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Excuse me, but I'm a boomer who has worked consistently throughout my life, from the age of 15 1/2 (when I was legally allowed to) onward. I am now 58. My spouse and I have traveled little and we have a 19-sq-ft home, a 5 year old car and a 10 year old car (both bought used). I have paid two children's way through college by working two jobs and not taking taxpayer-subsidized loans, and now, I am still working, harder than ever (50-hr week minimum)and I don't anticipate retiring until I'm pushed out of the company I work for. I do not make anywhere near a 6 figure salary, and I live in So Cal, so am not flush with cash; every month is a balancing act, since we still have a mortgage. So we have some modest life insurance to make sure if one of us dies, the other is not out on the street and dependent on the govt, and we have started l-t care insurance to make sure we never have to depend on the state if we become incapacitated. So I'd say we were working, pretty responsible about keeping ourself from burdening the younger generation (who, we observe, think that clubbing every night and paying $15 to park and $12 a drink and never saving two nickels to rub together is A-OK). We do not count on having Social Security, even though we have paid into it our whole lives and will never live to collect even as much as we put in, never mind any interest.

So please spare me about how the boomers are so selfish. Many are very self-absorbed, but everyone I know has at least planned to be self sufficient unto death.

From my observation, it is the well-heeled seniors who have been in at the ground floor, paid $20K for a house now worth $2 million, have unlimited gold-plated Medicare at taxpayer expense, lots of stocks and bonds that have appreciated over the years, and still want us "selfish" boomers still slogging away to pay for their drugs, when they spend more on restaurant than prescriptions per year anyway, according to the stats. Talk about entitlement. The over 70s crowd is the wealthiest demographic in the country, and it's never enough.

While I am a bit younger than you, you describe my lifestyle except I am not in California. Although finally only we and the county hold the deed to this piece of property we abide upon.

One of my children has entered the work force and that liberal guilt of paying for anybody and his brother with government programs, that the body of boomers have allowed since that 'new deal' was established, is seen as a position of life long servitude.

Add to the mix that these maintainers of the social security system tell them there is NOT going to be any money in there for these that are funding it as they enter the work force.

Think of where you would be if you got to have kept only 10% of that social security tax to invest as you saw fit.

Problem is that now there is no turning back and setting right a system that by design allowed government to take the supposed set aside retirement to spend as they so choose.

So what now we are required to ignore an invasion of peoples from other countries just to keep sending out those checks, and the checks are not just to the retirees but a host of people who cover the spectrum of need.

I agree with you...it is the 30's and younger crowd that has a profound sense of entitlement if it is anyone. Being in my 30's, I see it all the time. To most people my age it is okay to have a car payment that is as much as the house payment. I do have to say one thing about social security though...it is a Ponzi scheme and you guys are getting rooked. You guys paid for your parents but for some reason didn't have enough children to eventually pay for your golden years. (Tough to raise more than two when both mom and dad are working) On top of that, you have various government crooks stealing (excuse me "appropriating") what money is in the bank at this point to various nefarious pet projects. Don't worry though, they have replaced the money with IOU's. Since the government itself only makes money through taxing the citizens, they have no way to repay it aside from raising taxes to make up the difference. The end result is that there won't be enough money for your generation to possibly live on in retirement years and basically all of our money will have been stolen by politicians by the time we get there. It absolutely is the crime of the century and we let it happen every day we keep these idiots in office continually voting on their own pay raises and tax exemptions.

>>My spouse and I have traveled little and we have a 19-sq-ft home..<<

I'm all in favor of thrift, but a NINETEEN-SQUARE-FOOT home is overdoing it! That's hardly enough room to turn around in.

You're arguing against yourself....you're being selfish because you'll never retire untill you are carried out on a stretcher. If 'boomers' had properly planned for their retirement, they would work 30 years and get out of the way so younger folks would work in your stead.