When is the last time Iraq was on the front page of the newspaper or the lead item on network television?  Based on the lack of coverage, you might think our troops have all but left the country.  Recently, however, Iraq was back in the news when the people of that country once again expressed their desires through the democratic election process.

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It will be up to the elected representatives to sort things out and govern the country on their own.  We Americans must allow this fledgling democracy to develop Iraqi-style, which means offering our help while not imposing our will.  This 7-year Iraq conflict has lasted longer than all of World War II.  It is so unpopular, here and abroad, many would rather abandon the investment of time, money and human resources and simply leave – a move scheduled to be accomplished by September of 2010. 

The US presence has dropped to some 90,000 men and women, but more than half that number will remain as advisors after the pullout.  By the end of the year, we will have spent nearly a trillion dollars in support of the Iraqi War.  The human price has been about 4,500 US troops killed, compared to less than 300 lost by all other countries combined.  In addition, 32,000 US troops have been wounded (mental conditions are not part of this number).

The toll on the Iraqis has been greater with 10,000 police and soldiers dead.  Civilians killed are pegged at 100,000.  But some estimate this number to be as high as 500,000, because of underreporting, according to About.com.  More than 55,000 insurgents perished during the years of the conflict.  Displaced Iraqis are estimated at 2.3 million and another 2.3 million are refugees in other countries.

With our stay in Iraq nearing an end, a stable government there could help:

 –   establish a democracy in a Muslim country in the Mid-East

 –   give Israel a little breathing room

 –   keep Al-Qaeda from garnering support and marshalling local forces

 –   deter Iran from starting a conflict in the area

 –   demonstrate to the people of neighboring countries that freedom is working

 –   serve notice to dictatorships that change is in the air

 –   bring home tired troops and provide backup to finish the job in Afghanistan

Reading the true results of the Iraqi election will be an ongoing process, but voting had its perils.  First, party headquarters were bombed and candidates assassinated.  Then, the citizens endured suicide bombings and rocket attacks.  Finally, there was coercion, fraud and voting irregularities.  Nonetheless, the courageous people of Iraq made their way to the polls and were proud to hold up purple-stained fingers to prove they voted. 

In the end, the people had their say; and now begins the difficult role of governing.  Americans know democracy is not always pretty in the making.  But it is the only free form of government.  Good luck, Iraq, and enjoy the adventure. 

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The presidential election of just over a year ago was about change.  Americans were tired of the ways of Washington, and many believed in the candidate’s message of change.  He won impressively, but not with a mandate.  In fact, there was nothing specific laid out on the campaign trail.  Change in attitude, openness and fairness were the recurring themes fed to people hungry for something different.

Change came so quickly.  The vault was open, and money was being shoveled out the door faster than it could be printed.  The Stimulus package, including the takeover of GM and Chrysler. Cash for Clunkers, which sold more foreign cars than US brands.  Cap and Trade, taxes and fees that will put our industries at a competitive disadvantage and cost consumers more for energy.  Plus the now infamous Health Care Reform bill, the legislative disaster that demonstrated how poorly politicians listen to their constituents.  These are not solutions; they are part of the problem 

While those elected by us are following their own agendas, the people of this country are crying for jobs, so we can get the workforce back on its feet and get the economy going, then growing, again.  The simple truth is the people have lost confidence in the government’s willingness and ability to do the right thing.   

Spending is out of control and the debt is dangerously high.  The question is when will the politicians get a handle on financial issues?  Many of us want the government to slow down, examine their priorities and then go about the peoples’ business.  Yet the pleas from concerned citizens continue to be  ignored.  No wonder trust in our elected representatives has dropped so low.  No wonder protests, town hall meetings and grass root movements are so popular with the people but not the politicians.  No wonder incumbents of both parties facing November elections are worried about being booted out of office.

Politicians must start using common sense, forget about pet projects and, for God’s sake, when the time comes to bring up legislation, work together with those across the aisle to bring the people something we can believe in.  In the meantime, Washington needs to create an atmosphere were businesses, large and small, are willing to re-invest in the future of America by putting people back to work.  That’s real change. 

Isn’t this what New Seniors like us want and expect?  We need to let our elected representatives know how we feel on the issues that matter to each of us.  While we may account for less than 15 percent of the population, those 65+ deliver nearly 30 percent of the vote in primaries and off-year elections.  We are the people who can change things.

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A recent conversation with a friend about the simple things from our respective childhoods led us to the subject of ice.  Yes, frozen H2O.  The stuff we never thought much about unless we hit a slick spot on the sidewalk causing us to slip and slide or maybe fall to the ground.  As we grew older we learned about the many dangers of ice, particularly when driving.  But back then, everything associated with ice was positive.  

For instance, the ice truck stopped by my neighborhood a couple of times each week until well after the end of World War II, because the corner grocer as well as several homes still had ice boxes.  I can remember the signs people placed in their windows indicating how big a block of ice they needed. 

The ice man, a strapping older man with a thick Italian accent, didn’t like us kids hanging around his truck.  Because he knew that as soon as he walked away to deliver his merchandise, we would scamper up the back of the truck and grab the biggest slivers we could find and hightail it around the corner.  If he returned sooner than expected, a big scene ensued.  He would wave the ice tongs above his head and vow to get us next time.  I won’t forget how much courage it took to participate in this adventure, even though I later found out the whole thing was simply an act on his part.

There were other sources of ice treats.  In the winter, icicles often form around the  porches and roof eaves.  It was fun to snap these off and suck on this giant, but tasteless, Popsicle.  Any specks logged in the ice where wiped off or spit out as they were encountered.  There was no way these could be harmful, since they were frozen.  At least that’s how we saw it.  The longer ones also doubled as a sword, which broke the first time it was struck during combat with a friend. 

In the heat of the summer, a man sold Italian water ice from a white two-wheel pushcart with red trim.  To keep the ice from melting too quickly in the hot and humid Philadelphia air, he covered the frozen block with a towel.  No one knew how often it was washed and no one really cared.  When he showed up, all the kids ran home and begged our mothers for a  nickel. 

With the coin clutched in our hands, we watched expectedly as the old man removed the towel from his precious ice block and ran the metal tool across the surface.  He dumped the shaved ice into the cone shaped cup and asked which of the array of flavors we wanted.  With the cones in hand, we found a shady place to sit and enjoy this refreshing treat, although we couldn’t sit on our front steps because of the mess we made by dripping the grape, cherry and other flavors all over the ground.  After finishing, we turned on the nearest hose and cleaned up before going back to play.

Of course, when the ponds froze we had fun skating and roughhousing for hours on end.  The most fun was playing hockey with homemade sticks and tin can pucks.  What great fun we had thanks to ice.           

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Turning 13, becoming a teenager, meant we were no longer a child.  Driving suggested we were becoming more responsible, so 16 was special – although the driving age varies according to states today.  And at 21 we had reached the age of the majority and were entitled to the rights that go with it.  Over years, the voting age has dropped to 18 and the drinking age has been raised in some states, but 21 was, and still is, a really important birthday; because we officially had become adults.

After 21, most milestones that follow are pretty much self-imposed until the age of 65.  There was  30 for those who had to be married by that age or have a child or reach a certain level of success in the workplace.  Others used 40 as a time to measure how life is going for them, such as owning a home and achieving specific financial goals.

Then, there’s 50.  This was the time for those who didn’t realized it before, that we began to accept the notion of getting older.  The kids were grown, we knew our standing at work and retirement planning was a necessity. 

At 6o our perspective about what’s important and what isn’t changed dramatically.  We didn’t think much about it, but this was a wake up call.  It dawned on us that more of life lay in the past than ahead of us. Yet we looked 5 or more years younger than our age, felt like we were only 50 and thought like we were in our 40s. 

What happened?  Were we really this old?  Was it the gray hair, the crow’s feet or the waistline?  Being 60 meant not getting ahead in business, having grandchildren or talking with our parents about moving into a retirement home.  These were indicators that things have changed.  Health issues, downsizing and retirement were no longer topics to ponder, they were matters that must be dealt with, and soon. And, more was to come.

The next milestone is the last major date we share in common.  Historically, 65 has been the age of retirement.  Some retire earlier, because Social Security allows us to do so, and others opt to keep working because they need to or chose to continue earning an income.  Medicare kicks in a 65, which tells us something.

But, those of us who have made the transition know turning 65 is not the end of life.  It is the end of the mandatory way of living and the beginning of the rest of our lives.  We are free to explore new interests or take what we learned and apply this experience to other areas.  We can use the knowledge gained over the years to help others, to change things in our communities and beyond.  And, we can teach younger people members how to achieve their dreams.  This surely is the time to give back what was so freely given to us.   

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First, we must consider the needs of the US.  We consume a disproportionate amount of the world’s oil production.  And, the countries with the greatest supply of this commodity are not particularly friendly toward America.  Withdrawal from oil dependency cannot and will not occur overnight, no matter how much we or the government wish for it.  We must find alternative fuels, but we must not put American industries behind the eight ball,  dramatically change the lives of our citizens or pile on more taxes for anyone. 

It is time to start drilling for oil wherever it can possibly be obtained – in the continental US, Alaska, off-shore and where our neighboring countries will make favorable deals.  This is only a stop-gap measure, but it gives us some breathing room while scientists, inventors, entrepreneurs and large or small corporations are free to come up with viable alternatives. 

The government’s role?  Stay out of the way!  Incentive can be tax credits and the offer of bonuses, sales rights and other rewards that pay for results not for simply “working” on the project.  The stakes are high, and the payoffs can be terrific, so why dole out money and have the government telling the creators what to do.  Give creative minds the opportunity to think outside the box, be bold and tap into that good old Yankee ingenuity.

Talk about funding Green jobs with stimulus monies makes little sense, because there is nothing to produce until we discover the alternate to fossil fuels.  Yes, build nuclear power plants, but don’t let the builders accrue uncontrolled cost overruns.  And before finalizing any contracts, bring in the unions and get some concessions for the good of all. 

Let the wind farms be built and grids established by bringing in the banks to partner with the municipalities who will benefit from the cost savings this form of energy offers.  Natural gas, clean coal, solar panels and yet to be determined energy sources all have a place in America, today.  Some of these may be short-term others provide long-range potential, but we need it all, right now.  The marketplace will decide which will succeed.

This opportunity is too important to restrict with a lot of government red tape.  The cream will rise to the top if we just allow Americans to do what we do best.  Create.  Once we have something that meets the energy needs of this country and it is renewable and affordable, our companies will be able to transport this technology to other countries.  The result will be a better energy sources, cost savings, more jobs for US workers and a cleaner planet.       

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Overall the “show” was a plodding presentation of selected facts mixed with a generous sprinkling of anecdotal stories designed to support opposing political agendas.  Seeing the actors play their assigned roles was grueling at best.  And, with few exceptions, the tableau was about as exciting as watching paint dry.  The summit resulted in a stalemate on substance because the discussion was straight down party lines.  The question that begs to be answered is did either side move the needle in their direction?  And if it did, will this change the way Congress ultimately acts?

The Democrats wanted to demonstrate that their plan provides both coverage to millions of uninsured Americans and saves money in the long-run – a tough combination to beat and even tougher to deliver.  On the other hand, Republicans needed to show they were not the party of “no” and had feasible and fiscally responsible ideas to bring to the table.  While the party in power had about twice the air time, it appears they did not have anything new to say while the opposition was able to make the point that health care reform needed to have bi-partisan input, which appears unlikely to occur. 

Many pre-boomers believe the health care we expected and relied on is slowly and sadly slipping away.  The generation born between 1930 and 1945 certainly would like those without health care to have access to affordable coverage.  However, pre-boomers are naturally reluctant to have this happen if their coverage is going to be diminished by cutting $500 billion from Medicare in order to insure others.  This issue must be addressed and satisfactory answers provided.  Unacceptable is the notion that the shortfall will be taken care of by eliminating waste, fraud and abuse from the Medicare program.  Really?  If this is the case, then why isn’t something being done now about these kinds of systemic problems instead of waiting for the bill to pass before fixing them? 

The Medicare budget cut is huge, but it is not the only area of the proposed bill that should be questioned.  There are enough potential problems hidden in the details of the health care bill that the best action may be to regroup, get both sides of the aisle involved and build a sensible plan that phases in over time.  This is wise because there are other, even more pressing, issues facing the country that require immediate attention, like out-of-control spending and the depressed job market to name just two. 

This is the time for pre-boomers to make our collective voices heard.  Contact your elected representatives; tell them how you feel about health care and how you expect them to vote on the bill if they want your vote in November.  This should get their attention, because savvy politicians know those 65+ account for nearly 30% of the votes cast in primaries and off-year elections.  And 2010 is one of those years.         

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The whole thing stated back in 1896 with two men named Sperry and Hutchinson (S&H).  They began offering stamps to merchants as a way of rewarding current customers for their loyalty and attracting new ones.  The concept caught on in many parts of the country, although some states had restrictions such as requiring the stamps be redeemed for cash rather than merchandise.  Where this was the case, such as Wisconsin, people would actually drive to another state to find a redemption store.

Most folks viewed the stamps as a way to get “free” merchandise just by patronizing their favorite supermarkets, drug store and gas stations.  This belief carried through the mid-1960s.  After a series of recessions, retailers lost interest in trading stamps and began offering price discounts to attract customers who now took the stamps more or less for granted.  Aggressive retailer promotion got the consumers to consider price as an immediate reward rather wait to redeem stamps for some yet-to-be-determined merchandise in the future.

It did not take long before the stamps started to disappear from the retail checkout counters.  Then redemption centers closed.  The stamp companies tried other ways of promoting their reward programs, but nothing really took hold.  Years later the Internet came on the scene, and marketers looked for ways to sell products and services through this new medium.  It was the need to differentiate, reward customers and garner new ones that brought the century old S&H rewards program to Internet retailers. 

The name of the program has changed, as did S&H’s ownership (the company was bought and sold several times in recent years), but its core concept remained the same.  “Greenpoints” are offered by many online retailers: Target, Home Depot, Kohl’s, Drugstore.com, Dell, Old Navy, Kmart, Flowers.com, Office Depot, Sears, Shoes.com, iTunes and others.

This phenomenon is not surprising since most marketing concepts are cyclical in nature.  Aren’t the airline mileage programs a variation of this?  American Express offers hotels and other vacation amenities for using the travel points.  The company also has an online program to redeem the points for merchandise.  Does this seem like a repackaged version of the S&H program? 

Of course, the nice part of the modern stamp programs is there’s no need to have a special drawer devoted to stamp storage.  And, nobody has the job of licking stamps and placing them in a book.  Isn’t progress wonderful?  

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“We are certainly not trying to go away from American history,” Rebecca Garland, the chief academic officer for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, told Fox News.  “What we are trying to do is figure out a way to teach it where students are connected to it, where they see the big idea, where they are able to make connections and draw relationships between parts of our history and the present day.”  She concluded. “The students are in school for 13 years.  They certainly are taught U.S. and North Carolina history in middle school.”

While students may learn something about the nation’s history in the lower grades.  The concepts being taught in the later grades are the ones students will carry forward.  Not being able to understand the philosophy of our country in its infancy and comparing this to the years that followed and the thinking and economics leading up to the Civil War provides no basis for studying about what happened after this conflict.

A review of the department’s draft of Essential Standards for the course, which is available online, indicates that United States History studies skew to the cultural rather than historic aspect of the subject.  There is little time devoted to the two World Wars we fought.  Study of the Great Depression focuses on expanding the size and power of (and, therefore, dependence upon) the federal government.  The Korean Conflict seems to have been overlooked.  The objective of the Vietnam discussion is to analyze the war’s effect at home.  The Gulf War and the current conflicts were not included in the syllabus.

However, there is much devoted to the women’s movement (dating back to Susan B. Anthony and on through Gloria Steinem), civil rights, immigration and the rise of labor unions.  Also covered is technology and government regulation, economic crises and the need for government regulation as well as the impact non-renewable resources will have in regards to government, business and consumers.  Perusing the course standards suggests the emphasis is more about social attitudes and less about civic realities.  The subject matter appears to move away from history and some might interpret it to be a subtle means of rewriting it by eliminating those topics the school administrators find objectionable or not conducive to advancing their points of view.

Are similar changes taking place in your local school district?  Are your grand children in danger of being taught revisionist and/or incomplete American history?  Are pre-boomers going to let agenda-driven educators deprive the next generation of Americans from the full story of this great experiment in freedom known as democracy?  No way.

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Of course, there are the usual letters and some sound-bite statements directed to China regarding the need for them to be a responsible partner for a better, cleaner world.  Yet the country continues to be one of if not the worst abusers of the environment.  They ship tainted and dangerous products to the United States and receive little more than a slap on the wrist for not meeting our quality and safety standards.  These products are often made in unsanitary, carbon producing plants using questionable ingredients with less than satisfactory quality control.

While China has actively decided to pursue development of “green” technology, it continues to build new coal-fired power plants.  While these plants produce fewer emissions than in the past, China still uses more coal than the US, Europe and Japan combined. True, they are building nuclear plants near big cities, not so much out of concern for the environment but for cost saving purposes, since the coal mines are a long distance from these population centers. So, if we buy cheap Chinese products, aren’t we contributing to further pollution? 

In addition to environmental concerns, Americans are faced with the fact that they cannot be trusted to produce safe products.  Remember the  infant formula, which was watered down and then melamine was added to increase the protein level in order save money.  This particular episode sent thousand of  Chinese babies to hospitals.  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) quietly investigated the matter while assuring Americans there was no threat of a problem in this country.

“Sadly,” Consumer Reports stated, “This is just the most recent egregious example of the unscrupulous business practices that are pervasive in many Chinese factories.  In case after case, adulteration of ingredients, components, or other materials has been done secretly at factories as a way of cutting costs.  The result has been products delivered to the marketplace – here and abroad – that have sickened or injured consumers.”

The list continues to grow.  Pet food that sickened or killed our domestic animals.  Poison ingredients in toothpaste.  Cosmetics that cause allergies.  Contaminated seafood products.  Toys and games containing lead and dangerous chemicals.

Read the label before buying topical or ingestible products as well anything little children might put in their mouths.  If there’s a choice, pick the one made in the USA.  Besides the safety factor, you might be putting a fellow American to work.    

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Yes, the Pre-boomers are the ones.  We picked up the ball after the post-World War II boom and ran with it.  During the 1950s our generation was learning in school.  In the 1960s we learned on the job.  And from the 1970s on, we quietly applied on creativity and newly gained experience to the work at hand.  Pre-boomers, it is now being realized, were the last generation to actually believe and invest in the notion that it was our responsibility to build a country where our children could be better off than we were. 

We were the teachers, doctors, public servants, trade and business people who served this country through the long period of peacetime prosperity.  Fortunately, we learned from the generation preceding us.  The Greatest Generation survived the Great Depression and fought the Great War.  They laid a solid foundation by teaching us about faith, family, hard work, prudence and patriotism.  And we applied these principles to our daily lives.

As the bridge generation, Pre-boomers tried to instill the philosophy of living to the Baby Boomers, our younger brothers, sisters, cousins and, in some instances, our children.  For most of us, Gen X and some of Gen Y are our off-spring.  Where we might have fallen down is in leading them by both precept and example.  We were so busy doing what we were taught to do that we did not see that society had lost its compass and was rudderless in a sea of “me-ism.”

The Boomers are the most prodigious group of consumers that ever lived.  They learned if one was good, two must be better and three or more was best.  This “buy your way to happiness” philosophy seemed to work for a while.  A husband and wife working meant living well.  And when the kids came along, those at the upper end of the salary scale could buy a house in a nice area and send the kids to nice schools.  They didn’t save much but the house was building equity and the 401K was looking good.

Everyone thought they could buy a house or get anything else they wanted.  The system was in place and those managing the financial and other institutions were ready to extend credit.  Forget about being able to afford something just buy it if you want it and sign on the bottom line.  Then the storm came and sunk many boats. 

We Pre-boomers are sorry for not warning others about the consequences of the “buy now and hope for the best” attitude.  The crash hurt us too.  Our savings have dwindled, our home values are down and our lives have been affected by the current recession.  But we are more than willing to discuss the principles that worked for us with anyone who is ready to listen, including business people and, of course, our politicians.  

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