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The real problem here is that everybody is frustrated with a situation where they have been sold a bill of goods. As a boomer who has acted responsibly my whole life, I am angry that the government has confiscated social security taxes from both my employer and me over the years and squandered the money. This is money that would make a big difference in my retirement account.

In reality we have a large scale addiction in this country, an addition to "other people's money." All of us have it to one extent or another. Face it, we all expect world-class medical treatment for little or no medical premiums. Hey, I'm worth it! Soak the rich! /sarc>. I am particularly disguted at the TV ads for these motorized scooters - "at little or no cost to you!" Guess who is paying for these.

At the same time, I sympathize with jude24's generation's plight. They face the very likely prospect of a standard of living significantly lower than previous generations, even for those who work hard, get a good education and skills. Lots of motivated, skilled Indians, Chinese and Koreans who can and will work for a lot less than Americans can afford to work are creating great downward pressure on salaries. Add to that the bill for our generation of politicians largesse, pandering, and lack of backbone and you get a predictable result - frustration and anger. An answer of "just suck it up, pay your taxes, and quit your whining" just doesn't cut it.

As a nation we have two choices. We can work and sacrifice together and make the best of this tough situation called "life." We can be neighbors and family who work hard together to help one another and share the burdens. That will include "tough love," - saying those who won't do what they are able to do will suffer.

Alternatively, we can each be selfish and say "I want MINE and screw everybody else." That route will lead inevitably to armed conflict, and we will ultimately all be losers.

"You and your age-cohorts owe nothing when you repay me & other boomers, with interest, all the bucks I have contributed for decades in property taxes to support the schools you attended."

Tell you what, we'll do that AFTER we offset your share of the federal debts and obligations you've racked up on your watch, and also deduct OUR share of the property taxes we'll still be paying for our lifetimes, just so we can even it up.

Boomers will pay their own way during retirement, just like Gen X is gonna have to. We'll all suffer during the readjustment to reality from the deficit spending fantasyland the U.S. has been in since Johnson's guns-and-butter binge. If you've saved extra, peachy, I hope government doesn't steal that too, and you can spend it, but if you haven't, you're absolutely going to be scraping for cash like everyone will for a few years.

However, I don't think any conservative should feel bad for those who have to fend for themselves instead of depending on government largesse. If you want to tell me the government made a commitment, I'm with you, it did. But you've also got to tell me how the people who will claim government fooled them shouldn't have known better, and you'll also have to tell me that it is just that government gets to commit a generation that isn't even born yet to penury.

I posted my concept of how to end this mess a long time ago on my home page: Social Security should be ENDED. Not mended. Not fixed. Not strengthened. ENDED. Screw phasing it out. Buy it out. Give the money, in a big fat gummint check, that Social Security-age and near-SS age folks (say, up to age 50) put in, back to them. With interest--but taxable as income (which it would have been if never taken out of people's income to begin with). Let everyone else out, with no payout at age 62 or 65 or 67. SS is OVER. End payroll taxes for SS purposes. End special status for 401Ks, Roths, etc., make `em all just bank accounts, as taxable as everything else, no special subsidy for any of that crap. That does NOT forestall taxes going up to pay for the national debt, but it does get you the money you paid in. Everyone else gets screwed out of their contribution, but no more fake taxes-called-social security will be there any more, so government might finally get cut some.