"Baby Boomers Will Spend their Golden Years At Work"

[windsurf]

This was the title of an MSNBC article this evening. The implication, in part, was that boomers will need accomodotions. The other implication is obvious. The former is what I am here to rant about. As I have posted before, I am in a grad program as my post career adventure. With a modicum of common sense and motivation, I feel that I am more adaptive, work savy and physically fit than the average twenty- something that I encounter in my progarm which includes taking courses and some teaching. This ageism BS, that boomers are a looming burden, really galls me. There is a resenstment against boomers that is sometimes insidious and sometimes obvious. When it comes to hypocrytical politics, I undestand. But when it relates to capabilitiies, I take issue. Many of my younger counterparts chain smoke and groan at having to put in what would amount to an "old fashioned" (I love saying that ) days work. I am still paying huge taxes, lobbying for social change and hoping that the young'uns don't get caught up in a 21st Century selective service draft situation. But, sometimes, I feel like I am getting kicked in the teeth just because my birth decade begins with a 4.

[MasterBlaster]

Yup we have paid into the system all of our lives with the expectation to someday get something back. It just may be that the young-uns have other ideas.

Per the attitudes, we were the same when we were young. Or have you forgotten ?

[W2R]

If boomers truly ARE a burden, they won't get hired. It's as simple as that. We may have experience, but let's face it - - if we won't be the best at the job, we probably won't make the final cut and get hired. Competition being what it is, I think many of us will either stay at our present jobs forever, or kiss working goodbye.

Frankly, I prefer the latter concept!

[donheff]

Don't worry about it too much WS. The bottom line is that they are worried they will need us to fill empty slots (especially if they cut back to strongly on immigration :-) The fact is, if we need to rely on old folks to fill the billets we will need accomodations since proportionally more of us will develop health conditions. Also, if they think they will lure the likes of us on this board back to the workforce, they better come up with some tantalizing accomodations.

[barbarus]

Age discrimination is quite real and widespread, but rouses little of the outrage that, say racial or sex discrimination does. It's no political hot potato. It gains no votes for political demagogs. WtR is completely correct. If you've got a job you like, you'd better do your best to hang on to it Grandpa, because Walmart-greeting is waiting in the wings.

To end on a positive note though, perhaps with creeping senility, one will no longer care.

Barbarus the Uncouth (and Unyoung) Whipersnappers!!!!!!

[chinaco]

Good! It increases the chance of keeping SS and Medicare solvent. The more people that push their earnings into the SS tax bomb... the better chance we have of keeping the SS paychecks coming.

In other words: most of us deferred consumption to save so we would have a stable ER or Retirement. We will hit the tax bomb because of it.

Those who spent every penny and consumed it all along the way, will need to work to supplement income... That will cause them to hit the tax bomb. Those taxes will help to defray some of the Baby Boom impact on SS and Medicare.

That probably sounds a little cold. But I am not into getting the short end of the stick while others make out... Especially after busting my @ss all my life.

Sorry... but this reminds me of another of Aesop's fables: The Ant and the Grasshopper.

I must be losing my marbles.