I just returned from a European vacation -- blissfully unaware of current events – in time to head to the polls. Of course, one can easily follow current events from Europe. All one needs is an Internet connection. I simply chose not to read the news or follow the latest social media nonsense.
My first clue of the latest potboiler was a tongue-in-cheek Tweet by WXXI’s Evan Dawson lamenting that a Rochester radio host had gained national attention and it wasn’t him. He faux-whined “Am I doing this wrong?” Later, I learned about Bob Lonsberry’s comparison of the hashtag #OKBoomer to the N-word. To say Lonsberry’s analogy was overreach is stating the obvious; but I understand the emotion from which it springs. Just as I wrote a few months ago that being a white male is considered an original sin, Boomers are now being dismissed as an irrelevant generation. As an older Boomer, I should be insulted.
However, I have to say I agree with many of the complaints of Millennials who will inherit from us a mass of structural impediments to our progress as a society. We once lectured our elders about environmental pollution and bought Volkswagens and Toyotas instead of huge sedans. Now, we buy SUV’s. We protested the war in Vietnam and take credit for bringing it to a close. Now, we have led the nation into the longest wars in our history. We advocated political reform to rid society of “smoke-filled rooms.” The reformed process has yielded Donald J. Trump. The failure of four Boomer presidents is monumental, leaving us with unresolvable deficits, unviable social safety net programs, and government that is captive to industry.
Historian and demographer Neil Howe has researched generational transitions back to the War of the Roses. He posits that every fourth generation – those who come of age during crisis – brings forth a heroic new paradigm for governance. The last generation to do so, was the WWII generation. Their post-war world order has given us 70 years of unprecedented prosperity and is now, like Boomers, getting a little long in the tooth. So, dramatic change is perhaps due.
Like many of my contemporaries, I shake my head at Millennial ideas that seem crazy, from Green New Deal to free tuition to socialism (Socialism? Really??). But Millennials are unlikely to tolerate an unsustainable model that has its roots in the experience of their great grandparents. A generation of Americans that grew up with the Internet isn’t going to tolerate public institutions that operate on a 19th Century bureaucratic model. Nor will they tolerate a healthcare system that absorbs more and more of our national income without improving outcomes, a social safety net that will collapse of its own weight or an education system that doesn’t match graduates with jobs and careers.
Going forward, the national debate won’t be about spendthrift compassion vs. cold-hearted austerity. It will be about developing a healthcare system that can care for our poor and elderly without bankrupting the country, restructuring education to deliver globally competitive graduates and ordered liberty that provides equal opportunity to all.
Just don’t mess with my Medicare, okay?
WHO WILL LEAD?
Great article, John. I am a liberal (met you at the Inglis event last spring), and I have enjoyed reading your blogs. I really liked this blog entry. Thanks, keep it up!
ReplyDeleteNice job John. Did Europe sanitize you some? This is a great read and I appreciate your work.
ReplyDeleteThe first problem is that the world is populated by humans who are inherently flawed. The possess excessive greed, self-awareness, and status symbol need. They don't tend to get all the facts first and/or think things through before acting or talking (ex.: Trump?!).
ReplyDeleteOur multiple Democratic candidates, whose number was shrinking but is now increasing again, are more like the talking heads we see/hear on TV and radio broadcasts daily -- lots of talk but little or no substance. The Republicans have been like that for some time. We boomers haven't helped much. We lost our zeal for correcting things in the early 70's and no one has picked up the slack since.
There are a few today who seem to want to carry the banner and "make a difference". For the sake of our nation and the world I fervently hope they continue striving. This boomer is out of gas for such pursuits.