The final trip: boomers face death

As they have with other life stages, Boomers will discuss, debate and try to redefine this ultimate passage. While this final round of talkin' 'bout my generation could become a downer, these discussions will also boost public-health awareness, force much-needed debate about end-of-life care and provide everyone with a renewed appreciation of living daily life to the fullest. "Death Be Not a Boomer: A Group That Won't Go Quietly" Chicago Tribune

Will grabby boomers trigger backlash?

First, a generational backlash is inevitable. The idea that younger workers will meekly bear the huge tax increases needed to pay all boomers' promised benefits is delusional. Consider: In 2007, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid constitute 44 percent of the $2.7-trillion federal budget. To pay all future benefits could (depending on assumptions) easily require tax increases of 30 percent to 50 percent by 2030. Many retirees are quite comfortable. About 42 percent of Americans 65 to 75 have assets (homes, stocks, cash) worth $250,000 or more; 23 percent have annual incomes exceeding $69,000. Second, boomers will want even more benefits... "Children on Hook for Boomers' Selfishness" St. Petersburg Times (Florida)

"Ageism" or hypocrisy?

Why weren't the boomers pushing to end such "blatant discrimination" when we were in our 30s and 40s? Weren't we concerned about the Greatest Generation pilots - World War II veterans - being cut off while still in their primes? Could it be because we wanted those geezers out of the way, so we could take their jobs? But now that we, the "We'll-Tell-You-We're-The-Greatest" generation are the geezers, that barrier has to be tossed to accommodate us. "Boomers Think They Make the World go 'Round" Salem News (Massachusetts)

Boomers now the "establishment"

The torch of political power in America has now passed to the baby boom generation. Of 6,100 elected state and national officials across the country, a slight but significant majority are members of the enormous population group that largely came of age rebelling against the "establishment." Now, they are it. "The Baby Boomers Dominate The Halls of Power" Albuquerque Tribune

Hillary Clinton: is she facing anti-boomer backlash?

Another heavy burden is her privileged status as a liberal Baby Boomer. If she prevails at the Democratic National Convention in Denver next year, she will be the fifth consecutive nominee from that large, self-admiring demographic. Al Gore and John Kerry shared a sense of generational entitlement infected with moral superiority: "I was right about civil rights and Vietnam; aren't you voters lucky to vote for someone as smart as me?" "A Problem for Hillary: Her Hubby" San Francisco Chronicle

LTE: the burden of boomer mismanagement

As a 24-year-old looking to the future, I am disappointed by the failure of Congress to prepare for that future. It has been known for many years that Social Security and Medicare payments for retired baby boomers can break the bank if Congress keeps ignoring the problem. I may have to pay a huge amount of taxes during my peak earning years, then get little return from these programs. "Protect Future by Spending Less on the Baby Boomers" Delaware Online

Bankrupting the future: boomer spending "immoral"

The twin problems of baby boomer retirement and skyrocketing health care costs present a massive challenge to the country. Washington officials realize the problem will hit soon. So why hasn't much been done about it yet. One man in particular, Comptroller General David Walker, has made it his mission to spread the message and try to make the country's long-term fiscal health a top 2008 campaign issue. "This is a moral issue," he says. "It's not a numbers issue. ... What's going on is immoral. We are adding to the burdens of future generations at record rates." "U.S. Watchdog Sees Future Crisis" Billings Gazette (Montana)