General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: My story can be found on page 137 of 'How to Destroy the Middle Class' playbook .... [View all]TBF
(32,239 posts)it was hard in the 80s and it's hard now.
I watched a Tonight Show (I think it was - can't remember if it was Leno specifically) or similar with Bill Clinton speaking a couple of years ago. He was introspective and explained that he thought that the Baby Boomers were basically a hurdle to get over and then things would calm down again in this country. That is really basically what he said. I think he was speaking in a very intellectual way and didn't mean to make light of it (he is in this group after all), but was explaining that we are under a cash crunch now but as the Boomers retire those jobs will open up for young folks. While that is probably true to some degree, and people transition to technology (learning it in the schools now etc) they may not necessarily have trouble finding jobs when they come out in 15 years. My kids are that age and I suspect he is right - they are very technology savvy, like math and science, and I suspect it will not be so bad for them.
It makes sense with a couple of caveats. (1) The baby boomers don't have as much money/inheritance as he thinks & it's obviously being siphoned off by the banks, insurance companies etc. in various ways and (2) with unbridled capitalism the climate change is so bad that we may not make it another 50 years if drastic changes aren't made NOW.
I think we're in more trouble collectively than many people will acknowledge. People like to be optimistic - it makes getting up in the morning easier. But it is hard to be optimistic when you're staring at facts that aren't very positive.