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Baby boomers or bums?
CNN ^ | March 9th, 2006

Posted on 03/09/2006 9:23:36 AM PST by laney

In the 1960s and '70s they burned their bras and draft cards, marched on Washington, founded Earth Day and vowed never to trust anyone over the age of 30.

Today, the baby boomers are doing the limbo, dancing wildly and waving their arms in the air to the unintelligible lyrics of "Louie, Louie."

At least that's what they're doing in Portland, Oregon, at the Baby Boomers' Social Club Friday night dance at the Red Lion Hotel.

"We have a live band once a month, and we do all sorts of different dance styles," says Melanie Pedersen, co-founder with Julie Dahlman of the Baby Boomers' Social Club.

"Julie does a wall sweep," Pederson says. "She says, 'come on gals ... go get the guys that are holding up the walls.'"

"You know, we're in our 50s now, so it's okay to ask the guys to dance," Dahlman adds with a laugh.

Indeed, this mammoth generation -- at once lauded for its commitment to social change and derided for its perceived self-indulgence -- has grown up and is now going gray.

So, how did the "Me" generation do for itself? Have the boomers prospered as much as they could have, or did they miss key opportunities to better their nation and their lives?

It depends on whom you ask.

Some experts say the boomers did not plan well for their future, especially their financial futures, relying instead on the whimsy of a historically rosy economic era to carry them along.

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


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: genx; laneyislooney
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To: Alkhin

*YOU* are wrong my friend, for all the bad you think the 60's and 70's were most of us knew a world besides (Sex, drugs and Rock and Roll) that was innocent and non-violent in our schools and neighborhoods, we did not grow up with friends on computer, but we made friends in-person we could play outside until dark without worrying about being molested or kidnapped, we had neighbors we knew, who looked out for one another, we did not have massive frivalous lawsuits clogging up the court system.
I could go on and on with this, for *US* that knew this life we wish it could return.

We had a sense of knowing what FAMILY FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS were...

The 80's was a time for massive spending, Miami Vice wanna bees, Cocaine and Credit Card hysteria.


81 posted on 03/09/2006 10:38:53 AM PST by laney ((For GOD so loved the world..John 3:16))
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To: mombonn
GOOD!

I'm looking to see Allen/Rice 2008 ............ but probably won't come to be.

82 posted on 03/09/2006 10:39:29 AM PST by beyond the sea (Cheney’s "meaningful consequences"...........even more painful for Iran than the evils of dodgeball.)
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To: beyond the sea

He was cool, loved Robert Redford's Old Movies but I liked the little younger versions which included the cuties in Tiger Beat Magazine! LOL...

I sure wish they would make the Old Movies that's for sure!


83 posted on 03/09/2006 10:42:06 AM PST by laney ((For GOD so loved the world..John 3:16))
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To: laney; Alkhin
"for all the bad you think the 60's and 70's were most of us knew a world besides (Sex, drugs and Rock and Roll) that was innocent and non-violent in our schools and neighborhoods, we did not grow up with friends on computer, but we made friends in-person we could play outside until dark without worrying about being molested or kidnapped, we had neighbors we knew, who looked out for one another, we did not have massive frivalous lawsuits clogging up the court system. I could go on and on with this, for *US* that knew this life we wish it could return." ---

Yes, and the 50's were even better (jmo)

We used to be able to buy a nice big ice cream cone for 7 cents.

;-)

84 posted on 03/09/2006 10:42:40 AM PST by beyond the sea (Cheney’s "meaningful consequences"...........even more painful for Iran than the evils of dodgeball.)
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To: laney

Steve McQueen was pretty great too.


85 posted on 03/09/2006 10:44:20 AM PST by beyond the sea (Cheney’s "meaningful consequences"...........even more painful for Iran than the evils of dodgeball.)
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To: laney
The 80s were a time of economic prosperity, PRIDE IN OUR COUNTRY, pride in appearance, and a revolution of conservativism. And I am old enough to remember what the 70s were like - I was born in 1967 and grew up without computers and playing with friends....although considering that the population of American in 1973 allowed Roe v Wade to be foisted, I might have had MORE friends to play with if abortion hadnt been made universally legal. I grew up in a neighborhood where we knew everyone...even managed to chase out one Hippie Babe who was always strung out on drugs and abandoned her children.

The 80s were a return to AMERICA as it might have been had we not had to deal with Lefties monopolizing the national conversation.

86 posted on 03/09/2006 10:44:27 AM PST by Alkhin (He will not be deterred.)
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To: laney
"Various rugs have been pulled out from under this generation," says Leonard Steinhorn

That tells me all I need to know. It's just another attempt to pass off responsibility for their decisions onto someone else.

So, what else is new?

87 posted on 03/09/2006 10:46:01 AM PST by TChris ("Wake up, America. This is serious." - Ben Stein)
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To: beyond the sea

I hear ya..The 80's were the beginning of the end as far as the innocence in society, the decade of Addictive Spending that never stopped...


88 posted on 03/09/2006 10:46:24 AM PST by laney ((For GOD so loved the world..John 3:16))
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To: laney

Flippin' freakin' flying pigs at the trough. And then raised kids the same way.


89 posted on 03/09/2006 10:47:18 AM PST by vpintheak (Liberal = The antithesis of Freedom and Patriotism)
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To: linda_22003
wasnt much of a fan of Human League, but didnt have anything to do with them...as for Milli Vanilli - LOL - there was no excuse for that I agree...

but man, New Wave was so much better than watching mudcovered hippies writhing to screeching guitars. And the clothes of the early 80s with the strong Japanese influence was such a wonderful way to forget about love beads, fringed jackets and dashikis and frizzy out of control hair!!

90 posted on 03/09/2006 10:49:29 AM PST by Alkhin (He will not be deterred.)
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To: Howlin
But these "youngsters" on FR sure do love to bash the Boomers, don't they?

no more than i bash my own generation, and not half as much as i bash the one behind mine. :)
91 posted on 03/09/2006 10:52:31 AM PST by absolootezer0 ("My God, why have you forsaken us.. no wait, its the liberals that have forsaken you... my bad")
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To: beyond the sea

Yea, but we had some good bands.


92 posted on 03/09/2006 10:52:39 AM PST by Larry Lucido
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To: laney
he decade of Addictive Spending that never stopped...

yeah, I guess that *would* be the reaction after a decade or so of being forced to wait in gas lines and being made to feel bad for running your faucet for a bath more than once a week and having little choice but to wear industrial strength polyester that will STILL be viable 3000 years from now in horrid psychedelic colors and not having much of a market choice for things to eat/drive/entertain because we were made to feel bad for even wanting to participate in a free market society.

Yeah...I guess the 80s *would* be seen as greedy when people decided that they were fed up with being lectured and talked down to about how they had to give up everything for the comfort of elitists conscience.....

93 posted on 03/09/2006 10:54:12 AM PST by Alkhin (He will not be deterred.)
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To: Alkhin

Sorry I don't remember the 80's being that way, but I also did not know a soul who was interested in politics guess I was with a different crowd although the Mid 90's they came around to being more political and religious on a conservative basis..I think alot of people think the word *Hippie* was anyone who (Male) had long hair smoked pot and drove a VW Fan, sorry that is totally in-correct.

Tune out Tune in whatever that was about was started by someone that was not a *Baby Boomer*


It took alot of Baby Boomers who could of cared less about Politics any of it, to come around until the 90's.


94 posted on 03/09/2006 10:54:25 AM PST by laney ((For GOD so loved the world..John 3:16))
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To: laney

BUMP


95 posted on 03/09/2006 10:54:42 AM PST by SweetCaroline (It's because I love you that I make your life so miserable....)
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To: buffyt

"I was in college 1969-1973 and I didn't do any of that BS either. I even registered in 1972 as a REPUBLICAN. I never liked smelly hippies."

We must have been twins separated at birth! That is MY bio exactly!


96 posted on 03/09/2006 10:55:09 AM PST by Polyxene (For where God built a church, there the Devil would also build a chapel - Martin Luther)
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To: Alkhin

What planet did you live on??? The 80's The Miami Vice look all though that was a Cool look, the 70's especially that late ones were Disco Danny Clothes Silk shirts gaberdine pants nicely blow dryed feathered hair..

Oh the 80's Madonna the Culture Club and Cindy lauper..

The Days of Mohawks Big Hair and Spandex....


97 posted on 03/09/2006 10:58:53 AM PST by laney ((For GOD so loved the world..John 3:16))
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To: beyond the sea
Yep, to most of what you wrote.
SOME of us, however, never burned anything but the lights while working late.
SOME of us never protested the war as maybe we should have, being patriots and all.
SOME of us actually bought into the nuclear family, work ethic and moral value thing.
SOME of us voted Republican.
SOME of actually listened when H. Ross Perot said that the sounds we would be hearing would be a great sucking sound as companies left American shores.
SOME of us learned a great deal from Viet Nam, and while we may or may not support our leaders and their policies, will NEVER treat a member of the armed forces with anything but respect and honor. "we suck............" Well, I suppose some of us Boomers do, but SOME of us have retained the values taught to us by our forefathers
98 posted on 03/09/2006 11:08:39 AM PST by Old-Retired-Trucker ("Celibacy is a fruitless effort.")
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To: laney
Thanks for posting this. I, also, wrote about the Baby Boomers, but in a more serious vein, in my column for this week. I wrote about how much, or how little, we have accomplished in our lives, and what our chances are going forward in our remaining years. Click below.

Congressman Billybob

Latest column: "Puckett and Reeve, Gone before Their Time"

99 posted on 03/09/2006 11:15:30 AM PST by Congressman Billybob (www.ArmorforCongress.com RIGHT NOW. I need your help.)
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To: Congressman Billybob

Thank you..I will read it.


100 posted on 03/09/2006 11:20:23 AM PST by laney ((For GOD so loved the world..John 3:16))
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