America isnt quite as badly off, but is clearly headed in the same direction. Social Security was begun as the `greatest generation' was entering adulthood. Dick Durbin did, however, back Simpsons proposal to overhaul Social Security in 2014. Following the war, this generation produced children at an unprecedented level. The boomers were born, approximately, between 1947 and 1967, which means that leading-edge boomers are turning 67 and trailing-edge boomers are turning 47 this year. Here's a response in a letter from PATTY NYE from Illinois . Thats very difficult for people to accept. The same is true of defense spending, although we can no longer afford endless wars we cant win. In the book, Brokaw profiled American members of this generation who came of age during the Great Depression and went on to fight in World War II, as well as those who contributed to the war effort on the home front. And our bad habits dont stop with CEOs. It looks like we better . [4], The term "G.I. But the fact remains that health care costs are going to explode as the boomers age and the boomers are OK with that, because were the ones that will collect. But that same year, Medicare took effect to provide medical care for the elderly, and Social Security adjustments steadily reduced poverty among them. Finance, http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/ceos-more-350-times-average-worker-afl-cio-144537573.html, viewed 7 July 2014. One measure of how children have tumbled as a priority in America is that in 1960 we ranked 12th in infant mortality among nations in the world, while now 40 nations have infant mortality rates better than ours or equal to it. In contrast, I believe that when history looks back on the baby boomers, we (for Im one of them) will be labeled the greediest generation. Click for proposal. He said, First shoot the lawyers. He should have said, First shoot the accountants.. The only way to assess a countrys fiscal condition that is free of this problem is by forming the countrys fiscal gapthe present value total of all the official debts and unofficial current and future spending obligations after netting out all the current and future taxes everyone is currently slated to pay. I grew up in the shadow of what Tom Brokaw called " The Greatest Generation .". Traditionally in America, the people most likely to be poor were the elderly. In a profanity-laced letter sent last month, Simpson attacked the group as a bunch of "greedy geezers" and demanded they "read the damn report." Several news . The fact that the deficit commission is focused on federal deficits and not the long-term fiscal gap is indicative of how much damage the economic labeling problem is causing. Our top domestic priorities should be to ensure that all children get health care and to get our fiscal house in order. As a career politician, you have been on the public dole for FIFTY YEARS 2. Even after defeat Japan would achieve unprecedented prosperity through businesses such as Sony Corporation (founded by Akio Morita) and cultural influence, as in cinema by Akira Kurosawa. by senior futurist Richard Worzel, C.F.A. Social Security: Congress' piggy bank. The over generous super provisions are another wealth transfer from the young to the old and should be tightened while not discouraging thrift and self-sufficiency (two words slipping from our lexicon). In comparison, the official debt held by the public is only $9 trillion. The dislike is apparently mutual. [36] Surviving members of the German World War II generation would go on to experience the Fall of the Berlin Wall and the creation of the European Union. Well, Captain Bullshit, I have a few questions for YOU 1. The term "Swing Generation" has also been used to describe the cohort due to the popularity of the era's music. But our worst economic bequest is the fantastic fiscal liability were leaving our kids. We have a scheme where support for the older generations and other extravagances were legislated based on the assumption of continuing revenue from an unprecedented investment boom in resources. The Baby boomer generation after WWII basically are most people's parents around here. Support for those most in need is threatened by support for those who are more able to look after themselves. Between 1990 and 2007, several additional reports were issued citing deficiencies in the bridge, all of which were essentially ignored. In the Senate, Boomers remain the majority (68), and their numbers have risen slightly from the last Congress (66) and the prior one (65). Somehow, I think that the fear of Puffin's censors was that Dahl's books might be too relevant, rather than too little. . "Salaries of Members of Congress: A List of Payable Rates and Effective Dates." That's 11 times our official national debt and also greater than our total net worth, meaning that in some sense we're bankrupt. Generation and the World War II generation, is the Western demographic cohort following the Lost Generation and preceding the Silent Generation. The only way out is to reduce spending. 43 years ago, I made enough money on silver and gold minicontracts to afford a getaway A-frame in the woods AND to pay for my ex-wife's law school . Why? It's a bum rap, although he is noted as a world-class liar. On the other hand, the proportion of children below the poverty line is still 18 percent, the same as it was in 1966. We cut off other people in traffic, because we dont care whether its our turn or not, and text and phone while we drive, putting other peoples lives at risk. In the United States, members of this generation came of age, were children, or were born during the Progressive Era, World War I, and the Roaring Twenties; a time of economic prosperity with distinctive cultural transformations. Not surprisingly, the Bush administration took a look at the study, blanched, and declined to publish it. The author Laurence J. Kotlikoff affirms that on of the major characteristics of Baby Boomers is greed. Many have argued that this is not the case, but look at what happens if the SSA decides to cash in these so-called assets. Thats not likely to happen. She also tells it like it is! (You can read all the comments here.). When the war in Europe began, millions of British citizens joined the war effort at home and abroad. Why shouldnt he try? 2.9 million members of this generation served in the war, and there were 384,000 casualties. As a career politician, you have been on the public dole (tit) fifty years. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. That's right, sir. [34], Members of the World War II generation in Germany came of age following World War I and the German Revolution of 19181919. Dick Durbin, a Senator from Illinois calls senior citizens the Greediest Generation as he compared "Social Security " to a Milk Cow with 310 million teats. Posted Jun 3, 2013 by Martin Armstrong. I think he is a little ticked off ! Votes. . 1. The number of Silent Generation senators has fallen from 19 in 2017 to 11 now. He didnt, however, say that senior citizens were the greediest generation ever (at least in the email). As a baby boomer myself, I can be blunt: We boomers won't be remembered as the "Greatest Generation." With boomers about to retire, I'm afraid that national priorities will be focused even more powerfully on the elderly rather than the young -- because it's the elderly who wield political clout. The baby boomers who have controlled this country since the 1980s are a selfish, entitled generation. The bad news is they think this can be accomplished by slashing discretionary programs. MsFitz01 posted on 11/12/10 12:34 PM EST: "A Greedy Generation? Returning German veterans found their country carved up into four zones of occupation; later becoming West Germany and East Germany. The latest survey conducted by Russia's Levada Center suggests Victory Day is still one of the most important public holidays for Russian citizens, with 65% of those surveyed planning to celebrate it. We've also lost ground in child vaccinations: the United States now ranks 84th in the world for measles immunizations and 89th for polio. We treat our pets as furry children, bringing them into public places where they do not belong, including airplanes, or allowing them to run free in parks while failing to clean up after them. To redeem these IOUs, the government would have to: 1) raise taxes; 2) cut spending; or 3) borrow an equivalent amount of money on the open market at a time when U.S. government debt is at the highest peacetime level in history. Patricia Bealer says: September 16, 2018 at 11:00 pm. Letter to D!ck Durbin D!ck Durbin, a Senator from Illinois calls senior citizens the Greediest Generation as he compared "Social Security " to a Milk Cow with 310 million teats. Sen. Richard Durbin says that "Social Security does not add one penny to our debt.". Thats a formula for disaster. It was a case of the many supporting the few. She also tells it like it is! January 23, 2018. Spread the love. The Greediest Generation. The story goes Durbin compared Social Security to a milk cow with 310 million teats and called senior citizens the greediest generation ever for their reliance on it. How much do you pay for YOUR government provided health insurance? [1] They were shaped by the Great Depression and were the primary generation composing the enlisted forces in World War II. August, 2010.". He's been a senator for more than 40 years, during which, if he's as good at his job as many of his . But the next generation is much smaller than ours, so very soon it will be a case of the few supporting the many. Per TPM: "We had the greatest generation," Simpson said. He must have thought I was about to rip off his head and spit down his . You promise them big pensions and retirement benefits at some distant, later date. In 2010, Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles were appointed co-chairs of President Barack Obama's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, tasked with coming up with a plan to "bring down the federal budget deficit to 3% of gross domestic product by 2015, compared with nearly 10% today, and to propose ways to hold down the surging costs of government programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.". Are we the only generation that has ever been greedy? Yet Mother Nature wont be put off; she always gets paid. This Montana Senior Nailed It! Dick Durbin, a Senator from Illinois calls senior citizens the Greediest Generation as he compared "Social Security" to a Milk Cow with 310 million teats. In Canada, the situation is distinctly worse because the birth rate in Canada is much lower than in the U.S., which means the burden on working people supporting the health care costs of aging boomers will be proportionately much higher than in America. A number of popular film genres, including gangster films, musical films, comedy films, and monster films attracted mass audiences. The baby boom has been described variously as a "shockwave" and as "the pig . But this isn't the first time the "greediest generation" rumor has . Baby boomers, often shortened to boomers, are the demographic cohort following the Silent Generation and preceding Generation X.The generation is often defined as people born from 1946 to 1964, during the mid-20th century baby boom. I think she is a little ticked off! You can update your choices at any time in your settings. But remember that American children are almost twice as likely as the elderly to live in poverty, and that you get much more bang for the buck vaccinating a child than paying for open-heart surgery. The International Monetary Fund recently computed a similar sized fiscal gap. Our credit rating will fall, the cost of debt servicing will increase and the monumental task of repayment will get even harder. We recommended that the benchmark for the aged pension be tied to average weekly earnings again with the adjustment being phased in over 15 years. The incendiary headline was written by Kotlikoff, not a Forbes editor looking to gin up some extra page views. And because the boomers vote, and younger generations havent yet started to band together for self-protection, its likely that the boomers will get their way which means unaffordable health care could bankrupt Canadas governments. "Hey Dick, let's get a few things straight!!! Government debt loads equaling 100% of GDP are considered a red flag, so Canadas combined total of explicit and implicit debt of more than 4 times GDP will mean that health care benefits will have to be slashed at some point, among other things. "[5] The initials G.I. It was wrong 21 months ago, when Durbin said it once before, and it's . They fought World War II against unspeakable evil and, rather than coldly considering every cost versus a short-term return, they invested everything they had, many investing their lives, in rebuilding the world, one that they believed would be better, fairer . Surviving members of this generation would see Japan emerge as the world's second-largest economy by 1989. (I know, since Im the editor responsible for the column.). Marian Salzman: For 30 years, baby boomers dominated politics, culture. this generation, if they are not spitting mad, well, then they're just not paying attention. You may opt-out by. And we'll just keep piling it on them. Generation and the "Triumph of the Squares", "U.S. income inequality, on rise for decades, is now highest since 1928", "Life and death during the Great Depression", "Timeline: American Generations since 20th Century", "Research Starters: US Military by the Numbers", "The World War II Generation and Vietnam", "Political Behavior and Values Across the Generations", "The Greatest Generation is quickly slipping into history", "World War II According To Hollywood's Greatest Generation", "The Movie Biz: The Greatest Generation's war", "Consider War Stories Without Romanticizing Them", "Dangerous Nostalgia: Why Romanticizing the 1950s and 1960s Won't Get Us Anywhere", "What Millennials Can Learn From the Greatest Generation", "A 104-year-old World War II veteran from Alabama has survived Covid-19", "Boris Johnson hails Britain's 'greatest generation' as he thanks WWII veterans on VE Day", "Queen tells Britain 'never give up' in tribute to WW2 generation", "The German Army in the Second World War", "Where Veterans Aren't Thanked for Their Service. As of 2003, the share of elderly below the poverty line had fallen by two-thirds to 10 percent -- representing a huge national success. Because you incompetent bastards spent our money so profligately that you just kept on spending even after you ran out of money. them say they have become more conservative on economic, social, foreign policy, moral, and legal issues as they have aged. [24] The last member of this generation to be elected president was George H. W. Bush (19891993), and as of 2023 the last surviving president from this generation is Jimmy Carter (19771981). In last week's election the voters made it very clear that they want spending brought under control. The potential revenue from these additional tax raisings are swamped by the growing budget deficit. So let me list the most important ways in which we have behaved as the greediest generation. Here's a response in a letter from PATTY NYE from Illinois . [4]This doesnt include liabilities for municipal governments, for health care benefits for retirees, nor for the civil servants of the U.S. federal government. . Always say what you mean ! During the past few months, economists Thomas R. Saving of Texas A&M, Edward P. Stringham of Fayetteville State University, and I have been working with IT developers at the California-based PJ Institute to develop a Web-based application we call the Personal Financial Impact Projector. compared "Social Security" to a Milk Cow with . The veins in my temples throbbed. In 1998, former news anchor Tom Brokaw wrote a book calledThe Greatest Generation. But showing them exactly how much they will have to pay in taxes to support the status quo might change their attitude. Critiques about generations often begin by noting the lack of agreement around birth years. But we are not ashamed of ourselves, which speaks volumes for just how steeped in bad behavior we have become. People I've known, relatives [saying], 'You son of a bitch. As it is, the rate of U.S. domestic investment was only 1.9 percent last year! We bring young children to fancy restaurants, then dont supervise them, ignoring how they annoy other diners. The Greatest Generation, also known as the G.I. Not just going fishing: Higher mortgage debt levels are keeping Baby Boomers in the workforce for longer, Ahuri research shows. In last weeks election the voters made it very clear that they want spending brought under control. Please try again later. The Generational Dilemma of the 2020 Democratic Primary", "Full Committee Hearing on Statement Made by Gen. James A. My generation is the Greediest Generation. These future liabilities arent captured by the official debt measure, which receives all the press attention. The euro area has 16.5 million unemployed and an unemployment rate of 10.5 per cent. The last time this issue was seriously tackled was back in 1983, when a Senate committee led by Daniel Patrick Moynihan curtailed benefits, and raised entitlement ages. But Simpson said that while every interest group that testified before his committee agreed that the mounting federal debt is a national tragedy, they would then talk about why government funding to their area of interest shouldn't be touched. And an open letter by a woman identified as Patty Myers from Montana began to circulate in 2011. Not surprisingly, many of the debt commission's draft proposals to cut the debt by nearly $4 trillion by 2020 from raising the retirement age to 69 by 2075 to bringing in $1 trillion more in tax revenue have won strong opposition from liberals and conservatives alike. This is not entirely the fault of the boomers, because it was underfunded from the start, and the generations before the boomers, including those who are retired and still alive, have demanded this level of benefits. According to a 2004 study done by AARP, "There are 26 million people aged 77 or older in the United States. It was the `greatest generation', provoked by Democrat politicians and operating through lobbying groups such as AARP that have frustrated every effort to reform the situation. Alan Simpson, Senator from Wyoming, Co-Chair of Obama's deficit commission, calls senior citizens "the Greediest Generation" as he compared Social Security to a Milk Cow with 310 million teats . They have a lot going for them that they consider good but that the millenials don't have. It is not your imagination, and it didn't come out of nowhere. Was about to rip off his head and spit down his is they think this can be the greediest generation: boomers... Pay for your government provided health insurance research shows can be blunt: we boomers wo n't be as. Percent last year have thought I was about to rip off his head and spit down.... 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