I'm organizing this week's recycling, sorting a stack of old periodicals - The Economist, Forbes, a few copies of San Francisco's satirical Onion - when I was struck by a 2005 Onion headline: "Bush to Appoint Someone To Be In Charge of Country." The front-page "report" details Bush's plans to fill a newly-created Cabinet-level "Secretary of the Nation" post by appointing "a bold, resolute...strong, compassionate leader" to "run the U.S." (FYI: Here's the full Onion article)
It names two likely candidates: Baby Boomer Barrack Obama and John McCain. Three years later, the report came closer to the truth that most Onion stories as Obama and McCain battled for "Secretary of the Nation" power. Thanks to a budding Generation-X vote, Obama won.
But does Obama's election mean the "end of the Boomer era," as a recent Associated Press story said? In truth, Obama personifies everything boomers have fought for over the past four decades: gender and racial equality, environmentalism, social justice, an end to the divisions of war and giving back.
Indeed, the new administration is introducing plans for university-level students to invest 100 hours of volunteer time in exchange for $4,000 in direct tax credit. For a financial incentive, a new generation will be introduced to the volunteerism and encore service careers boomers have been doing for years.
That doesn't sound like the end of the boomer era to me.
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| Jennifer D. Meacham, Gather Money Correspondent | ||||
Jennifer's column, "The Bottom Line," is published every week to the Gather Essentials: Money channel. Jennifer is a business and personal finance columnist who covers money matters for RedwoodAge.com and real estate news for RISMedia, and co-authored the best-selling retirement investing guide "IRA Wealth: Revolutionary IRA Strategies for Real Estate Investment" (Square One Publishers, New York). Keep up on the latest news and analysis into how you can take control of your business and personal financial future by joining Jennifer's "Self-Directed Investing 101" network. | ||||
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Comments: 24 ( 1 removed by Ms. Meacham: Money Maven )
We look at the news and see stories of corporate greed, collusion, ponzi investment scams, corporate secrecy about their use of taxpayer-supplied funds, etc., etc. Today's "establishment" needs to be challenged seriously in order to effect change. I can still hear my fellow students chant, "Down with the establishment."
It is that which has become "established as the norm" that must be changed, and I wish all sorts of luck to you young people. You can do it. And this ol' man will support you as hard as I can.
Moving on
Power corrupts and it is time for a changing of the guard. It's the boomers who have actively participated in bringing on this financial crisis.
We thought we could do better - the results show we were sucked up into spit out by corrupt corporations which we created or hung onto as long as we could.
Overall, I'm really disappointed in us, the boomers. What set us apart and makes me proud to be a boomer are two things.
First, there always has been a grass root boomer movement and contingent who stayed connected to their hippie influences of love for all beings and our planet. Who sought ways to move forward with alternative energy and innovative thinking.
Second, the wave of boomers who dropped out of the corporate race - to pursue the goals they'd given up on while working for the establishment.
For most it meant living with less - but they did it anyway. I'm one of them.
I'm perfectly happy to say that Obama belongs to another generation, but he is rooted in some of the boomers ideals and that's what I like about him
Our ideals are simply something to work on and strive for - but the real world and Obama grasps that - will resist as it always has. Change can be painful and Wall Street doesn't like some of his proposals already - they prefer to stay on top and remain the elite.
They couldn't care less about wha'ts left of the middle class or our education system. Why should they - their children go to elite schools and never even rub noses with us common folk. We have successfully established a powerful class system....
Well, I'm off my soapbox - I could say more - but you get my drift.
What I am proud of
And THIS makes you proud?
Good point Larry. I've changed the last line to read "That doesn't sound like the end of the boomer era to me" instead.
Meanwhile, Richard Frisbee thank you for your kind and introspective comment: "You are right - I see it as the fruition of the Boomer activism and the, (finally) coming of age of their children." It's good to hear that others saw the same connection.
Obama is part of Generation Jones, born 1954-1965, between the Boomers and Generation X. Google Generation Jones, and you'll see it’s gotten a ton of media attention, and many top commentators from many top publications and networks (New York Times, Time magazine, NBC, Newsweek, ABC, etc.) are specifically referring to Obama, born in 1961, as part of Generation Jones.
Great op-ed on exactly this topic in yesterday's USA TODAY:
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20090127/column27_st.art.htm
There are those whom are arguing that the this tail end, and subsequent years, should have it's own generational name -- one that has been pitched is indeed "Generation Jones." But it's a matter currently up for debate.
I'll definitely check out your op/ed link on this subject though Stacy. I'm interested in hearing further arguments on why others believe such a generational distinction should be made....