Rejecting the boomer label

The "baby boom" label was applied to all Americans born between 1946 and 1962, because these dates bracket a period of unusually high birthrates. But a generation is not simply an age bracket: History, attitudes, behavior, and self-identification are also a factor. And when you think about Americans born in the 5 or 6 years following, say, 1959, it's impossible to lump them in with the boomers. (NB: I was born in the late '60s, so I'm not talking about my own generation. I'm defending the generational integrity of my immediate elders.) "Generation Obama vs. The Boomers" Boston Globe Back when boomers were more elitist, if you didn't march on Washington, party at Woodstock, or join a commune, you simply weren't considered part of the glorious flower child zeitgeist. Obviously a good dose of old-fashioned humility has left them scrambling to expand their ranks by classifying Generation Jones (whose members they once derided) as fellow boomers.

Boomer Congress: support the war but shaft the soldiers

Yet because veterans do not typically vote as a bloc, the federal government has been allowed to get away with assigning their requirements Marianas Trench–low priority. The annual budget for the V.A. stands at 60 billion dollars. With over 25 million living veterans, another 45 million Americans eligible for benefits because of family ties, almost 220,000 employees to pay, and a tremendous amount of infrastructure to maintain, Secretary James Nicholson is searching for change in the couch cushions of V.A. hospital waiting rooms. "American Troops Deserve Better Than Veterans Affairs Has To Offer" Chicago Maroon

On boomers: Neil Howe and Bill Strauss

Of all today's living generations, which one is most likely to risk blowing up the world just to prove a point? 13th Gen: Abort, Retry, Ignore, Fail? (Vintage, 1993)

On boomers: Eric Hoffer

One wonders whether a generation that demands instant satisfaction of all its needs and instant solution of the world's problems will produce anything of lasting value. Such a generation, even when equipped with the most modern technology, will be essentially primitive---it will stand in awe of nature, and submit to the tutelage of medicine men. Reflections on the Human Condition (Harper and Row, 1973)

The curse of boomer politics

Our election campaigns for President of the United States now more closely resemble those idiotic class officer contests we had in high school than the issues-driven campaigns of the past. Nowadays, if it won't look good on a campaign button or sound catchy in a 2-second verbal blip, forget it. I have never seen such obvious pandering to get elected. It reminds me of the girl who promised pizza every day in the lunchroom so she could be class president. Or the kid with a rich father who gave out snazzy ballpoint pens in exchange for a vote. In high school, though, the principal and the teachers still ran the school. The class officers could recommend, but they had no power to enact their wacky ideas. Now they do, ‘cause they're running the government. "Playground Politics" American Thinker

Study: boomer retirement to stimulate SoCal economy

Southern California's economy will flourish over the next decade as retiring baby boomers are replaced by newcomers to the work force, a Palo Alto-based think tank said Thursday. The Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy expects the region's economy to add 1.1 million jobs, 2.2 million residents, and more than 800,000 households over the next 10 years. "Retiring Boomers a Boost" Daily News (Los Angeles)