Americans could revere how the Greatest Generation freed Europe and established world order. They could remember Silent Generation’s contribution to post-World War II prosperity and battle against international communist beliefs. Although the Baby Boomers marched for civil rights and their opposition against prolonged wars, the Boomer’s children and grandchildren can look upon the corruption of the government’s economic and social welfare for youthful generations. Instability in the progression of economics and a decline in positive future outlooks for more recent generations have resulted from the Boomer’s actions. Millennials, Generation X, and Generation Z citizens are experiencing the decline of a potentially successful and healthy life through the Boomers deterioration America through their influence on environmental and social welfare programs, and the transfer of America’s wealth away from the young.
The Baby Boomer’s efforts to hinder and influence social welfare programs, and their inattention towards industrial pollution, has led to the massive struggle of the young, whose conditions for a healthy and successful life are declining. In Dana Milbank’s article, “If America’s Messed Up, Blame It on the Boomers”, the renowned columnist and Generation Xer of The Washington Post discusses the primary corruption of America’s government and environment that has led the past few decades into a spiraling downfall. The Gen Xer analyzed how Boomers deteriorated the future of America with their “expanded entitlement programs…[failure] to act on global warming” through their age of mass industrialization, and their arguments as Liberals and Conservatives have allowed “culture wars to rage – on abortion, religious liberties, gun ownership, civil liberties and more”, leaving the youth to address the issues. Milbank clearly points out the major issues in America that are still on going amongst the leaders of the late 20th and early 21st century, and their inability to assure peace amongst suffering citizens has resulted from early efforts to fix America, unknowingly caused detrimental impacts on the health of the young. Americans can examine efforts by Generation X and Millennials in the battle for “Pro-life” or “Pro-choice”, constant protests for gun laws and women equality, and increasingly poorer climate that has expanded across the world.
Milbank’s scrutinization of the Boomers expanding “entitlement programs”, or social welfare programs, has concluded that many are unable to gain access to programs like Obamacare and other contraceptive cares, leading to the battle of “Pro-life” versus “Pro-choice” when women are unable to care for children without entitled government care, leading to a harder and unwanted lifestyle or state of health. He also analyzes how the climate is becoming increasingly poorer, making citizens have to quickly act upon environmental issues stemming from Boomer led corporations in order to live in a healthy country, such as the recent 1990 Pollution Prevention Act, which can only slow the decay of the climate. Fellow writer, Stephen Stromberg, supports the decreasing climate conditions for youthful citizens in his explanation of how “fifty-seven percent of teens say climate change makes them feel afraid. Fifty-two percent feel angry. Forty-three percent feel helpless” in his article, “Why Baby Boomers’ Grandchildren Will Hate Them”. Boomers are the stem of the young’s health concerns for the world, inability to receive social programs, and other government policies led by Baby Boomers that have yet to solve issues for safety and equality.
An even more significant issue originating from Baby Boomers would be their reduction of wealth from the young through the corruption of governmental and economic policies. Steven Brill’s article of Time Magazine, “How Baby Boomers Broke America”, dives into the work of Boomers who have caused massive disruptions in the economy for the generations striving to have a comfortable life. In his analyzation of the economics of America, Brill reveals how income inequality has risen through the “inflation-adjusted middle-class wages…nearly frozen for the last four decades, while earnings of the top 1% have nearly tripled”, and many suffered during the 2008 Great Recession while the recovery was reserved for the wealthiest as their incomes in the next three years “went up by nearly a third, while the bottom 99% saw an uptick of less than half of 1%”. Brill expertly interprets the Boomers as the sole issue for economic instability through their selfish influence on the circulation of money for America. Brill found that this corrupt result for struggling younglings was caused by the Boomer’s control of the government, leading to Congress not having passed “a comprehensive budget on time without omnibus bills since 1994”, and there are “more than 20 registered lobbyists for every member of Congress… deployed to block anything that would tax, regulate or otherwise threaten a deep-pocketed client”. The absurd direction of wealth to the elderly, wealthy individuals has caused many Gen X and Millennials to struggle in coping with financial issues by not receiving a proper income and unfair taxation of people, such as adults in their thirties not having “the chance of earning more than their parents dropped to 50% from 90% just two generations earlier’. The influence Boomers have had on the government and economics have clearly led to a depressing life for many growing individuals nowadays, for payments cannot be met with a balanced approach. By taking advantage of their power over other incoming youths, Boomers have devastated the economic future for others, leaving the budding population to fix the issues as their hopes for a better life are crushed with saddening little incomes.
The Baby Boomers have left America in a devastating state for striving new generations who cannot compete with the Boomer’s influence on economics to steal money and control environmental and social programs. The population, who find hope in the “American Dream” has become increasingly more difficult to achieve, and as the continuing domination of the Boomers in the government and mass corporations as officials, little can be done if without resistance of the young. Many have stood up to the worsening conditions of America, such as Greta Thurnberg, which is spreading to the world, but more support is desperately required.
