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Why blame us?  Because we are no longer the revenue source we once were. This year Social Security (SS) will pay paying out more in benefits than it takes in for the first time since 1982.  The reason is simple.  In 1960 there were 5 workers for each person receiving SS.  This number fell to just 2 workers for each recipient in 2010.  The problem is soon to be compounded with the first of the 76 million baby boomers reaching 65 next year.  In fact, millions of boomers will turn 65 every year until 2030. 

The SS contributions by individuals and their employers never made it to a lockbox, so it could be invested for the future.  Instead Congress, over the years, spent the money it collected on unfunded projects, leaving the American citizens with a great big I.O.U.  Due to  this lack of foresight the government must borrow money from China, Japan and other countries.  The effect this will have on the national debt as the SS recipient pool increases in the years ahead is not a pretty prospect.

Months of debate stirred the murky waters of health care reform and brought many issues to the surface.  For starters, the government intends to cut $500 billion from Medicare.  This is to be accomplished by reducing waste, fraud and abuse – something that could and should have been done as a matter of course, but was not.  Seniors can expect current benefits plans to be altered with the result being lower quality of care, fewer patient choices, higher costs and/or more taxation.

As politicians revisit the floundering heath care bill, it is unclear what will emerge.  In the meantime, insurance premiums continue to increase while SS cost of living adjustments (COLA) are frozen for the next two years.  Will Washington do anything to help retirees on fixed incomes during these difficult times?  Or, must we fend for ourselves and hope lost savings will be recovered, home prices rebound and the economy improves enough to make us financially healthier than we are now?

We are not looking for handouts.  We paid into the system for years and were promised certain benefits.  We expect them, because it’s our money.  Unfortunately, the SS funds are gone and Medicare is under the budget knife as the retiree population continues to grow.  This adds up to great concern about the future.  Our earning days are over, or soon will be, so we can’t generate more income.  If our elected representatives don’t consider us worth preserving, then we must replace these tone-deaf politicians with people who respect our situations and are willing to respond to the needs of all New Seniors.

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This was not an accident.  America was always exceptional.  From the time the early settlers arrived on our shores through the colonists’ fight for freedom to the war on slavery and our joining in WWI, the citizens believed in doing what is right rather than what is easy.  If others suffered, we suffered with them and tried to right the wrong, without regard for what dissenters might think or say. 

The same kind of attitude prevailed in our nation’s businesses, both large and small.  A good idea became a great idea when people got excited and applied American ingenuity and old-fashioned hard work to make the dream come true.  Our generation saw the advent of frozen food including pizza, television followed by TV dinners, jet travel, fast food restaurants, a man on the moon spawned Tang in several flavors as well as satellites, copying and answering machines, pagers, cell phones, personal computers and all the hi-tech gear that followed, plus much more.

Most of these inventions changed our lives forever and continue to prompt change as they inspire an ongoing flood of new and improved products vying for the consumer’s attention – many of which will make our quality of life somewhat better, and all of them are designed to make money for the individuals and companies involved in bringing these products to the marketplace, here and around the world.  America has always provided an atmosphere for creativity and we have shown the world how to market goods and services.  So, while there’s cheap labor available in other parts of the world, we are the ones with the ideas, build the initial products and provide the marketing capabilities to establish brands worldwide.

Because America creates what others eventually copy, we must continue to innovate in areas such as energy, food and pharmaceuticals for the world.  The need to innovate applies to more than business ventures.  Our educational system is in great need of help.  Just as we test market products, it is vital to try then perfect new ways to better educate our children and prepare them for the changing world they will face.  America’s health care system needs to be studied and revamped to attend the needs of the aging citizens and to make it affordable to our younger population.

America’s exceptionalism will be challenged in the years ahead.  We must not let this happen from within.  Instead, we have to view the problems facing us lemons and make some lemonade.  That’s the American way.

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Democrats cannot write bills behind closed doors and try to jam legislation through based on their current power in Washington.  By the same token, Republican have got to stop hiding in the weeds and taking shots at everything the opposing party does.  Rather, it’s time to go back to the peoples’ business.  This means agreeing that the health care system needs to undergo significant change over an extended period of time but in a common-sense, fiscally-responsible, bi-partisan manner.  Otherwise, the finger pointing and bickering in Washington will spell the end of the careers for many politicians.

It’s not rocket science.  Health insurance costs continue to climb.  Too many Americans are without coverage.  Waste, fraud and abuse abounds within the system.  The problems can’t be addressed or fixed all at once.  So, let’s agree that health care is going to be studied immediately and adjusted over time with the goal being coverage we can afford and quality of care second to none.  We can figure out how to make this work, but do the politicians, the insurance companies and the medical organizations must come together, forget their own agendas and start considering what’s best for the citizens of this country?

As part of the pre-boomer generation (those born between 1930 and 1945), I remember how people from all walks of life came together and fought our enemies in World War II.  Folks forgot about labels.  We weren’t Democrats or Republicans we were Americans pulling together in a common cause.  If addressed honestly, health care can be something that unites rather than divides us.

Remember, health care accounts for about a sixth of our economy.  This is a real concern when combined with a deficit beyond belief, out-of-control government spending and a double-digit unemployment rate that just won’t go day.  On top of this, there are more spending plans waiting to be introduced in Congress.  The only thing to do is to stop Washington from doing what it’s been doing or we’re going to keep getting what we’ve been getting.  Translated, this means no new spending.  Prioritize the country’s need.  And re-evaluate where our money is going now and where it needs to go in the future.

At the same time, businesses around the country need to join in the fight to keep America afloat and bring it back to the land of opportunity.  This requires the best minds we have focusing on what they know best to get the job done.  By applying this same kind of discipline to health care reform, we will undoubtedly end up with something that meets the needs of each individual American.  And, that’s good for all of us.     

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Wasn’t it just last year when the fast food giants were being demonized by well-meaning folks who wanted to tell us what to eat and how much to eat and where to eat?  It seems America’s favorite fare was killing us and before it did, we would be so fat (yes, I said fat, because this is what it was called before the politically correct crowd labeled this word as insensitive) that we would happily die because everyone would abandon us due to our lack of control when it came to food intake.

As a pre-boomer, the generation born between 1930 and 1945, I never thought of restaurants as the place for dieters.  From delis, coffee shops and diners to family restaurants to fine dinning these were always places where you enjoyed eating.  We always consumed more when eating away from home.  And dessert was always part of the meal.  If someone was watching their weight they’d often forego a trip to a restaurant.  That’s the way it was.  But times have changed, and restaurants don’t want to lose out on a single customer.  In fact, promoting low-calorie, low-fat and low-carb meals allows them to give the customer less food for the same amount of money or more.

I can remember when dieting meant salads with really horrible tasting dressing and bland chicken or fish with steamed vegetables at home or at a restaurant.  The fast food chains have items for the diet-conscience, but with the ongoing price wars aimed at attracting the budget-conscience consumer, the emphasis is on the discounted regular menu.  The do-gooders continue to target fast food as bad food, particularly burger and fries. 

Some popular-priced establishments that have jumped on the healthier food band wagon, believing this will give them a competitive edge in this all-too-crowded segment of the marketplace.  With federal nutritional labeling laws posed to become a reality, this move could provide them with a huge advantage.  But what about the food?   Applebee’s, a sit-down restaurant chain of more than 1,900 units, has added 5 items, all 550 calories or less, to the regular menu line up.  While these are said to be regular portion sized dishes, the gooey and decadent desserts are strictly off limits.

Starbuck’s, the over-priced coffee leader, is offering reduced calorie versions of their specialty drinks.  The coffee house is also featuring low-cal sandwiches and snacks. 

It’s too soon to tell if the healthier menus will catch on.  If the patrons do as they did in the past, most will be back to the regular fare, soon.  And the “eat healthier, lousy-tasting food police” will redouble their efforts to make us consume what they believe will make us live longer.  If they succeed, we probably won’t live longer; it’ll just seem that way.   

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I was in high school when the first 3-D motion picture was introduced.   Bwana Devil came to the screen in 1952 in color and 3-D.  American’s flocked to the theatres to don the cardboard glasses with one red and one blue plastic lens.  The technology had been around for years prior to this with the first commercial showing of a 3-D film, The Power of Love, making its debut in 1922.  But the industry didn’t turn to this technology until they were in trouble, which made the early ‘50s are considered the Golden Age of 3-D.

The House of Wax was unveiled in 1953 and featured the first stereophonic sound to accompany a 3-D movie.  A host of others films followed.  One genre, horror films, found 3-D as a way to startle and scare audiences and thus enhance the entertainment experience. The most popular was The Creature from the Black Lagoon, which was followed by a couple of sequels.  The two Rue Morgue films also did well at the box office.  Kiss me Kate, a musical, and Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder were released in both 2-D and 3-D with the former showing in more theatres and therefore becoming the more acceptable mode.

Problems of quality, particularly picture synchronization caused by trying to match the images from two projectors, was only one of the reasons interest in 3-D waned after a couple of years.  However, technology produced a better product with companies such as Polaroid joining the research battle; there was a resurgence of 3-D in the 1980s and again in 2003 with the rise of the digital age.

It was not until 2008, when Bolt was released, that I was re-introduced to 3-D.  I saw this animated film, which I watched with molded plastic glasses rather cardboard ones.   It was a lot different from the early 3-D experience.  Then, on New Year’s Day, I saw Avatar.  Wow!  I felt as if I were part of the imaginary world created by John Cameron who used 3-D to enhance the story rather than make the technique the focus of the film.  You can see it in 2-D, but you haven’t seen it until you see Avatar in 3-D.

So expect to see more movies in 3-D, since people seem to like it.  And, it won’t be long before 3-D comes to living rooms across the country.  Several manufacturers are getting ready to start selling television sets with 3-D capabilities.  Sony, a TV manufacturer and motion picture studio owner, expects half the company’s TV line up will eventually be in 3-D.  And next year, the PGA and ESPN are going to offer 3-D programs.  We’ve come a long way since that spear was thrown at us in 1952, sitting in a crowded movie theatre and decked out in our 3-D glasses, as we watched Bwana Devil.

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Pre-boomers, particularly those of us living in high-cost areas like Southern California, are concerned about the cost of insurance.  So, I did some research and crunched the numbers to see how bad things really were.  Before going back in time, let’s look at how rates for supplemental coverage from my insurance provider continue to climb for those born between 1930 and 1945 as we age.  After moving from the attained age of 65 to 69 into the 70 to 74 group, there is a 35.3% hike in premiums.  Another bump of 19.9% occurs for individuals between the ages of 75-79; but the actual dollar increase is about the same, since the base is higher.  This means there is a difference of 74.5% between what older pre-boomers pay versus the younger ones.     

My four-year rate analysis includes the period from 2007 through the announced premiums for 2010.  The numbers behind the numbers tell a rather sad story.  Take my prescription plan.  The increase from 2007 to 2008 was 25.2%, 2008 to 2009 another 14.2% and 2009 to 2010 up 13.3%.  This results in my prescription drug insurance coverage costing 68.4% more than it did in 2007.  That’s more difficult to swallow than some of the pills I take.

Dropping the drug coverage doesn’t make sense, since I’m at the age where more, rather than fewer, prescriptions may be needed to keep me up and running.  A study released by the General Accountability Office (GAO), the research arm of Congress, states that during a recent eight-year period 416 brand-name drug products experienced price increases ranging from 100 to nearly 500%, and in some instances as much as 1,000%.  So I’m going to hold on to the coverage.

The medical insurance doesn’t appear as bad as my drug coverage, because there were only two increases since 2007.  However, the 13.2% increase was nearly twice as much in actual dollars as the additional prescription premiums.  Little solace can be found in the apparent good news coming from the medical portion of my insurance package.

Since the House and Senate have health care plans waiting to be reconciled, there’s no way to predict what affects the final bill will have on my individual coverage.  It’s up to each pre-boomer to find out what this will mean in terms of personal costs as well as the quality of health care received.  Then, we must let our voices be heard, because it’s never too late to get it right.  Even if politicians seem to turn a deaf ear to public opinion, they cannot ignore the power of the ballot box.

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As a pre-boomer growing up, I collected all kinds of stuff.  Stones and sea shells were the first items I stored away.  Toy soldiers and emblems from WWII were the fun part of the war.  Later it was coins and stamps.  As I got into sports, my collection of baseball and football cards was a source of pride.  Then I started going to major league games and my collection of player autographs from the various Philadelphia sports team was a big deal.  Throughout my adult life, I have added to my display of advertisements and things from the early to mid-1900s.  I have fond memories about each of these phases of my life, as do all peoples who love to collect things.

Although I lived in the city, there were plenty of woods nearby and rambling through them or walking along the banks of the Pennypack Creek or the Delaware River yielded a lot of different stones.  I saved those that were not right for skipping, especially the ones that had veins of what looked like gold running through them.  Of course it wasn’t gold; but every time I found one, there was a moment of hope that this time would be different.  And trips to the Jersey Shore produced a never-ending supply of shells of all kinds.

With many relatives and family friends servicing in the Second World War, I was able to put together more than a few emblems, insignia, ribbons and pins.  I kept them in a special drawer and regularly laid them out on the dinning room table to admire.  As for the toy lead-soldiers, I simply played with them until they were beyond repair. 

After the US victories abroad, my interest turned to coins because a friend of mine started collecting them.  This soon moved to stamps, which were more attractive and had stories associated with the issuing countries’ history and geographical location.  I have first day covers from when new stamps were issued and a rather spotty collection of American stamps dating back to the early 1900s.  Although my stamps are mounted in albums and stored away, I hope to someday introduce my grandson to the joys of being a Philatelist.

My hometown, Philadelphia, is a big sports city.  Most kids when I grew up saved the cards from bubble gum packages.  We traded them and flipped for them, but no one actually purchased them, because baseball and other sport card collecting had not yet become a business.  Along with the cards, we also collected autographs of local sports heroes; sometimes we were lucky enough to have them sign the cards.  Little did any of us realize how much these would be worth today.

Being an adman, I became interested in the evolution of packaged goods, promotional signs and ads.  Then I started collecting these old icons from all parts of the country until I put together a representative sampling of how marketing in America has changed over the years.  I love my collection and add to it whenever I discover the appropriate items. 

Many pre-boomers have collected many things for many years.  Please write in and share your collecting stories and passions so others may learn about your hobby; because, as you know, it’s never too late to start enjoying the fun of collecting. 

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We grew up in an era when factories belching out black soot from their smoke stacks were a sign that America was producing products to be purchased here and abroad.  At the same time we were warned not to pollute, not to liter and to do our part to keep our country clean.  Yet over the years, more and more of the conveniences promoted via TV commercials either added toxic waste to our rivers and streams or were made from plastics and other non-biodegradable materials destined to crowd our landfills forever.

In recent years, controls over manufacturing plant emissions and the introduction of environmentally friendly products for the home and office have helped the situation, somewhat.  Concurrently, cars have been made to burn cleaner and drive further on a tank of gas while the fuel itself no longer contributes the amount of pollutants it once did.  Progress has been made to where the US is not the culprit it once was.  However, we use so much more energy per capita that the environmentalist, here and in Europe, continue to point their fingers at us even though the emerging countries such as China and India and the dozens of developing ones around the world have a long way to go before they began to approach the standards we have set for ourselves.

Now there’s a movement to place a carbon charge on energy usage worldwide.  If this succeeds, US companies producing products in this country and employing American workers will be at a disadvantage.  They will, however, be able to purchase unused energy allotments from other firms or countries for a fee.  Either way, the consumer will pay more for goods and more for their own energy consumption.  The only ones profiting from this will be the federal government via taxes and the energy traders through their commissions made on both buying and selling carbon credits.  Isn’t this the same government that is spending us into bankruptcy?  Aren’t these the same commodity brokers and Wall Street opportunists cited for driving up the price of oil not long ago?  They were responsible for pushing junk bonds, risky derivatives and hedge funds that helped lead to the bubble bursting in our once booming economy?  Why would we trust these institutions to do anything in our best interest?

If we haven’t learned from the health care reform debacle, then when are the American people going to finally say, “Enough is enough?”  Yes, we need to do our part to improve the world’s environment; but, no, we can’t derail the economic engine that has made this country great – otherwise, we lose the strength to affect change.    It’s up to pre-boomers to lead the way, as we tried to do on health care, and make the American public aware that actions have consequences.

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The events that took place over the next several decades didn’t disillusion the generation born between 1930 and 1945.  We were too busy with our careers and raising a family to get involved in many social issues; but our younger brothers and sisters, the baby boomers, jumped in with both feet.  While many believe the pre-boomers set the table for change, it was the boomers who participated in the feast.  Civil rights, women’s rights and the anti-war movement were too appetizing for them not to partake. 

Along the way to standing up for the rights of others and fighting everyone and everything for the causes they believed in, boomers came to expect the same entitlements for them as well.  This is understandable, since they have been known for years as “the me generation.”  This attitude does not necessarily translate to working to make their dreams come true.  Often it meant wishing for things rather than working for them, since buying happiness is a big part of living in the dream world of instant gratification.

This criticism of the most vocal generation in our nation’s history is not meant to diminish any contributions made by individual boomers.  However, it does suggest if it weren’t for their sheer numbers, which translates to big spending power and big voting power, the boomers might not be deemed as remarkable as their own self-promotion heralds.  How they work through the current circumstances the country faces, deal with the changes Washington is mandating, and then transition into retirement will be telling. 

What was once a nation of savers has became one of spenders.  The United States turned into the divided states with personal interests coming ahead of what was best for us all.  Where once people pitched in to help others, we moved to the sidelines to watch rather than participate or, worse, show no interest in the events affecting ones life.  Such attitudes caused us to ignore, over the past decade, the warning signs of the dangers that lay ahead both outside and inside the country.  This attitude also resulted in a willingness to let the government – federal, state and local – enact laws, reduce services and increase taxes so long as individuals could do pretty much as they pleased.

The day of reckoning has arrived.  Our world is not the same as it was.  We can’t trust our elected representatives to act in our best interest.  There is no where to turn accept to each other and start talking about the future and what it means to us collectively.  Pre-boomers are starting to do this, and maybe their commitment will serve as an example to others.  Because the combination of community, civility and connectivity could help the country come together and brings us back to living in the real world, again. 

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Having spent my business career in the advertising business, I know the younger consumer is king.  This is predicated on the fact that these folks follow fads, want peer group acceptance and will be in the marketplace for years to come.  Therefore, over the years they will buy more of a particular brand, especially those age 18 to 34, assuming they remain loyal to it.  From an advertising standpoint – this applies to programming, too because audience composition ultimately determines what type of products will be purchasing the TV time – once you reach 50 you’re dead.

So the advertisers interested in those 65+ treat us as if we’re all “over-the-hill.”  The OTC products (over-the-counter: non-prescription medicines, skin creams and denture items) sold on the evening news is an indicator as to what marketers think we need.  The ads for prescription drugs range from erectile dysfunction (E.D.), to bladder and prostate problems, to cholesterol and diabetes control.  Services advertised include reverse mortgages, long-term care insurance and funeral arrangements.  What a deadly line up of advertisers this is.

For pre-boomers (those born between 1930 and 1945), the actors in these commercials are either too young and hip for us to relate to, like the guy who spirits his wife away on a motorcycle to try out his new virility now that he no longer is impotent thanks to an E.D. pill.  Or too old and inactive for our age group, such as the woman of 85 who decides to go with a reverse mortgage in order to make ends meet.  These are examples of the extremes that surround our generation of 30 million vibrant consumers ages 65 to 79. 

We have saved for our retirement.  We spend money on the goods and services we want and need.  And we will continue to be viable consumers for years to come.  Not only have advertisers overlooked the “forgotten generation,” the politicians have too.  Pre-boomers account for 30 percent of the votes cast in off-year elections.  And we’re concerned about the records of our representative when it comes to issues affecting us: taxes, health care, national security and more.  Many of those we trusted have let us down; that’s why incumbents have plenty to worry about in the 2010 elections.

It doesn’t matter what’s being sold, advertisers need to realize that pre-boomers are not old and we represent an important audience to them.  These marketers, including politicians, would do well to accept this and start talking to us in our language about our needs and deliver on the promises they make.  That’s easy enough to understand.