Facing retirement in maybe the next 10 years, I’m more aware of what’s ahead for my generation as well as those we’ve left as replacements. It isn’t pretty.
I won’t point to the weblogs where I’ve run across some of this sentiment, but it’s hard for me to keep quiet about it. The articles are written by what appears to be some bloggers in the late twenty to mid thirty age group, and they’re not happy with us baby boomers. The consensus of opinion seems to be that we’re a malignancy on the work force, the economy, and them personally.
Couple things you youngun’s seem to have forgotten. First of all, as the largest age group, we also put in the most money in taxes, not only in Social Security and income taxes, but property, sales and everything else that built you guys nice new schools and computer labs and playing fields. We also felt the responsibility not to compound the burden our parents produced and so choose to have fewer children, abortions for those who felt comfortable with that, and were okay with choices to remain single. We tried to give women the idea that they can make their own choices in life and that’s why lots of you are in the positions you’re in, without the competition that you might have had for those jobs if we hadn’t been responsible towards the future.
While you’ve been fighting for some pretty important issues, we’ve been trying to point out that unless there’s some progress made against Alzheimers, and while everyone’s trying to make us live longer, the burden of Alzheimers on family and society is going to be tremendous when you’re caring for so many of us for long term care. Especially when you don’t want to give up your own vacations and jobs and good times to take care of us. That’s fine; that’s why we planned for our own retirements, health options, and independence. Aside, of course, from what we’ve had to pay out for your college educations–which we felt you needed, and the trips to Europe after graduation and the cars and the living at home before you could make it on your own.
And oh yes, the retired do still pay somewheres around $100 a month for their Medicare insurance premiums. Just like you all pay for your own insurance premiums. I only hope your kids have a better attitude towards taking care of you all someday. God knows it looks like we didn’t instill that sense of responsibility in you.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology