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It's Bootstrap Time for Generation X
Real Clear Politics ^ | August 13, 2011 | Reed Galen

Posted on 08/13/2011 12:55:19 PM PDT by Publius804

Richard Ben Kramer’s seminal work on running for the presidency, What It Takes, introduced the idea of the ‘looking in the mirror’ moment. It was the second when an individual awoke, looked themselves in the eye, and decided that running the rigorous gauntlet of a campaign was worth it. I believe we as a country, and more specifically those of us in the Gen X cohort, are looking in the mirror today. The question facing us is essentially the same: do we have what it takes?

Folks should be forgiven for asking, “For God’s sake, what’s next?” For any number of reasons we can’t seem to buy a break. And for entirely too many of us, we’re looking for someone to come help us fix our problems, either those we share as a people, those thrust upon us, or those of our own making. To return to my semi-Texas roots, it’s bootstrap time. To the extent each of us have the ability to solve our problems, now is the time to get after it. One thing is clear: the cavalry isn’t coming; they sold the horses and sent the rifles to Mexico.

More than a small amount of time is spent blaming ”the system.” It’s the system’s fault Washington can’t get its act together. It’s the system’s fault bankers make too much money. It’s the system’s fault the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. What the system has created the most of though, is apathy. Worse than apathy is antipathy.

(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: boomers; collapse; default; genx; millenials; shtf; teotwawki

1 posted on 08/13/2011 12:55:27 PM PDT by Publius804
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To: qam1

Ping!!!!


2 posted on 08/13/2011 12:56:20 PM PDT by Publius804 (Buckle up - with Obama at the controls it's gonna be a bumpy ride. God help us.)
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To: Publius804

Interesting, but as a Gen Xer - I am mad as hell. What is this, a placid dinner discussion or the future of our country? If this is the call to arms, we are screwed.


3 posted on 08/13/2011 12:59:32 PM PDT by Cathy
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To: Publius804

Interesting, but as a Gen Xer - I am mad as hell. What is this, a placid dinner discussion or the future of our country? If this is the call to arms, we are screwed.


4 posted on 08/13/2011 12:59:42 PM PDT by Cathy
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To: Publius804

Ended with a fizzle...

He’s right to be angry about the diminished nation left in the wake of the baby boomers, but offers no prescription or particular call to action for those that follow.


5 posted on 08/13/2011 1:03:27 PM PDT by americanophile ("this absurd theology of an immoral Bedouin, is a rotting corpse which poisons our lives" - Ataturk)
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To: Publius804

Well the ‘system’ is going to leave you with bills, continuous war, broken bridges, potholes, dirty air, and polluted water. You might as well know too that the jobs we had were exported by the ‘system’ elsewhere to make a bigger buck. The only way to control the ‘system’ is to vote but the ‘system’ will pick the candidate you can vote for.


6 posted on 08/13/2011 1:12:47 PM PDT by ex-snook ("Above all things, truth beareth away the victory")
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To: Publius804
Reed Galin (Rich Galen's son), was born in 1976, which puts him at the latter part of GenX, and just prior to the GenY/Millennial. That provides an interesting observation point. People born in the mid-1970s were protected from influence from the Nixon and Carter years, and the early 1980s recession.

Therefore, Reed Galin's points should be able to resonate with not only GenX, but early GenY.

As someone who was born a decade earlier, I remember watching the zenith of America, Americans walking on the moon, followed a few years later by watching Nixon resign and later Saigon fall on that same black and white console TV. A few years later I watched Americans taken hostage in Iran. And outside in the real world, an depression-level economic collapse in my town and state.

That is why Reagan and Reaganism is so powerful to me. The Goldwater/Reagan western states libertarian Republican philosophy, combined with the Friedman/Laffer economic philosophy, is the most cogent, logical, political-economic philosophy I have heard.

The "system", and the blame game just pisses me off. It is like watching Atlas Shrugged play out in real time.

Like minded GenXers need to organize our own PAC.

7 posted on 08/13/2011 1:26:02 PM PDT by magellan
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To: ex-snook
"The only way to control the ‘system’ is to vote but the ‘system’ will pick the candidate you can vote for."

Understood, but there's another way. Avoid buying anything that you don't need. Become more self-sufficient each month, and as a hobby for now, learn to manufacture something useful. Starve the beast, then replace it.

Technocracy is what they fear the most.


8 posted on 08/13/2011 1:30:30 PM PDT by familyop (We Baby Boomers are croaking in a noisy avalanche of rotten politics smelled around the planet.)
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To: Publius804
It was the second when an individual awoke, looked themselves in the eye,

And in that moment, the individual multiplied himself into a plural, so that they didn't have to commit the drastic sin of referring to themselves as "himself."

So, how many eyes does the authors have, now? Is they got a mirror before and behind, for the infinite-reflection effect? How many mirrors does it take to achieve perfect gender-neutrality?

9 posted on 08/13/2011 1:44:43 PM PDT by Tax-chick (The Commie Plot Theory of Everything. Give it a try - you'll be surprised how often it makes sense.)
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To: Publius804

As a Gen-Xer I’m disgusted with Washington as much as anyone. People there, Republicans and Democrats, live in the past. The glory days are over, it’s time to get down to work.

Being politically active, I have two priorities. The first is to get my state in order with a conservative GOP majority. The states that are doing this are seeing it pay off in spades. We need a bulwark against the Washington stupidity and that’s as good as any.

The last is that we have too many in power, Republicans and Democrats, still living in the 60’s. I see it at every level. Much of that is centered around front-end Baby Boomers. My attitude now is this is 2011, and the old ways aren’t working. For those that refuse to change, I’m simply running them over and getting them out of power.

Our greatest treasure is the generation behind me. Most are not liberal and they are starting to see. I will NOT write them off and do everything I can subtle and overt to cultivate them to active conservatism. If they can be energized they could be the wave that puts us over the top.


10 posted on 08/13/2011 1:56:08 PM PDT by Free Vulcan (Obama/Biden '12: No hope and chump change.)
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To: Publius804; ItsOurTimeNow; PresbyRev; Fraulein; StoneColdGOP; Clemenza; m18436572; InShanghai; ...

Xer Ping

Ping list for the discussion of the politics and social (and sometimes nostalgic) aspects that directly effects Generation Reagan / Generation-X (Those born from 1965-1981) including all the spending previous generations are doing that Gen-X and Y will end up paying for.

Freep mail me to be added or dropped. See my home page for details and previous articles.  

11 posted on 08/13/2011 2:58:08 PM PDT by qam1 (There's been a huge party. All plates and the bottles are empty, all that's left is the bill to pay)
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To: magellan

he Goldwater/Reagan western states libertarian Republican philosophy, combined with the Friedman/Laffer economic philosophy

Best times I ever knew. The rest of the last 56 years that I remember has been pretty much a wash.


12 posted on 08/13/2011 4:04:36 PM PDT by Sequoyah101 (Half the people are below average.)
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To: Publius804
Ha, when I read the title of thread I immediately thought it was regarding Bradley Efron’s (statistical) version of the Bootstrap.
13 posted on 08/13/2011 4:11:32 PM PDT by LjubivojeRadosavljevic
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To: Publius804

Both for the women, especially single ones, and GenX, Y, Perry will have to generate a draw/argument for voting for him...jobs, protection (women especially) are a good start. Something akin to not having to move back home is a good start for Gen X, Y.

I suppose Palin will have the same issues, but moreso for single women...

Perry/Palin or Palin/Perry...most likely Perry/Palin...boy I hope there isn’t some stupid cat fights between Palin and Bachman. I hope Bachman bows out early.

Anyone wanna guess if Perry and Palin have talked yet?


14 posted on 08/13/2011 4:17:38 PM PDT by CincyRichieRich (Keep your head up and keep moving forward!)
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To: Cathy
If this is the call to arms, we are screwed.

Defeatism is not an option, only victory.

15 posted on 08/13/2011 4:42:55 PM PDT by DTogo (High time to bring back the Sons of Liberty !!)
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To: americanophile

Exactly. More McCainesque platitudes and little call to slice the welfare state that brought us here. That’s okay. Gen X voters and representatives will solve the problem and get none of the credit, as usual.


16 posted on 08/13/2011 6:04:50 PM PDT by LibertarianInExile (When Republicans don't vote conservative, conservatives don't vote Republican.)
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To: CincyRichieRich

Considering that Perry ran against a good friend in TX, I’m sure both Perry and Palin would relish the competition. I’m fairly certain the words, “May the best candidate win” could be exchanged here. One can hope. :)


17 posted on 08/14/2011 6:50:05 AM PDT by Marie Antoinette (Proud Clinton-hater since 1998.)
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Comment #18 Removed by Moderator

To: Publius804

memo to gen x: easy come, easy go.


19 posted on 08/14/2011 8:34:32 AM PDT by the invisib1e hand ("America will cease to be great when America ceases to be good." -- Welcome to deToqueville.)
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To: Publius804

I pulled up my bootstraps awhile ago and am pushing others to do the same. If everyone lived the philosophy of my tag line, then the entitlement mentality would be non-existent. Therefore both parties would be powerless....


20 posted on 08/15/2011 6:55:00 AM PDT by CSM (Keeper of the "Dave Ramsey Fan" ping list. FReepmail me if you want your beeber stuned.)
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