Posted on 08/16/2012 5:14:38 AM PDT by Palmetto Patriot
We’ve finally been vindicated: Members of Generation X have a representative who is anything but a slacker.
GOP Congressman Paul Ryan—the tireless, wonky, 42-year-old workout freak—has made history by becoming the first member of our generation to join a presidential ticket. It should come as a surprise to no one that his calling card is reforming entitlements.
We hear incessantly about how members of today’s screwed generation face the prospect of less prosperous lives than those lived by their parents. But the maiden generation to stare down that gloomy prognosis was Generation X, the tiny slice of America born between about 1965 and 1980. (Ryan was born in 1970.) We were the first generation to be told we would never get Social Security or Medicare even though we would be forced to pay into these programs.
When many X-ers graduated from college, stocking shelves at the Gap was considered a career choice, as jobs were few and far between amidst a major economic downturn. I won’t bore you with the horror show of the low-paying and miserable jobs I had for the first three years after college.
Enter Ryan. While Democrats attack his Medicare plan as “radical” and portray him as pushing granny off the cliff, young people don’t seem to be buying this caricature. Or maybe “radical” is what they want.
(Excerpt) Read more at thedailybeast.com ...
For those who think those numbers are an anomaly, take a look at Pew’s 2011 polling that found that among 18-29 year olds, 46 percent supported Ryan’s proposed Medicare changes with only 28 percent opposing (the rest had no opinion). Among 30-49 year olds it was 38 percent approving and 36 percent opposed. The strongest opposition to Ryan’s plan comes from those over 65, who ironically won’t even be affected by his plan since it would only apply to those 55 and under. Pew found that age, not party identification was the biggest predictor of how a person would feel about his plan."
We all know there are naysayers on Facebook, but frankly conservatives have a monstrous opportunity over the next few months to sell big reforms on Medicare and Medicaid, and indirectly Social Security. We can turn the massive ship of state in a big way if we can convince voters...especially younger and older voters...that we must move away from central government command and control services and move things back in control of the individual and (for Medicaid) the states. Ryan’s plans are a realistic plan. The public does not hate Medicare, if fact, they like it, we have to reshape it it make it work, reduce the future impact busting our budget and economy, and put control back in the individual. This is a fight worth 100% of our effort, and it will change our politics to know big reform ideas can win the day.
She makes some excellent points - too bad her whiny generalizations about demographic groups other than her's kinda makes her sound like an ignorant bigot.
I’m just back from NYC where my brother who was visiting has been in the ICU for a month (prayers please). I thought that whole side of the family was super liberal but I ate dinner with my 38 year old nephew and he is over the moon excited about the Ryan pick. My nephew is also a policy wonk, works out a lot, and extremely intelligent.
Ha....just realized I wrote ‘Facebook’ and not ‘Freerepublic’ in my opening sentence. It might make more sense with the edit.
“The public does not hate Medicare, if fact, they like it, we have to reshape it it make it work, reduce the future impact busting our budget and economy, and put control back in the individual.”
The public loves anything that gives them “something for nothing”. That is Medicare. They love it.
The TEA party was as much about keeping Medicare as-is in the face of Obama Care than anything else.
The unfortunate fact is that Medicare is a socialist program with no Constitutional basis and should never have been put in place and should be ended at the soonest possible moment.
But it is indeed popular, and so it will end when the government can no longer borrow money, or force doctors to work at a loss.
Jimmy swaggart always preached about things getting like this—back in the old days; no wonder he cried a lot....then he turned to amateur photography, and drifted off into obscurity....
semper watching!
*****
My 18 year old switched from favoring the Libertarian ticket to Romney/Ryan because he sees Paul Ryan as a guy who is genuinely trying to solve problems.
Look with favor upon Mercat’s beloved brother, O Lord, and restore him, that others might rejoice in your goodness and mercy.
Exodus 15:26 ~ “For I am the Lord that healeth thee.”
Amen and Amen ...
When your young one first enters the workforce and looks at their paycheck and sees 'medicare' deduction and FICA (yes I know its not called that anymore) just tell them "Thats the part of your paycheck that the democrats voted to give themselves decades ago!"
I remember my son looking at his first paycheck and insisting that it must be some kind of a mistake! lol!
It took him a couple of months to finally swallow that this is how much the gov’t was taking from him - he’s still miffed about it.
I just keep saying, ‘welcome to the republican party!’
Is this the Kristen Powers on Fox News.. I think it is??...Trying to tell the Rats it is not working
Dems were counting on Ryan's Medicare plan to be the poison pill that would deliver the election to them. Instead, Ryan has turned it back on them.
Obama has screwed Ms Powers generation by not addressing their concerns about having to contribute to a program that they do not believe will be there when they need it. Ryan's plan gives them hope that it will.
Ryan has also exposed the fact that Obama has screwed seniors by raiding Medicare, a program that they depend on, to fund Obamacare, a program they hate.
Perhaps that is why Axelrod appears to be so agitated lately. He sees the chickens coming home...to roost.
There is only one group of people at fault here, the takers who support him and his policies. And they come in all flavors.
I find arguments based on these generational definitions less than compelling. I suspect the people pushing these generational definitions are the same ones that fixated on high school cliques back when they were teenagers - they just never grew out of it.
What, you think we invented the term? No, it was a term used by Baby boomers after they turned 35 for them to say, “don’t trust anyone under 35”. Simple as that. No more, no less.
Anyways, pleased with Ryan, still not going to vote Romney, unless he steps aside for the good of America and the party and puts Ryan at the head of the ticket.
I think your “sweet deal” is a comparative notion. It’s not bigotry you geezer, it’s reality. :)
I remember my son looking at his first paycheck and insisting that it must be some kind of a mistake! lol!
So true , many think what they hear as a wage/salary is actually what they will keep.
Next step. Have them analyze their phone/ cable bill to see all the extras loaded in under the guise of fees.
I’m stoked that Ryan is the first of my generation to be running for the White House. I can say that many in my age bracket are fed up with the federal spending and entitlements. I don’t know of anyone my age who actually expects Social Security to be there when we retire. I see alot more Gen X’ers taking control of their own retirement and finances. We don’t want to be on the hook for massive government handouts. As a whole, I think the Gen X has matured into this way of thinking where the Gen Y folks are still playing video games and looking for what someone can do for them.
You better vote for romney because it’s Ryan stepping stone from vice president to being President. Think about the future instead of cutting of your nose to spite your face
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