on every management and technical fad that came down the pike, with little regard to whether the experiments added real benefit to their processes or bottom line.

Again I agree. The Baby Boomers like they did with government have destroyed corporate America by instituting massive bureaucracies filled with useless (but highly paid) people. Today you have high paid corporate trainers, Motivation speakers, efficiency experts (that are anything but), Quality Assurance Engineers, Concept designers and their ilk infecting corporations from the top down.  All they do is have endless meetings and stifle production and innovation with their nonsense.  

I am utterly amazed we can even compete at the level we do.   

On a side note, I would advocate the death penalty for the person who came up with the whole concept of "Teams"

The major disconnect among the Boomers, especially the liberals, is that they are incapable of acknowledging the results of their actions. Their intentions are all that matter to them. Whenever one of their hair-brained ideas produces undesirable results, their solution is another even more hair-brained idea.

True enough, But more often or not they look for scapegoats for their failures usually in the form of they need more money. Like Education for example, Even though we spend more money (even adjusted for inflation) per pupil on education than we every did before the Liberal Boomers still consistently claim we need even more.

[JerseyHighlander]

I didn't get through it, so this is a bump for later perusal...

[Lael]

In 2012, the Gen-X and Gen-Y population will have a combined total of 120,704,207 eligible voters, and will be unlikely to share power with the older generations that shredded the economy and the culture, and sacrificed the sovereignty of the US for political points and campaign cash.

Well put!!!

BTW, I read the book when it first came out, along with "The Judas Economy", predicting the Offshore Outsourcing Boom.

Well, I packed it away in Feb. of 2002.

Spouse and I are unpacking many things, and I retrieved the book only yesterday, and am rereading it

WOW!!!

Thanks for the Insightful Post, and PLEASE keep it coming!!!

[Lael]

Many younger Boomers are in the same boat and have been fighting the same battles for twenty or more years.

Even though the anger will brand everyone, I am a Boomer who has fought Outsourcing ANYTHING.

From the Kennedy Round, I knew "Free Trade" was a scam, probably intended to "Bribe" the so-called Free World to acquesce in American leadership in the Cold War.

I always knew that what "goes around comes around."

Thanks again for the Article!!

One caveat...if Bush loses, but the Pubbies tetain the Congress [both houses], it might bring change sooner.

Yes, I know about Court Appointments, but basic, fundamental Judicial Reform must happen in any case. The 11th Amendment was passed to reverse a Supreme Court decision...next time we will have to alter the process altogether!!!

[Sequoyah101]

I came upon this thread by reference. How do you feel about it now?

You stuck your neck out and were wrong on many points. Such is the fate of a would be prophet.

I do not share your manifold positive views on Gen X. I also do not share your blanket condemnation of the Boomers though much of it is correct and it certainly appears that the loons have been in the majority. However, while those who have law degrees and MBA were finding themselves and protesting those of us who made engineers and such other lowly professions have been railing against liberalism, export of jobs, funny money trading, regulation, bureaucracy, and all other manner of foolishness for a long long time now.

We are also not finding the virtues of great judgement, work ethic, initiative, competence and integrity in the Gen X and Y gang. So far, in my experience, they mostly whine and moan and get their feelings hurt...

They also apparently really gooved on obablaloon’s hope and change.

I also did not care for the Bush solution thought I am glad he and not this clown fought the war on terror. At least he loved the US. As for clinging to an old way and greed... they are guilty as charged. Immigration, cheap labor and outsourcing have ruined this nation but so have unions and entitlements. The constant give aways without fiscal responsibilty will end even if someone tries to hold on to them.