America’s Worst Generation

Magic City Morning Star ^ | 12/26/05 | Paul Streitz

[AZRepublican]

The valiant generation of Americans that fought World War II to preserve our liberty and western civilization was followed by the worst generation in the history of the country: the Baby Boomer generation born from 1946-1964.

The elite Baby Boomers turned the United States from the most prosperous countries on the planet to a country heading toward bankruptcy. It acquired a massive foreign trade deficit that will take generations to pay off. It deconstructed U.S. industries and the invited the invasion of millions of illegal aliens.

The Baby Boomers declared the Constitution to be a worthless piece of paper. It derided the notion that United States was unique place among the nations of the world and declared that it was only the equal of other countries, if not worse. The Baby Boomers mocked the nation’s Christian heritage and forced ordinary citizens to fight to keep Christmas in public places.

In David McClelland’s 1961 opus, “The Achieving Society,” McClelland shows that rises or declines in the “need for achievement” precede the economic rise or decline of a society. For him growing societies have a great deal of “need for achievement” This need for achievement plateaus as the society becomes wealthier and eventually declines. This precedes the eventual dissolution of the society. He notes that the wealth of the society prevents parents from developing self-reliance in their children. This lack of self-reliance leads to the children having a reduced need for achievement. Describing Athenian society, McClelland says,

[Radix]

"We Boomers are pretty pathetic but today's kids are going to be an even bigger washout."

Well we can all attempt guilt trip each other to death, but from what I have seen of this later generation, there is beaucoup reason for optimism.

[ansel12]

Just think about dates and ages folks. The 60s and 70s, were the height of power for the "Greatest Generation".Not people BORN from 1946 to 1964. In 1970 the oldest boomer was 24, the youngest was 6.

[brytlea]

Excellently put!
susie

[tet68]

Funny, those BBers that paid the price in Vietnam were among
our greatest generation, just as those in GW 1 and 2.

This author needs to find something else to snivel about,
or is his aim to create generational warfare???
The politics of personal division, they keep running the same cards but call them by different names....

[Mr. Mojo]

It deconstructed U.S. industries and the invited the invasion of millions of illegal aliens.

Actually, the invasion invitatations were first handed out with the Immigration Reform Act of 1965, and the Baby Boomers had nothing to do with it. The culprits? That would be members of "The Greatest Generation": LBJ and the Kennedys.

[RichInOC]

Mr. Streitz, I was born in '64. I'd greatly appreciate your not dragging me into that clusterscrew. Thank you so much.

[Appalled but Not Surprised]

I completely object to this unfair characterization. The Baby Boom generation consists only of 1946-1959. Those of us who follow are Generation W and would no more be boomers than we would dump buckets of paint on our collective heads.

[Barnyard]

The best generation is the generation of today. The so called best generation of the WW2 era was a good generation, but most of the vets were drafted, although they did to war, largely with out complaint, and did a greatjob. They fought valiantly, but they have always been treated as almost superheros fighting for a just cause, by the press and the government's elected officials.

Today we have an all volunteer Army (military) and the nobility of its members is unsurpassed by the WW2 group. Today's military do not get the same hero's coverage by the press, they are pictured as dupes of an unjust war at best, and half of the elected government officials have no use for them, but insist that they support them. Yet the fight a great battle and for the highest ideals of our democracy. This generation gets my vote for "The Best"

[Euro-American Scum]

All Baby Boomers should be executed on sight.

/sarcasm

[meadsjn]

The valiant generation of Americans that fought World War II ... was followed by the worst generation in the history of the country: the Baby Boomer generation born from 1946-1964.

The author loses a lot of credibility from the starting gate by missing the fact that there is a whole generation between the WW-II Hero generation and the Baby Boomers (they are called the Silent Generation, born 1925 to 1946).

Some of these aging Silents still feature prominently in the Senate and higher positions in bureacracies and business. Their wishy-washy ineffectiveness combined with the destructiveness of their Boomer successors are what created an Unraveling Era, which is morphing into a Crisis Era.

[dakine]

Agree...

[Jason Kauppinen]

"The Free Trade economists led the economic attack of the affluent Baby Boomers. The United States had built the largest, most successful economy under the protectionist policies of Alexander Hamilton. Up until the 1970’s these were the economic policies of the Republican Party." Totally ignorant of economics.

[clyde asbury]

I got it.

[Miss Marple]

Are you demanding collective blame? If so, you will be waiting a long time before I accept blame for others' mistakes.

While people were wallowing in the mud at Woodstock or marching in Chicago, I was an Air Force wife in Cold War Berlin. My son was born in the Army Hospital.

My sister was a Navy wife who lived in Guantanaamo for two long years. My next sister married and raised two sons.

None of us marched, did drugs, or did anything except raise our kids, work, and try to live decent lives. We cared for our parents when their health failed.

So, no, I will NOT admit fault nor will I accept collective blame. No ones' lives are perfect, mine included, but no one's lives are worthless, either.

And whilst demanding our generation accept the blame for al ills in the world, please take a look at that log in your own eye.

[dakine]

Should have done drugs...

[dalereed]

"The Greatest Generation must have consisted of really horrible parents."

They weren't the parents of the baby boomers, my generation was, the one in between, the smallest in history, and one no one tacked a handle on.

At least we didn't have any "baby boomers" and didn't contribute to the rottenest generation to ever come along.

[MEG33]

Bravo!

[BlazingArizona]

My generation invented sex and questioned authority. As a Libertarian, I consider these to be our good points.

But we have also been a pack of drug-addled Luddites. Our irrational fears abut science and technology have created a worldwide energy shortage and shortened our life-extension potential by holding back needed medical advances like genetic engineering. Our great-grandchildren will be paying for our lack of scientific progress.

[Miss Marple]

Quite right. The media started it, and there are plenty on this forum interested in promoting it, for reasons known only to them.

I love my children and am proud of them. I loved my parents and honor their accomplishments, not the least of which was raising a close family with a good work ethic. I loved my grandparents and thought they were good examples of how to live.

I refuse to list grievances against my elders or against my children. As far as I am concerned, each generation has its own merits and faults, but those are individual faults, not ones borne by the entire generation.

[wardaddy]

BTTT

and most boomers were not protesting yippies contrary to conventional wisdom

and ...at least we were not friggin meteros wearing girl jeans and getting off to Coldplay or Dave Matthews like sissies...and living at home forever

(1957)

this blame the boomers fro everything is just GenX and Y whining

but the author is an early boomer (self hater) I think ...to be fair