Millennial Reflections: The Boomer Legacy

As we approach New Year's Eve 1999, the pace of society's retrospective evaluations will undoubtedly increase. Past promises will be studied, assessed and rewritten if necessary. The turn of a century offers a grand opportunity for reflection, reappraisal and renewal. After much thought, I feel angered and betrayed by my "boomer generation comrades." My bitterness stems from our unwillingness to prevent the "demonization" of the "Liberal Agenda," despite the rather generous benefits we received from its programs.[ The Liberal to English Dictionary-- http://www.he.net/~exclsior/mscott/liber... ] Today liberals are blamed for waste, crime, immorality, educational failure, divorce, and teenage promiscuity. [Ackerman's Radical Liberal Agenda for America--http://www.rql.com/lally/july15.htm ] Ronald Reagan's greatest political coup was to transform "Liberal" into a dirty word. Bill Clinton's poll driven brand of pragmatism represents the end of the Democratic Party's commitment to social equality. [Join the Leader in Fighting Liberal Media Bias http://www.mediaresearch.org/membership/... ]

A liberal extols the notion of the extended American family; it really does take a whole village to raise all our children. Thirty-seven million Americans without health insurance constitute both a national tragedy and shame. [Americans without Health Insurance-- http://www.uhcan.org/files/data/uninsure... ] The gap between the rich and the poor is expanding and the poor are becoming invisible again.[ The Gap Between The Rich and Poor-- http://www.smart.net/~kaz/richpoor.html ] Simply removing the homeless from our sight does not solve the problem. The minimum wage has failed to keep pace with changes in real income and therefore does not allow the working poor to escape their dilemma. The "free market" in reality leads to Capitalism for the poor and Socialism for the rich. Over twenty years ago, when there was a much greater degree of progressivity in our tax code, analysts determined that tax breaks for the wealthy cost the average American taxpayer twice as much as welfare costs.

A liberal supports the empowerment of government to provide resources enabling the achievement of social equality. Coincident with the granting of this mandate is the acceptance of a history of wasteful government programs. However, a good deal of these lost dollars resulted from proposals guided by contempt for the poor. A proponent of progressive legislative solutions must admit past fiscal mistakes and be prepared to assertively debunk the conventional wisdom of conservative demagogues.

What surprises and disturbs me is that many boomers have adopted Conservative slogans. Forgetting from where they came, they now espouse the virtues of "rugged individualism" associated with the "free market." Their voices have been added to the chorus of critics citing examples of government inefficiency. A careful examination of their "rugged individualist ethos" reveals tremendous inconsistencies in their self-image. Many of my "boomer comrades" are now occupying key positions in the business hierarchy.

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