Social Security, the Boomer's New Infanticide

Don't you love all the Social Security talk lately? Oh wait, there isn't any is there? Since it is one of the more important issues we face I suppose we shouldn't really expect our media or leaders to break with tradition by talking about it. Still, some comments have managed to escape during recent years, and it is one of the most commonly expressed ideas that I wish to spotlight today. So, on the rare occasions that our intrepid leaders deign to bloviate to the masses about SS what is it that they tell us? They say that yes, SS is in trouble, but we must keep our commitment to older Americans, i.e. those in and near retirement. The implications of that line of thinking should be obvious, but since the main purpose of this blog seems to be composing a hate letter to the Boomers, let's indulge in the actual rant, shall we?


Keeping the commitment to those near retirement means Baby Boomers. They are already starting to hit the system and the next 20 years will see them fully unload. Since there is no "lock box" or "trust" of the money already paid in, the benefits are paid by current workers and employers paying the SS payroll taxes. That of course means that younger workers have to pay the freight to "keep the commitment to [Boomers]." Vague allusions to changes for younger workers is Boomerese for, roughly, "eat shit." Or perhaps, "eat your young that's what we're going to do."


Okay, let's look at the pragmatic difficulty first. The Boomers ruthlessly drove down real wages for blue collar workers. On top of that, even if you have a degree, if you happened to graduate in either of the two major economic downturns this decade (two recessions precipitated by the bursting of the tech and housing bubbles, given us by Boomers), you found a very difficult entry-level job market. Thus, it would seem that the payroll amounts available for SS taxation will be weaker than we might hope. There is also the moral difficulty of screwing the younger generations to fund SS for the very same Boomers who spent their own SS "lock box," all the while damaging the ability of many in the new generation to earn good incomes.

Clearly we must reject the quiet plea of our (mostly Boomer) leaders to go along with their nebulous "solution" until it consumes us. The only equitable proposals are going all the way in one direction or the other: either cut the Boomers off, or, guarantee Social Security for all generations. The younger generations should be fired up; the way Boomers have mismanaged the situation and now talk of feeding on their young is worthy of protest in the streets. Gen X and beyond remains mysteriously pacified. Seriously people, is the television that good? Is it the drugs? What up? Personally, I find guaranteeing SS for the future more appealing; reverting to widespread poverty among the elderly isn't a recipe for a happy society. There is substantial private wealth among Boomers, the accumulation of which was aided by squeezing wages and pushing/enabling the government to spend the SS money that was supposed to be saved. That wealth would be a good place to start looking for real Social Security solutions.

Which ever way we go to straighten out the mess, the younger generations must force it to be an equitable decision, not one more way the Baby Boomers steal from the future. So think about it. Then do something about it. And in the meantime if you meet a Boomer collecting Social Security you might inquire, "Pardon me Mr. or Mrs. Boomer, but how do your babies taste."