Pre-Boomer Musings

The rules were simple, but effective, when we pre-boomers were growing up. “Yes,” meant “yes.”  “No,” meant “no.”  “I’ll think about it” was a qualified “maybe” that leaned toward “no” but could be “yes,” depending on your actions and attitude leading up to dad’s final answer.  And, pushing for an immediate decision resulted in a certain “no.”   Have politicians forgotten these basic childhood lessons?

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The public, in general, has shown its lack of enthusiasm for continued spending and the consolidation of more parts of our economy to be under government control.  This is because we realize, from experience, that this combination will result in higher taxes.  The polls, Town Hall meetings and the growing number of signatures on an endless number of petitions clearly indicate the people are saying “no.”

Party affiliation is being trumped by the concern citizens have for their own financial situation and personal wellbeing and what the rising national debt means to future generations.  Yet the administration insists a health care bill be passed as quickly as possible.  Congress used this panic approach on the stimulus package.  But, while the House applied the same kind of pressure on the cap and trade bill, it’s having troubling clearing the Senate.  Do-it-fast legislation is tantamount to asking your father for the car keys next Saturday night, and when he says “I’ll think about it” you push for an immediate decision even though the answer is invariably “no.”

Maybe this kind of arrogance is exhibited by the politicians because they think seniors won’t remember how our wishes were ignored.  Or, they believe the mid-term elections are more than a year away, and the mood of the constituency will be better by then.  Or, their power has corrupted them to the point were they think nothing can stop them now, forgetting the fact that we put them in office to serve the people.  Why won’t they listen to us when we say “no?”  Don’t they realize this flagrant snub of the electorate may result in them sitting at home when the next congress is sworn in?

Let’s refresh their memories a bit.  Tell them how you feel about the job they’re doing, or not doing.  Remind them how important the senior vote is, particularly in off year elections.  We represented nearly 30 percent of the turnout in 2006.  I suspect the new seniors, pre-boomers (born between 1930 and 1945), will have a disproportionate say in who goes to Washington next time.  This is true with state and local elections as well.

So, stand up and be counted.  If you don’t do it now, chances are you never will.  And there’s too much at stake to let someone else make decisions for you.  Get together with your pre-boomer friends, join groups and organizations that demonstrate an understanding of your needs and share your concerns.  Together we can and will make a difference, now and in the years ahead.  This is one more reason pre-boomers are called “the can-do generation.”  We can all say “yes” to that.

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