Obama: no more boomer Presidents...

After more than two decades of Bush and Clinton leadership, Barack Obama says it is time for a new generation to occupy the White House. The first-term U.S. senator from Illinois looked to take his remarkable, rapid rise to political prominence all the way to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, declaring himself on Saturday as a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. "Obama Announces Presidential Campaign For a New Generation" Belleville News Democrat (Illinois)

3K and counting: a message to readers

This weekend DBD will be reaching something of a minor milestone: three thousand visitors since the blog's inception last Spring. Not exactly a deluge of traffic, but it's very gratifying to see the site developing something of a core following. Major thanks to DBD's dedicated readership---particulary the few apostate boomers who have helped spread the blog's unique message. A big right on! to Rhea at the Boomer Chronicles and the outgoing folks at Lifetwo. Looking forward to an interesting year, and, at the risk of sounding like one of the many boomers in 12-Step Rehab, keep coming back, it really works!

Retiring boomers may face backlash

Some are beginning to blast baby boomers and call them selfish for robbing their grandchildren. Economists are starting to ask whether baby boomers should have to give up some benefits."There have to be some changes to make the system viable," said Papagatigos. "Good Question: Will Baby Boomers Bankrupt Us?" Wcco.com (Minnesota)

Junkie generation: boomers most likely to inject drugs

An analysis of US drug use data shows that the Baby Boom generation (born 1946 to 1964) has the highest rate of injection drug use ever. That bubble in injection drug use continues to this day, with the authors of the study noting that "the mean age of injection drug users has increased substantially." Study author Gregory Armstrong of the Centers for Disease Control analyzed data from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse from 1979 through 2002. He found that 1.5% of people surveyed in 2000-2002, or some 3.4 million people, reported ever injecting drugs. Nearly 0.2%, or some 440,000 people, reported shooting up in the previous year. The highest injection drug use rate by age came among 35-to-49-year-olds, with 3.1% reporting having put the needle in the vein. "Drug Use: Baby Boomers Most Likely to Have Shot Up" Stopthedrugwar.org

Boomers: underachievers and proud of it

Baby boomers take issue with me that their generation will likely be regarded for its magnificent underachievement and historical blundering — the war on terror being an obvious example. “You are an idiot. We are the least racist of all generations,” wrote one boomer. Another added that the great boomer contributions to America include “the human rights revolutions: civil rights, women's rights and gay rights.” "On Reagan, Boomers, Bush" Phillyburbs.com

In the UK: boomer lifestyle contributing to global warming threat

The Baby Boomer generation is being blamed for increasing climate change as the advent of middle age provides more disposable income to pursue a jet-set lifestyle. The over-50s have been identified as one of the worst age groups for contributing to carbon emissions‚ many showing a worrying lack of understanding over the critical state of the global environment.Researchers from the internationally recognised Stockholm Environment Institute‚ based at York University‚ have launched the biggest study of its kind to target the over-50s. An initial three-month study has been conducted by the team led by Dr Haq‚ including a survey of more than 700 over-50s throughout North Yorkshire‚ with a series of focus groups. "Global Warming: Baby Boomers Blamed" Seniorscopie Can well-intentioned boomers dedicate their lives to saving the planet while driving gas-guzzling SUVs? People do!

Tired boomer tactics...

But to drag out a bunch of comfortable-looking white people standing in the streets, in no personal danger, to oppose a war? Millions did it around the world before we invaded Iraq. Did it prevent this war? No. Today's antiwar demos are more like today’s gay pride parades: not enough is being risked to make the news media or the establishment pay attention. Marching is predictable. It’s not a new or surprising enough tactic to shake up the pundits. "Boomers, the 60s, Street Demos, and Mea Culpa TPM Cafe When it comes to risk-free, empty, symbolic boomer protests, nothing beats the Chilean Wine Boycott ...

Two-faced Hillary now regrets Iraq war vote

Sen. Hillary Clinton's (D-N.Y.) pledge to end the Iraq war if she becomes president rings hollow to some anti-war activists not ready to forget the Democratic frontrunner's once staunch advocacy for the invasion. Since announcing her candidacy for president, the New York senator has tried to distance herself from backing the unpopular war. "Iraq Threatens to Dog Senator Clinton's White House Bid" CNS News Gee in 2004 she had "no regrets." A real lady of principle...(sarcasm intended)

Author: boomer-cons no friends of freedom

Libertarians who favor limited government and restraint of federal power were a vital component of President Ronald Reagan's political coalition, but they struggle to find a home in today's Republican Party, according to the author of a new book on the nation's 40th president. Reagan, who was born 96 years ago on Tuesday, died in 2004.When he took office in 1981, Reagan saw freedom under assault, not just from external forces such as the Soviet empire, but from an "intrusive federal bureaucracy" at home that jeopardized individual liberty and states' rights, said Edward Yager, author of "Ronald Reagan's Journey." "Reaganite Libertarianism Missing in Today's GOP, Author Says" CNSNews.com

Boomer "vices" take their toll...

As America's baby boomers approach senior status, a troubling number are dying from causes that have marked the generation since the 1960s -- drug abuse, suicide and accidents. A new analysis by Scripps Howard News Service of death records for more than 304,000 boomers who died in 2003 shows the legacies of early and lingering drug use, a tendency toward depression at all stages of life and a stubborn determination not to "act their age." "Baby Boomers Fall Victim To Vices" Scripps Howard News Service Maybe AARP can hire William Bennett to give boomers a lecture on "virtue"...

Election '08: boomer last hurrah?

The electoral calculus is tantalizing. In 2008 Xers, with some help from the next younger generation, Generation Y, born between 1982 and 2000, could numerically outvote all older generations combined. Xers and still younger Ys, with their lack of unwavering affinity for the Democrats and Republicans, might constitute a decisive swing vote. "Race May Shake Out As Boomers vs. Xers" Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (Indiana)