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Demography is Destiny

Demography is Destiny. “Setting the Stage” Barry Bluestone John Sarvey. The Open Classroom Spring 2010. Happy Birthday Baby Boomers. Two weeks ago, the first official Baby Boomer turned 65 – Kathy Casey-Kirschling Baby Boom Generation – Born between 1946 and 1964 – 78 million births

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Demography is Destiny

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  1. Demography is Destiny “Setting the Stage” Barry Bluestone John Sarvey The Open Classroom Spring 2010

  2. Happy BirthdayBaby Boomers • Two weeks ago, the first official Baby Boomer turned 65 – Kathy Casey-Kirschling • Baby Boom Generation – Born between 1946 and 1964 – 78 million births • Boomers are now hitting age 65 at a rate of more than 8,000 a day • Are they that different from those who came before and those who were born after?

  3. American Generations • 1900-1924 “GI Generation” • Came of age during WWI and WWII • 1925-1945 “Silent Generation” • Children of the Great Depression and WWII • 1946-1964 “The Baby Boom Generation” • Post-WWII Glory Days Children … and Viet Nam • 1965-1979 “Generation X” • An age of Economic Malaise • 1980-2000 “The Millennials” (Generation Y) • A return to public conservatism • 2001-2011 “New Silent Generation” (Generation Z) • Post-9/11 Generation

  4. The Baby Boomers • Healthiest, best-educated, and wealthiest in the nation’s history • A generation that spans the Beatles and Springsteen • Crusaded to end a war and stop the spread of nukes • Powered an explosion in technology • Fueled the feminist revolution and joined the battle for civil rights Source: ARPP Bulletin, January-February 2011

  5. But … a Generation that has • Saved too little • Eaten too much • Borrowed beyond its means • This “trifecta” puts our health care system, our economy, and the well-being of our children and our parents at risk Source: ARPP Bulletin, January-February 2011

  6. Will this set off Generational Conflict? • Education vs. Social Security? • Children’s health vs. Medicare? • Popular tax cuts vs. tax policy enabling people to work longer? Source: ARPP Bulletin, January-February 2011

  7. BoomsdayChristopher Buckley’s 2007 Novel • In Boomsday, Cassandra Devine, a trendy 29-year-old PR whiz, touts a way to ease Boomers’ pressure on Medicare and Social Security. • Give boomers incentives, she suggests – free Botox and no estate tax, for starters – if they agree to commit suicide at age 70 • “Voluntary Transitioning,” she calls it and it eventually inspires a presidential campaign • That in turn ignites fiery opposition from the religious right … • And from boomers upset by demonstrations that block golf courses in their retirement communities. Source: ARPP Bulletin, January-February 2011

  8. The Alternative? • As boomers arrive at 65 in these grim economic times, we understand that generations need each other • “It’s not a fight. It’s a Family” • Generations United: • “Good policies – Social Security, public education, and affordable health care – do not impact one generation at the expense of another. We must look at generations as interdependent.” Source: ARPP Bulletin, January-February 2011

  9. We need an “Adult Conversation” – something seemingly missing in Washington, D.C. today • How do we deal “with a nation that faces gigantic budget deficits and a mix of government services and obligations that are out of whack and out of date?” Source: ARPP Bulletin, January-February 2011

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