Pre-Boomer Musings

An ancient proverb says, “May you live in interesting times.”  Is this a curse or a blessing or a paradoxical statement to cause one to think about the times they are living in a decide what actions to take in order to have peace in their lives?  I submit an overwhelming percentage of Americans will agree we live in interesting times.  The question is: are we going to do something about it, or wait and hope the various levels of government will take care of things for us?

Image by via

You’d have to be in a coma to not be aware of what’s going on inside the DC beltway.  Stimulus spending, “green” programs and energy taxes, health care reform, plus budget deficits projected for years to come are but a few of  the issues that will affect pre-boomers and the lives of our children and grandchildren.

Then, there are gaps in the state budgets.  Here in California, we posted a 26.3 billion dollar shortfall and the legislators compromised on a spending bill that leaves us 1.1 billion in the hole.  To accomplish what is a temporary fix at best, state workers will get less money, teachers will laid off, welfare programs will be cut, prisoners will be released onto the streets, college tuitions will be raised, and as many as 50 state parks will face closure.  All this is on top of putting into law the highest sales tax in the country, which has caused many residents to flee for less expensive locations.  Businesses are leaving California too, because of taxes and a variety of restrictions.  Therefore state revenues continue to decline while unemployment has increased to 11.6 percent, topping the national average by 22 percent.  Unless something is done to attract employers back to the state bring in new companies, the budget woes for California are far from over.

Of course, problems have a way of trickling down to the local level, so Los Angeles is faced with its own deficit debacle.  City services are under the threat of being cut way back – police, fire and other essential needs.  The city council depends on federal and state funds to replenish its coffers rather than doing proper budget planning to run this town.  Our schools are a mess, yet we continue to pour good money after bad to fix a problem that, in reality, can’t be fixed until we dismantle the LAUSD and try to build the once proud system back to its former glory, but special interest groups along with cowardly politicians will not let this happen.  Instead, local residents get hit with a variety of taxes, outrageous water charges and special fees to keep the city afloat.  And now, the council wants to override the will of the people by trying to raise property taxes.  This will destroy the already depressed real estate market and result in many pre-boomers and others on fixed incomes to lose their homes, because they can’t afford the taxes.

We can’t afford to sit back and do nothing.  It’s time to let politicians know the free ride is over and they will be held accountable for campaign promises and for fiscal matters.  The days of being elected for “bringing home the pork” are over.  We need proper planning, less patronage and balanced budgets as a start.  If your elected representative isn’t willing to do these things, then why is that person your elected representative?  Together, let’s take the actions to make these interesting times a blessing, not a curse.  

Tags: Current Events // 2 Comments »