Boomers: We Can't Change The World But We Can Change The U.S.

Graham Nash (just missed being a Boomer by a few years) wrote Chicago (We Can Change The World). The ‘protest song’ is about people of his generation not standing up for the Chicago 7

Changing the world might not be an achievable goal, but what if we focused on changing the U.S.? What if we started small. Break down the changing of America into manageable bites. What if we focused on getting out and voting this November.  Our voting numbers are our political strength. 

According to a Pew Research Report How Americans View Government
 (http://people-press.org/report/95/) completed back in 1998, 40% of the respondents felt that:
Political Leadership/Political System:
1.    Politicians are dishonest/crooks
2.    Only out for themselves/For own personal gain
3.    Representatives say one thing but do another
4.    Too partisan
5.    Scandals
was the main complaint about our government.

So what, if anything, has changed in the public’s mindset of how we view government since 1998? In my opinion, not a single thing. Maybe the percentages are not exactly the same, but I would venture a guess that the Political Leadership/Political System is still at the top of the list of negative views of our government.

And why shouldn’t it be? Forget about the negative ads many of the candidates run to attack their opponent.  Those are usually sound bites with kernels of truth thrown in to make the negativity stick.  The nightly news, web searches, radio broadcasts and blogs are replete with the full story about our representatives and their follies:
•    Taking bribes –Rep. Randy Cunnungham, Rep. James Traficant, Jr., Monica Conyers
•    Taking credit for successes they originally were not in favor of supporting.  Sen. Corker of Tennessee wants credit for what he opposed - support of the *American automotive industry. 
http://tinyurl.com/2ey3w3z
•    Placing incorrect blame on ‘the other’ party for things gone wrong http://tinyurl.com/2atu8j7
•    Attaching pork/special earmarks into specific bills http://tinyurl.com/yd6rmrq
•    Out and out lie (just Google “Who lied in the Senate?)

Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule - and both commonly succeed, and are right.  ~H.L. Mencken, 1956

So where do we Boomers go from here? First become educated about your candidates. Watch the debates. Read the editorials in your local paper. Read the candidate’s literature and visit their websites. Skim the web.

Then go to the polls!

A poll recently released (full story: http://tinyurl.com/23tt6t7) said that about 2/3 of November’s voters will be 50 and over. That’s us, people.  We will be the largest bloc of voters based on percentage and numbers.  We cannot be ignored.

* Full disclosure: I am a retired, non-union salaried auto worker.  I believe that I and thousands of other auto workers benefited from the aid our companies received from our Federal government.

Pushing back on the Boomer attack to help reduce the national debt

In yesterdays post, http://tinyurl.com/2db7j7m,  I talked about an article where the author and a contributing author believes we should use our “immense” resources to help pay down the national debt through a Federal Estate Tax, increased taxes and even through donations to some Federal debt relief fund.

If we are the largest demographic group in the U.S. then haven’t we been contributing to the economy and national debt reduction already? And won’t we continue to be a player/payer in the years to come?
 
Since we are the largest demographic group we can assume that we’ve contributed the most toward:
1.    Federal personal income tax
2.    State & local income taxes
3.    Sales tax
4.    Social security & Medicaid
5.    Property tax
6.    Fuel/gasoline tax
7.    Toll Bridge/Tunnel taxes
8.    Vehicle License Registration tax
9.    IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
10.    Other (Includes estate tax, fees, licenses, inflation losses, inheritance, deficit allowance, gift,etc.)

Contribute to pay down the National Debt or help our Boomerang Kids.
According to a November 2009 Pew Research Center (http://tinyurl.com/yk8pvpb)  “13% of parents with grown children say one of their adult sons or daughters has moved back home in the past year.”  Of course, this number is expected to rise as the economy continues to tank.

Contribute to pay down the National Debt or help our aging parents.
From a USA Today article (http://tinyurl.com/2eaj38p) “Forty-one percent of baby boomers who have a living parent are helping care for them — with personal aid, financial help or both, according to a USA TODAY/ABC News/Gallup Poll of 689 baby boomers. Of the 59% who aren't helping now, nearly half worry about their ability to do so in the future.

Contribute to pay down the National Debt or help your grandkids. 
HelloBoomer.com (http://tinyurl.com/23s86zg ) reports that according to the US Census Bureau more than six million children (which is, about one in 12 of all children) are being raised by relatives other than their parents. Of that number about 3/4 are being cared for by grandparents.

Need more?
According to a survey by Grandparents.com made available to AARP  (http://tinyurl.com/2fr4ghw)
•    70 percent gave cash for day-to-day expenses.
•    40 percent helped with mortgage or rent payments.
•    24 percent provided money for health care.
•    23 percent helped pay for day care costs.
•    21 percent provided funds for education.

Sally Hurme, a financial expert at AARP says, “If they’re (Boomer grandparents) tapping into their retirement savings to help their children, then they’re shrinking the amount of resources they’re going to have for the rest of their lives.” 

If we are helping our kids and parents financially, who can we turn to for help if the time comes?

Since “our” recession began, our average household wealth continues to decline, health care costs continue to rise, we are losing our homes, our jobs and our promised retirement benefits. 

So excuse me if I don't sound enamored with the idea of giving more money to the government . 

I think Arthur Godfrey said it best:  “I'm proud to pay taxes in the United States; the only thing is, I could be just as proud for half the money. “

Boomers, what do we want? What do we expect? What is expected of us?

78 million of us were born between 1946 and 1964. We make up approximately 29% of the population. We have tens of trillions of dollars of wealth available to us.

So what do the numbers mean to us? Does it matter to you that we are the largest demographic group in the U.S.? Do you feel power in numbers?

As Baby Boomer Sally Brown exclaims in the 1965 classic A Charlie Brown Christmas, "All I want is what I... I have coming to me. All I want is my fair share". And who doesn't? But what is our fair share that Sally is talking about? Have we contributed enough to the universe and now we are owed our fair share? Share with us your vision of fair share.

Are you aware that we are 'under attack' to help reduce the national debt that arguably our parents' generation created? Bruce Bartlett stated in a response to a debate concerning what baby boomers owe their country the following: "...much of the debt was really left to us (boomers) by entitlement programs that have benefited the so-called Greatest Generation (our parents) and also ..."the Greatest Generation paid almost nothing in terms of payroll taxes and got benefits that were vastly greater than their contributions". Mr. Bartlett goes on to say "... some significant portion of the wealth they (boomers) will leave at death doesn't really belong to them or even their own children, but in some way to society and, yes, even the government."
Do you agree or disagree?  Full article can be read here: http://tinyurl.com/36kqd76 


Let's use this blog site to discuss and share our fears, hopes, dreams and thoughts about Our Generation: Where we were - where we are - where we are heading.