Tell that to GW Bush. I have read most of this thread and see alot of disagreement between the Gen x, Gen y and boomers. The thing I don't see is any mention of The Totalization Treaty with Mexico.
This treaty was signed by Jo Anne Barnhart on June 29, 2004 and is now before congress. It has 60 working days before it automatically becomes law. Congress doesn't even have to vote on this.
Mexicans will only have to work 6 quarters while Americans have to work 40 quarters to collect SS. Illegals are also covered in this bill so that they can go home to Mexico and will be guaranteed a monthly check from our government. This will also cover the illegals dependants.There is a bill in congress trying to stop this but it is not getting much support as more people are worried about Dan Rather than the country.
Don't get me started.
This kind of attitude among the current political generation, that they can give entitlements without any real cost to themselves, are what really burn up GenX folks who seem to be the group most keenly aware of how much this is going to cost them personally, because they will be footing the majority of the bill.
It is crap like this that feeds the angst (evident in this thread) of GenX. The GenX and younger folks strongly tend fiscal conservative, and that neither party is interested in shutting down the gravy train leaves them without a party they are really happy with.
It has come up time and again in discussions in my daily life (and the majority of the business people I interact with are GenX it seems): the current political system looks very much like two groups of Boomers fighting over a gravy train they created by spending the money of future generations. This is a pervasive impression of GenX age people no matter which party they nominally affiliate themselves with.