It needs to be said. The most whiney, spoiled, self-gratifying generation ever produced on the face of the planet. Poised to wreck the US economy with their massive pensions, (which our generation won’t get but will still pay for) egregious social security, (see previous, plus if it even exists for us we won’t get it until we’re incapable of spending it on anything but diapers) and their insane consumption. Poised to, but probably won’t since their “fuck the future, I want mine NOW” attitude will likely wreck the entire friggin’ planet via global warming before there’s a chance for simple economic meltdown.
Let’s see, in the 50s everything was idyllic happy times for children, then in the 60s they got to have big fun screwing everything that moved and snorting anything that didn’t, the seventies were a nonstop party, the eighties time for completely monkey-fucking the American sanity into thinking that as long as enough people made lots of money, somehow everyone would make money. Oh, and now that we have kids, no sex, drugs, or rock and roll please!
The 90s were just a setup for the later years, starting to build the comfortable landing zone, then the 00s were where they really put the screws to us. Rampant profiteering, shutting down anything that might actually help the next generation, legislation designed to protect any possible advantage, big tax breaks since they’re making the most they ever have.
And now it all gets wrapped up in a nice retirement package. Extend those tax cuts! You can pay for them after we retire. Extend the estate tax break, our old parents are dying and we don’t want to pay. Protect our pensions! Protect our Medicare! Protect our Social Security! But please be aware that you’re going to have to make some sacrifices you selfish bastards. Can’t you work until you’re 72 so I don’t have to?
Bah. Fuckers, the lot of you. Unfortunately like Republicans, you’re consistent in your evil and vote together, so there’s not much we can do about it. Here’s hoping for a wrinkle-targeting virus soon.
Don’t worry, Boomers are fucked. I think there will be a minor revolt against them. The only other assets they have are their houses and a small 401(k)s. Maybe they can eat their kitchen remodel. Otherwise, they will become wards of their children or the state. I think that’s fitting.
Pretty much. We will really start seeing it in the next 10 years. I am all for pushing the retirement age to later, but knowing their irresponsibility, they will all cut their losses and early retire anyways.
OK, the insane quality of Houngan’s rant aside, I actually think there is a core of truth to his points. In the 70s, the Boomers were referred to as the “me” generation and there is an element of self-centeredness which seems more pronounced in that generation than in prior generations. I’m not sure post-Boomer generations are much better but I do think pre-Boomer generations had a better understanding of adversity and the reality that you can’t always get what you want. The Boomers on the other hand seem to think they can have it all.
The problem is that they aren’t fucked until they’re outvoted. Considering they control pretty much everything right now, between their voting bloc and the idiots who vote based on what they see on TV or hear on talk radio, I think they have at least another 20 years of controlling legislative direction.
It’s not insane when it’s a rant. QED. You get to spray as much vitriol as you want provided you aren’t selling it as a calm, reasonable argument. And it doesn’t matter if future generations are better or worse, any more than it matters if the next generation of cows are just as hungry when the grass is already gone. The pooch is screwed and somebody has to pay for it, like it or not.
I read articles all the time that, if true, are scary. Stuff like (making this up for this purposes of this post) 65% of people within 10 years of retirement believe that $150,000 is enough money. Really? I mean, I guess it could be but you’d have to cut your lifestyle WAAAAY back. I’m talking below poverty line here … I doubt they’re thinking about doing that. They’re just completely uninformed.
When I worked in retail, it was always the late middle-aged customers in their 50s that were the hardest to work with. They were usually less patient and extremely rude to employees.
At least us post-boomers get the fun of raising Greatest Generation II, since we’re going through the economic turbulence now and setting up the wars that our children will get to suffer through.
Pretty much. They were poised as a generation that could change the world, but fell for Reaganomics and just entrenched us deeper in a capitalist system where growth is essential to the survival of our system.
Even if we maintain a nice debt to GDP ratio, we need to find more money somewhere. Let’s all just pray the Tea part don’t ever hold the Oval office and the houses.
The chart lies! Well, it doesn’t lie, but it does ignore one enormous reality, that defense is rolled into the “discretionary” spending and is actually one of the least discretionary things in the budget. Here’s a chart with estimated defense spending:
From what I understand, it is the incoming additional burden that is coming that is the problem. We can see it in the graphic I posted, that it is mostly medicare and medicaid that are projected to swell (if we ignore the net interest on the debt that baloons).
That is why all western countries need immigrants. To maintain the growth rates so we can afford all this shit.
It was only 60 for those who paid into the system for 40.5 years, 65 for everyone else.
Now the minimum age is 62 IF you worked for 42 years.
Somehow these details always get omitted when it’s time to write an article about the lazy French rioting again.
Near as I can tell it’s because they riot about everything that hurts workers, going way back. It’s their strategy, for good or worse, kind of like a union that constantly goes on strike.
Also, to belabor the point again, increasing health care costs are virtually the entire problem in that chart.
