[tcostell]

I little rant I wrote on the train this morning. I just thought some of you might be interested in how the last few years looks to someone in my age group. I know the generalizations contained in it don't apply to everyone in that group so I apologize to those Freepers who feel slighted. I'm pretty sure you can tell that I don't necessarily mean you.

[snopercod]

As one who "had [his] childhood in the 50's and remember[s] it as a time of unambiguous innocence", I would like to make this comment on your massive unqualifed generalization.

Bite me.

[mgist]

I hear you brother. Thank God we will be better parents. Hopefully our chilren will be even better,we really have to teach them and hope they learn from our experience.

[Marie]

Great rant. I'm sure that many of us from the Gen X group feel the same way. I'm always a little surprised how many of us are going back to our great-frandparents' values and I'll never stop grieving for those of us who follow in our parents' footsteps.

[mrtysmm]

Great post....and right on the $$$$$$$$$$!

[Huck]

Myth.

[BureaucratusMaximus]

Nice rant...all those who don't like it can "bite me". Denial is much more than just a river in Egypt.

[Stirner]

As a baby-boomer myself, I can only say that you have written well and cogently. The pendulum will swing back toward the sort of self-reliance you value (or, if it does not, things will get much worse).

[Richard Kimball]

bttp

[Sunshine Sister]

I don't know quite what to think about this. I put myself through college, got a decent job, supported myself, paid my taxes, voted in every election, paid my dues, supported every worthwhile charity to the best of my ability, am active in the community, took care of my parents as needed, married a fine man, am helping to raise my grand children..............selfish? I don't think so.

I can't stop what the federal government is doing as much as I would like to. It's not my fault. Bite me!

[VoiceOfBruck]

Good rant. You put to words many of my same thoughts. This is basically the generation that f'ed up everything. They gave us drugs, aids, unimaginable debt, abortion on demand, high crime & divorce rates, and are in the process of attempting to not only kick God out of all institutions, but make Him completely illegal.

And they're paying for it with our money and our childrens' money.

[BureaucratusMaximus]

Bump

[RockyMtnMan]

Well summarized, unfortunately the damage done may be irreversible. I share your view to the letter as do most others I've spoke to. Gen X is starting to wake up to the reality that their parents were the ones enjoying the party not the other way around.

[HoundsTooth_BP]

I am of that generation, but believe you me there are some of us that belong in your generation, because we have done everything you are trying to do. Some of us never participated in the spoiled, drugged, and sexed generation you describe. I am afraid there are plenty of those sick individuals in every generation. The whole purpose of life is to love and worship God. We will have victory.

[egarvue]

Preach on, Gen X brother. If you don't mind, I'm gonna save this rant and pass it around to others; its EXACTLY how I feel about that "selfish generation". I know there are lots of baby boomer FReepers, and they aren't part of the problem. But the rest of their generation is. And we'll all pay the price soon enough.

[GrandMoM]

. I'll carry my own water-?????????????....I guess you will have to when the BOOMERS aren't around for you to blame all your ills .

Don't be surprized though, when at sometime later you read a similar rant blaming YOU for all your children's ills!!!!!!!

....That's LIFE -damned if you do, damned if you don't.

[joey'smom]

So what you're saying is that you want it to be all about you. You've learned your lesson well!

[ErnBatavia]

I'd like to see some stats regarding percentages of Gen-Xers who have yet to be weaned from their Boomer parents' nest.

Just a guess on my part, but I seem to see a helluva a lot more 20/30-somethings still suckling at the teat than I remember of the previous generation.

[ikka]

A great post! Will respond in depth a little later.

[Ferret Fawcet]

Very interesting. I'm a Gen X-er and at times share your feelings of frustration. However- we must not let the mistakes of the past hold us prisoner, but rather focus on what we can do to create a better futurte. Like Howard Jones says, "things can only get better"

[Final Authority]

The later boomers thought this way about the WWII generation in the late 70's and early 80's until Reagan straightened out the economy so a house could be afforded with the interest rates reduced. We saw our parents buy houses for peanuts and then inflation essentially made them free for the mortgage holder. We saw our parents retire on really decent company pensions while our pensions were being liquidated and converted to retirement accounts (stock market bubble and burst) because of federal laws and mergers. We saw the cost of payroll taxes often exceed income taxes to pay for the social security checks that many seniors use for international travel and dining out, exclusively.

It is not the previous generation, it is insane government (and Federal Reserve Bank) policy that will lead us down the path to ruin.