Posted on 07/30/2011 10:32:57 PM PDT by rabscuttle385
Baby boomers -- those born between 1946 and 1964 -- have been described as "the pig in the python" and the "sandwich generation."
They lived well, grew up in relative abundance and, some say, expected their Social Security, health care and government support to be there as they grew old.
Now, as the future of the country's economy is up in the air, is this group of 80 million aging Americans -- many of whom are sprinting toward retirement age -- the ones to blame for the nation's shaky economic system?
(snip)
Thomas Firey, a senior editor at the conservative Cato Institute and member of generation X, said it's unclear as to what's going to happen to Social Security.
"Under current law, what's supposed to happen is once the trust fund runs dry, the benefits are to be cut by roughly 25% to bring it back into balance. Each year's income will equalize the outflow," said Frey..."But no one expects that to happen. (So) are we going to raise taxes on current workers? Are we going to get rid of the tax?"
But criticizing baby boomers is not necessarily a politically wise thing to do, especially when it comes to their voting behavior.
(snip)
Jerry Shereshewsky, the self-described "chief grown-up" at the firm GrownUpMarketing, is a baby boomer. The 65-year-old said it's not his generation group to blame, it's Congress'.
"It was not a secret that this largest cohort in American history was going to get older every year," he said. "The fact that Congress has not done a very good job of keeping up with what is really happening in the world: life expectancy, better medical care. You give people a lot of cake and ice cream, they're going to eat it."
(Excerpt) Read more at articles.cnn.com ...
15% of all the taxpayer federal revenue collected between 1946 and 1964 buys a lot of cake and ice cream
or it would, had it been invested in a trust fund to fund the national pension scheme ... what a novel idea
“The elephant in the room is abortion.”
You’re right; another gift from baby boomers.
No one ever includes Welfare, Food Stamps and Unemployment insurance extensions in the cuts. Wouldn't want to attack the "needy"! Pols are terrified of them. It is easy to pick on the supposedly well-off retirees.
Remember, the needy don't pay into the Welfare and Food Stamp system. The elderly have paid into SS and Medicare all of their lives.
I don’t believe any of the justices were boomers ...
We were doomed when we kicked God out of our schools in 1962.
Anyone who blames “the boomers” has not studied the issue and is just repeating things they heard by a media that wants all amwericans at each others throats so they can usher in the new world order.
It sends chills down my spine when I think of how we have sacrificed almost 60 million babies in the womb to Baal.
Many of the voters/supporters were; it was on their watch.
Generation Y is in the same position Europe’s younger people are in; do they throw away their standard of living to maitain their retirees’ standard of living (which they themselves will never enjoy), or do they euthanize them so they can attempt to have a decent standard of living?
Scary.
Thanks RFowdyFCC, you have just won the prize for putting him in his place.
I could not have come up with a better rebuttal.
Keep up the good work.
What a simplistic view you have. All of us consrvative folks who paid their taxes 9under penalty of law if we didn't) and who expect to have what was taken from us returned in small increments (as promised) afre at fault because we could have somehow changed it all.
Since you seem to be more recent to the scene and have been living under a more obviously broken system, I ask you a question: "What have you done to fix the system and how succesful have you been?"
I believe your "logic" is fear-driven because you feel the same helplessness tha so many do. At least the younger genration has an opportunity to plan for retirement with its eyes open - many of us made arrangements to make ends meet in our latter years and the rug is being yanked from under us.
Are baby boomers to blame for debt crisis?
NO. Allowing congress to spend the money in the SS lock box is the problem. The president that did that, I believe, was Bill (better put some ice on that) Clinton.
so far I don’t like any of the candidates that have thrown their hats in the ring, save Bachmann.
Me neither. I expect Sarah to kick off her run soon. I can vote for Saran or Bachmann. If neither are on the ticket, I’ll write in Palin.
If a good candidate is not on the ticket, we might as well let Obama be the cause of the second American revolution.
We got to where we are election by election. Just blaming one age group doesn’t make sense.
Dear Great Geanteration,
Social Security was a scam from the get-go. The “extra” money from the collection of SS tax was used by Congress to buy votes. period. Both Democrat and Republican Congresses ever since.
You can beat poverty. But you cannot beat sloth and greed.
The leftists in the media did this to us by repeatedly lying to the American people. They are still doing so. People can only act on the information that they have, and they have been denied accurate information for decades.
What a load of tripe. The Democrat Congress and President are to blame for increasing spending by 5 trillion dollars. End of story.
Only a 25% cut? And that is worst case. If we would even try to get our spending under control now, and simply freeze Socialist Insecurity benefits at current levels, we wouldn't have to make any cuts.
75% of the future rates is still much, much better than crashing the economy.
I am a boomer.
....Lets face it, when it comes to politics, its not the cream that rises to the top, its the scum....
Good point. We need a good skimmer to fix that problem.
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