Why are the children of the Greatest Generation so selfish?
So how did the Greatest Generation, known for its sacrifices, produce a generation so focused on economic self-interest and so seemingly unwilling to sacrifice for the good of the country? That is a bit of a mystery, but we will put forth two theories.
First, our generation generally avoided military service. As we baby boomers became adults, less than 1 percent of the population served in the military. In WWII, that figure was over 10 percent. Two of the great lessons of military service are one, country before self and two, trust in leadership and authority. With relatively few of us sharing the bonds, lessons, and sacrifices of military service, perhaps there is little widespread experiential counterbalance to each of us pursuing only our self-interest.
The second theory, on the other hand, goes deeper into our country’s structural economic problems—those that have precipitated the decline of a middle-class majority and the ascent of more powerful, but divergent self-interest groups.
Indeed, if we examine the economic and political principles that have worked together to serve us so well for 200 years, we see that today they seem to be working against each other instead. Our economic foundational principles are grounded in the free enterprise system as so beautifully described in Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations. Smith posited correctly that the greatest amount of societal wealth would be created through the invisible hand of the marketplace if individuals (and enterprises) were allowed to pursue their economic self interests. Our political foundational principle, on the other hand, is “one person, one vote.” Our founding fathers believed that if we give a political voice to the Great Majority, diverse interest would produce a fair and just society.
There will always be tension between those with wealth, trying to keep it or get more of it, and those without wealth, trying to get it.
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Comment pages: « Previous 1 2 3
Read the argument, as a whole. Two choices, you are either too blinded by hate to read it properly, even though it is plain as day what I meant, or you are deliberately misreading it to deflect. As a whole has an obvious meaning.
My generation had 30 million of its number aborted, countless others stopped at the end of condom, many more poorly educated, and in the end, we do not possess the numbers to outvote you. It is clear and very certainly true that this is a fact, your generational name says it all. BABY BOOM. Biggest generation. The generation after mine might fix it, as they seem to have descent numbers according to some. Then again, I doubt there will be an Oringinal United States of America around by the time enough of the baby boomers die off for their voting power to equal your generation’s. Considering the fact that we could never even count on “conservatives” from the baby boom generation before, now that they are retiring, it will never happen.
astonerii on September 12, 2011 at 12:21 AM
ramrants, I don’t have you confused with anyone. Part of the comments are from assertions you made to me and onlyOrange on a different thread.
Tongue in cheek though. Between you and astonerii and your debate manners though, you could turn my entire generation away from wanting to fix anything for you.
hawkdriver on September 12, 2011 at 12:21 AM
Yes, I do. I told you true things. Verifiable things. Things which do not change, with exception of point of view of evil person and good person. When faced with these facts, you chose to say they were otherwise. Thus, you are a liar. It is pretty easy to use logic to come to this conclusion.
You see a fact, it is a true and verifiable fact, it is not an opinion, you have been exposed to the knowledge that all of this is true, and you choose to say it is just not so. What else would you call that?
If your choice is that there is not truth, then I hope the mega progressives welcome you as you deserve. The conflation of fact and opinion is an evil. It is how evil progresses.
astonerii on September 12, 2011 at 12:25 AM
I’ve read everthing you’ve posted. I just contend we’re not all responsible like you assert.
I am personally responsible for aborting exactly, oh, zero babies. I have supported the right for life movement more than you will ever be able to. I don’t have anything to make up to your generation in that regard. Again, if it was so easy, fix it.
You don’t like condoms either, okay!
This entire statement, everything you say, everything you seem to feel, is tantamount to dropping a grenade in your own foxhole. You’re blaming the wrong people. You’re attacking, the wrong people. And if you think that trying to shame your elder people of faith into thinking they were part of poor direction society went in, you’re not much of a Christian either. There is quite the divide of political ideology in my generation.
hawkdriver on September 12, 2011 at 12:30 AM
Post my lies.
hawkdriver on September 12, 2011 at 12:31 AM
And please, stop acting like you represent all Christians with your hateful attitude. You do us few favors there also.
hawkdriver on September 12, 2011 at 12:34 AM
It is falling apart. So, let me make it clear. I honestly do not want you to fix it. I would rather let it all burn before you get anything, because that is where it is going now. Yes, they say SS is solvent until 2037, medicare until 2016. Medicare will break the bank. The $17T debt by 2013 will break our ability to fix medicare, especially if we hit another emergency before then. There just is not enough wealth in the world to fund a generation like yours. You seem to have been a good contributor to the nation, thanks. But that is not true of a vast number of your peers in your generation. Your generation blew it, and it did it for less than honorable reasons. At least the greatest generation had a reason to build the debts it built, fighting in world war II, and once the war was over, so too was the over sized government. While you argue that the good cannot be blamed for being too few to change the outcome, the good of your generation remained silent to a massive degree. That my friend is how evil prevails. You talk smack about how I turn people off, want to know the truth? I am doing far more than 90% of the good people of your generation ever did. I am at least not standing by and letting evil prevail silently because it might upset someone.
astonerii on September 12, 2011 at 12:35 AM
Again, I ask you. What have you done to stop evil? Anything at all in your lifetime? I understand being in the military might count, but apart from that? Anything?
astonerii on September 12, 2011 at 12:36 AM
hawkdriver on September 11, 2011 at 11:59 PM
1) I did not tag team with someone and gang up on a military vet.
2) I have never, let me repeat, NEVER, said that your generation should not get their SSI.
That is what I am responding to. And while we are speaking of ranting and raving, you still haven’t addressed the points I made about the boomer generation….which was the whole thesis of my post. From that, you derived I was advocating for boomers not to get SSI.
One thing I do support is an additional tax increase (like 5-7%) from those age 50-65. Half of the money will go to SSI and half would go to pay down the debt. I think that is only fair since it is your generation who ran up the debt and raided SSI. You say you support “sacrifices” to fix the system, do you support this?
ramrants on September 12, 2011 at 12:38 AM
Your opinion.
.
Your assertion.
How would you know the fights I’ve made? You presume much. You judge, much.
hawkdriver on September 12, 2011 at 12:38 AM
I did. your too progressive to argue with. Wish it was otherwise.
“as a whole” is spoken? What does it mean?
astonerii on September 12, 2011 at 12:40 AM
The political record shows that it is a true fact.
When charged with any PC affront, what does your generation do? Want to argue that the good in your generation spoke up for the truth? I doubt you will get far with that argument. I will have about 50 to your every 1 argument where your generation surrendered and left my generation voiceless. We are voiceless in large part because of your generation’s surrenders, and here you want to argue that I should shut up?
N word.
F@g
patriotism
religion in the public sphere.
Tell me, where did your generation draw the line?
astonerii on September 12, 2011 at 12:48 AM
Yeah, you did here. I admit, astonerii made most of the comment that were specifically disrespectful to this commenter. But again, you both talk about my generation like it was one homogenous evil entity.
I support me waiting longer for SSI if I take any at all. Seriously I don’t need it. astonerii wants it to crash though. Read his comments. Do you support that?
And I don’t think I said, you said I don’t deserve some of my SSI in return. I think I’m reacting in comment to your assertion that everyone in Generation X is the same. You said we should be taxed more and I thought that was an outrageous assertion. Then I commented, sarcastically I’ll admit, that I’d try to get “all” my SSI. Post where I said that, really. Because I’ve written a lot.
hawkdriver on September 12, 2011 at 12:53 AM
Sorry, that all “Baby Boomers” are the same instead of Gen X.
hawkdriver on September 12, 2011 at 12:55 AM
You lie, no you didn’t. Do it now, or quit lying about it yourself.
And I’m progressive? How so. Because I don’t cross the hateful lines you do in debating the people I differ with in debate.
This, is your beef. You want to call people invectives that they as a group take pain in? Or because you want the right to use the N-word or call someone on a DADT thread a F@g, I’m evil because I have respect for the person I’m having the discussion with not too? Hey, who’s holding you back. You’re a coward for not using those words if it’s so important to you.
And I never hide my faith. I’ll tell you what I don’t do with my faith. I don’t use it as an excuse to act like I’m better than someone else like you.
hawkdriver on September 12, 2011 at 1:02 AM
I thought at first you didn’t know who you were talking to, but incredibly, you do.
Being in the military might count? Might count?
I’ll tell you what: However much it counts, it counts a whole lot more than being a d-bag on the internet.
You should be ashamed of yourself.
capitalist piglet on September 12, 2011 at 1:05 AM
It’s late and I’m probably the only one but I think it’s amusing that some commenters here who are apparently in their mid-20s and maybe mid to late 30s are all wrapped up in worrying about social security and medicare. Here’s a helpful idea: go out and work really hard and save your money and plan for your future and you won’t need those government programs! You have plenty of time.
We boomers have given you a great and wonderful gift: the chance to figure out ways to be thrifty and productive and masters of your own future. We raised you, we know you’re capable of great and glorious things. Make us proud!!
Bennett on September 12, 2011 at 1:10 AM
i don’t really understand what you are saying in your 12:53 post.
I didn’t respond to some military vet, I was just voicing my opinion. And I never made any disparaging remarks to or about a military vet. And my opinion is that BB (that would be baby boomers) will never agree to do what is needed to fix the system.
Rick Perry is correct when he calls SSI a Ponzi scheme. The current generation pays into to a system that takes that money and pays it to the generation that is currently collecting. The money BB’s have paid into SSI was taken and used to pay the generation that was collecting. The government did not open an account in your name and put the money they took out of your paycheck and put it into that account, so it would be ready and waiting for you when you retire. I think this is what some people believe (I’m not saying you, just there are people who believe SSI works like a 401K).
This means, when you retire and start collecting SSI, the money Gen X and Millennial are paying into the system will go to pay your SSI. The system will go bankrupt by the time Gen X retires because there are not enough people to cover all the BB’s on SSI and Medicare. The point I was making and have been making is BB’s will not be willing to do what it takes to fix the system (such has pay a higher tax, retire later, take less SS payments, etc) and there will be nothing left for those that come behind them.
BB’s keep saying that they should get the money they paid in (which I agree), but what they seem to not understand or don’t care is that Gen X and Millennial will get nothing of the money they paid in. In other words, the attitude is, “I’m getting mine. Who cares if you don’t get yours”.
ramrants on September 12, 2011 at 1:13 AM
This is what irritates me about Baby Boomers. Who cares about tomorrow, live for today. It is that irresponsible attitude that got us into this mess.
I suppose you want us to save for our future (which I am already doing. I don’t expect SSI to be there when I retire) and not count on SSI being there for us. But you want us to continue to pay into SSI, so you can continue to get your retirement?
UGH!! I’m done. Night.
ramrants on September 12, 2011 at 1:20 AM
Onlyorange was the vet. I didn’t say you said anything about his service but he made a comment about it in the exchange and astonerii made disrespectful comments about it back. If you didn’t catch what he said, fine, you were still in the exchange with him like you are tonight and you do talk about all baby boomers like they’re dog crap. Take it back a notch. Like I said, I support every one of your positions. But every time you start your rants about how my entire generation screwed this up as if we weren’t getting our teeth kicked in by liberals and the media every step of the way is enough to drive a person nuts.
To get beat up by them and then have the very people who’s futures we were fighting for do the same thing is really quite unfair.
hawkdriver on September 12, 2011 at 1:21 AM
You don’t ribbing very well, do you? He’s teasing you guys by being as absurd in comment as you tend to be.
hawkdriver on September 12, 2011 at 1:23 AM
That make no sense. You don’t “take” ribbing …
hawkdriver on September 12, 2011 at 1:24 AM
Hawk: You are so the man. Quit arguing w/the idiots. Blackhawks forever.
Your friend Arnold—-CE UH1-H RVN Delta 1972-73.
arnold ziffel on September 12, 2011 at 2:08 AM
Man, I missed so much of this. I guess OASDI makes more sense when you view it as what it was actually meant to be – social insurance. It was originally meant to insure that old folks with no one else to count on wouldn’t be destitute. And yet somewhere along the way it got turned into FREE MONIE$$!!!! It was never meant to be a retirement, but that’s the way it got sold and people learned to cope with it – I paid in (the reality is that you were coerced, under the threat of violence, to contribute), I deserve my SS! That’s my money that the government is benevolently holding for me and astutely and wisely investing for me!
WRONG.
Hawkdriver, if you ever collect a dime from the SSA, except if you have some debilitating condition which has rendered you penniless and a burden on your family, I will personally pay to come and spit on your grave.
Forget all this nonsense. I’m 31. I already know that I have to plan like there will be no SS because in all likelihood there won’t be. What the hell am I supposed to tell my 6 and 4 year old kids when they grow up? They’re taking this 7.5% out of their paycheck to pay for grandpa? No, no one will ever have to pay for them? I mean what can I say as a conservative, genx-ish republican? IT IS A GOD DANG PONZI SCHEME NOW.
You boomers better wise up. You know, some of us dumb Gen-X and millenial types did this silly thing called enlist. Maybe you’re aware of these wars we’re in now? Where we routinely have folks with 3, 4, 5, 6 deployments into combat zones? And now we have to redo the retirement system because of the 80′s and 90′s retirees, who fought all of how many wars, exactly?
flashoverride on September 12, 2011 at 3:29 AM
What is with you people? Are you freaking nuts with this level of hate? And considering the physical shape of your generation, I wouldn’t count on you being around to spit on my grave.
My God, go find a modicum of class.
hawkdriver on September 12, 2011 at 6:14 AM
And by the way. You’re 31 and enlisted and deployed 4-5 times over the past ten years? Great, proud to know you. I served 34 years without a break in service active duty and deployed 5 times over the past tens years myself. Oh yeah, before that I spent most every other year in Central and South America during the Marxist Insurgency. What’s your point? Do we measure penises next?
Read the whole thread. I don’t want your money. The more I hear from your generation, the more I think you’re going to need all the help we can give you.
hawkdriver on September 12, 2011 at 6:24 AM
Moderator ate my second comment to you. I guess it doesn’t like the word, pen1s.
What I essentially added was that it’s great that you served and deployed 4-5 times. But if you’re 31, you still haven’t even lived as long as I served on active duty. And I deployed 5 times myself over the 10 year of the GWOT. Every other year before that for quite a stretch in Central and South America because of the Marxist Insurgencies. So, did you deploy 4 or 5 during GWOT. Because you might owe me one. And what does that have to do with SSI anyways? The only reason I even brought it up is because of the classless way astonerii treated a retiree on another thread.
And again and for the last time with you people, I really do not want or need any of the 100K or more that I’ve paid into SSI. But you’re wrong about the intent of that money. It is not currently means tested. If you take the yearly SSI statement at face value, it describes what you have earned and what you can except when you reach retirement age. Stop, stop. Don’t get excited. Take a breath. Keep reading. I fully support weening your generation from paying into it. I think we’re going to have to before you all start a riot it seems. But just knock it off with the invented hate. It’s nothing more than rationalization for your selfishness.
hawkdriver on September 12, 2011 at 6:54 AM
Centralized government came with Wilson & all pols after that. Republicans were no better than Democrats & so it went, right through FDR, LBJ etc.
Patronage politics ‘won’ the day & so the nation became entrenched in a vicious cycle of how can my representative get my state the most federal cash?
Disgusting.
That kind of game is what has cost us our liberty.
And the GG & baby boomers alike all went along for the joyride.
No single generation is responsible.
It is ALL our responsibility.
Badger40 on September 12, 2011 at 7:24 AM
Wow. Perfect example of grabbing the wrong half of a half truth.
I’m selfish because I don’t want some other guys taxes to go up to pay for my social security?
Bobbertsan on September 12, 2011 at 7:36 AM
Yes, you are progressive. I can see it in how you argue. You use every last tactic they do.
If I say that the water running in the river is wet, you will argue that I was talking about h20 and that h20 is not always wet, as it can be frozen and it can be steam. Arguing with you is pointless in that your mind is incapable of being informed of anything, but valuable in protecting others from your insidious nature.
astonerii on September 12, 2011 at 11:16 AM
You as well, as you are addressing a war time veteran yourself. If I should feel ashamed, then why not you and why not orange and hawk?
Because they are on your progressive side of a political ideal? Get real.
astonerii on September 12, 2011 at 11:19 AM
I used to think you were head strong and zealous. I just think you’re a creepy psycho now. Dude, you’re a freak.
hawkdriver on September 12, 2011 at 7:29 PM
Comment pages: « Previous 1 2 3