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Baby boomers are what’s wrong with America’s economy
Washington Post ^ | 11/05/2015 | Jim Tankersley

Posted on 11/06/2015 8:07:55 AM PST by MadIsh32

If anyone deserves to pay more to shore up the federal safety net, either through higher taxes or lower benefits, it’s boomers — the generation that was born into some of the strongest job growth in the history of America, gobbled up the best parts, and left its children and grandchildren with some bones to pick through and a big bill to pay. Politicians shouldn’t be talking about holding that generation harmless. They should be asking how future workers can claw back some of the spoils that the “Me Generation” hoarded for itself.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: americaindecline; babyboomers; boomers; debt; debtceiling; economy; offshoring
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To: MadIsh32

I want what the Boomers had...good jobs, a safe nation, environment where values and religion is supported, good economy, lower taxes, smaller government, and the only way to get that is to DEFEAT THE LEFT!!!

Let’s stay focused and not get divided by our generational differences.

This article sucks.


81 posted on 11/06/2015 9:01:35 AM PST by Thorliveshere
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To: MadIsh32

I’m very calm and don’t need a thing from you. With your penis envy of US Boomers I doubt you’ve ever held a 1000 bucks in your hand or have ever had the inclination to lend a fellow in need of $10 even if you could afford it! People like you who blame your SHORT COMINGS (hey that’s what your girl told me:-) on others are the dregs and DRAGS on the world and self-loathing. Look in the mirror. Me I’m good and not in need of anything as I didn’t live my life thinking at my end I’d retire comfortably being a ward of the State. Good luck and good riddance:-)


82 posted on 11/06/2015 9:02:49 AM PST by Harpotoo
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To: Nervous Tick

30 somethings today have no issues multi tasking.

Having open multiple tabs during a quiet Friday and still being productive isn’t difficult.


83 posted on 11/06/2015 9:03:05 AM PST by MadIsh32 (In order to be pro-market, sometimes you must be anti-big business)
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To: Harpotoo

When out of facts, resort to insults. Have a great weekend sir.


84 posted on 11/06/2015 9:05:36 AM PST by MadIsh32 (In order to be pro-market, sometimes you must be anti-big business)
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To: MadIsh32

“My roots are American. Born, educated, raised in this country along with being an Eagle scout.”

But your parents immigrated here from the Middle East or South Asia. And you have chip on your shoulder which is why you are trashing the ‘Boomer generation. This thread isn’t your first time down that road.

Are you Muslim?


85 posted on 11/06/2015 9:05:58 AM PST by Pelham (A refusal to deport is defacto amnesty)
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To: MadIsh32
no bias here:

Boomers soaked up a lot of economic opportunity without bothering to preserve much for the generations to come.

They burned a lot of cheap fossil fuels, filled the atmosphere with heat-trapping gases, and will probably never pay the costs of averting catastrophic climate change or helping their grandchildren adapt to a warmer world.

They took control of Washington at the turn of the millennium, and they used it to rack up a lot of federal debt, even before the Great Recession hit.


looks like Bush's fault.br
86 posted on 11/06/2015 9:06:40 AM PST by stylin19a (obama = Fredo Smart)
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To: Parmy
Who spent the SS surpluses?

Short answer: your parents and grandparents. If you are collecting Social Security, you did.

The surplus wasn't as large as a lot of people think. It is about to peak, but it's still only enough to pay less than 3 years of benefits.

The reason it's that small? It's because most of the payroll taxes collected over the past 40 years were immediately paid as benefits.

In the 70's, Congress increased old age benefits to an unsustainable level, and/or didn't raise taxes high enough to compensate. They tried to correct it in the 80's, but it wasn't enough: the economic and demographic assumptions were too optimistic.

And I'll save you the effort of retorting with the usual canards: It wasn't SSI -- that's separately funded from the general fund. And it wasn't disability fraud -- while the DI fund has a more severe problem, it's separately accounted with it's own trust fund and a dedicated portion of the payroll tax.

I'm referring only to the OASI (old age and survivor insurance) benefits.

Who spent all that tax money?

If you are referring to the surplus in the Trust Fund: it wasn't spent, it was loaned. It's currently in the equivalent of US Treasury Bonds, as required by law when Social Security was created.

In 2010, the payroll taxes became insufficient to pay benefits, so Social Security started withdrawing from the Trust Fund. It's a relatively small amount, and the dividends collected are sufficient to cover the withdrawals. But, that will change in the next few years, and the Trust Fund balance will start to decline -- until about 2034 when it hits zero.

If nothing is done and the Trust Fund hits zero, benefits will be reduced about 21%, by law. Social Security can't borrow money.

To give you an idea of the severity of the problem right now, you can read the summary of the 2015 Trustees Report, starting at the bottom of page 7:

https://www.socialsecurity.gov/oact/tr/2015/tr2015.pdf

For the combined OASI and DI Trust Funds to remain solvent throughout the 75-year projection period: (1) revenues would have to increase by an amount equivalent to an immediate and permanent payroll tax rate increase of 2.62 percentage points (from its current level of 12.40 percent to 15.02 percent, a relative increase of 21.1 percent); (2) scheduled benefits during the period would have to be reduced by an amount equivalent to an immediate and permanent reduction of 16.4 percent applied to all current and future beneficiaries, or 19.6 percent if the reductions were applied only to those who become initially eligible for benefits in 2015 or later; or (3) some combination of these approaches would have to be adopted.

87 posted on 11/06/2015 9:08:14 AM PST by justlurking
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To: MadIsh32

The baby boomers aren’t paying enough???
It’s the empty-nest boomers at the top of their pre-retirement earning potential after 30 years of work that are paying this country’s bills in the highest tax brackets of their careers!
The push to grab the retirement savings of successful Americans to redistribute it is on.
This is the second such article I have seen to this effect today.


88 posted on 11/06/2015 9:09:52 AM PST by Wiser now (Socialism does not eliminate poverty, it guarantees it.)
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To: MadIsh32; ThomasThomas; flaglady47; MinuteGal; hoosiermama; DoughtyOne; Jane Long; entropy12; ...


I am a first generation Baby Boomer, so let me inform you that thanks only to the demonic-rat party, which controlled the U.S. House of Representatives (THE PURSE) for decades, (but for a brief period 1953 - 1955, the 83rd Congress during IKE's presidency) the nasty, demonic-rats started spending our country into the debt we are still piling up today and of course that wasn't enough so they raided our Social Security "lock-box." too.

I will NEVER forget that glorious, historic election day in November, 1994, when the Republicans finally regained control of the House and the Senate, too!

Just imagine! Led by Newt Gingrich, the unimaginable happened! Barren of GOP control from the 83rd Congress the NEW 104th Congress - 1995 - 1997 was in GOP hands!!

The U.S. SENATE

48 = RATS - - - 52 = GOP

(I stood and screamed when Richard Shelby announced he was switching parties!) The U.S. HOUSE

204 = RATS - - - 230 = GOP = SOTH: Newt

(I still have the TV GUIDE with Newt on the Cover and his plan detailed inside - an special insert).


Baby-Boomers are NOT to blame for a damn thing, when it comes to the economy.

89 posted on 11/06/2015 9:10:02 AM PST by onyx (PLEASE MAKE YOUR DONATION NOW - GO MONTHLY IF YOU POSSIBLY & RELIABLY CAN!)
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To: MadIsh32

Another name for “multitasking on personal business at work” is “robbing your employer”, and you Me Generation types have no shame about doing that.

One of many reasons that your generation is not respected in the workplace.


90 posted on 11/06/2015 9:10:58 AM PST by Nervous Tick (There is no "allah" but satan, and mohammed was his demon-possessed tool.)
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To: Pelham

Again, I’ll be more then happy to discuss with you my personal story through private messaging.

For reasons I don’t need to disclose to you, I no longer discuss my story in public threads.

Thank you


91 posted on 11/06/2015 9:10:58 AM PST by MadIsh32 (In order to be pro-market, sometimes you must be anti-big business)
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To: Nervous Tick

When you are at 177% of quota for 2015, your employer is thankful you are still working there.

If you wish to continue with the insults feel free to send me a private message. Lets not clog up the thread.

Thank you


92 posted on 11/06/2015 9:12:23 AM PST by MadIsh32 (In order to be pro-market, sometimes you must be anti-big business)
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To: onyx

NO their not....isn’t it sad that people do things the way they do....


93 posted on 11/06/2015 9:16:52 AM PST by HarleyLady27 (I have such happy days, and hope you do too!!!)
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To: Vigilanteman
They figured out they could no longer guarantee pensions in the mid 1970s and replaced them all with 401(K) type plans.

There'll be blood in the streets when they resort to this in California.

94 posted on 11/06/2015 9:17:50 AM PST by skeeter
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To: MadIsh32

>> If you wish to continue with the insults

Oh, that’s rich, and SO “me generation”. Start a thread for the purpose of insulting an entire generation, and then get a case of the vapors when (gasp!) some of that generation insult you back.

How unfair! the whiner whines.

I’ll post whenever I like, whatever I like, to whomever I like.

If YOU don’t like it, then YOU remove YOUR snot-nose to a different thread. Or better yet, get back to WORK. Isn’t that what this is all about, at its core?


95 posted on 11/06/2015 9:18:16 AM PST by Nervous Tick (There is no "allah" but satan, and mohammed was his demon-possessed tool.)
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To: MadIsh32

I’m a baby boomer and I think most conservatives are too liberal.


96 posted on 11/06/2015 9:21:16 AM PST by BuffaloJack (Political Correctness is Suppression of Free Speech. Thank the Commies for Political Correctness.)
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To: MadIsh32

Just as the Boomers were first able to vote, the vote was given to the 18 year olds who have ruined politics ever since.

I am a baby boomer who could not vote until the age of 21 in 1972. But my vote was immediately cancelled by the lefty college kids who turned 18.

And thus it has gone ever since, with those of us conservative business owners being cancelled out by the mush-headed younger ones among us who have not yet learned to support themselves.


97 posted on 11/06/2015 9:21:40 AM PST by angry elephant (Endangered species in Seattle)
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To: Nervous Tick

Since you are concerned about the amount of work I am doing for my employer, feel free to give me a ping next time you are in the mid atlantic region. I’ll be happy to meet you, show you my quota, my results, my bonus checks and evaluation. Just let me know when.

If not, have a fantastic weekend sir.


98 posted on 11/06/2015 9:21:49 AM PST by MadIsh32 (In order to be pro-market, sometimes you must be anti-big business)
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To: justlurking

“the surplus in the Trust Fund: it wasn’t spent, it was loaned.”
Well, there is often a conflation when this is discussed.
The money was indeed loaned and is being paid back.

However it is significant that it was loaned to be spent.
Had it been used (for example) to pay down the debt in preparation for the time when the government would face the burden of paying more in benefits than it would receive in payroll taxes then:
A. the TOTAL tax burden upon young people like the OP would be less
B. The cost of borrowing would be less.

Interestingly Gore promised to use ‘some’ of the excess taxes to pay down the debt, also the media meme is that Clinton would have done so but impeachment required him to use the money to please his congressional allies.
Which is all bull, but shows the obviousness of the situation at the time.


99 posted on 11/06/2015 9:23:39 AM PST by mrsmith (Dumb sluts: Lifeblood of the Media, Backbone of the Democrat/RINO Party!)
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To: MadIsh32

These baby boomers also elected Reagan.


100 posted on 11/06/2015 9:25:38 AM PST by WKUHilltopper (And yet...we continue to tolerate this crap...)
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