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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
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Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
May 18, 2005
/ 9 Iyar, 5765
Bush Rescues the Boomers!
By
Zev Chafets
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
It was a stressful week for President Bush. In Tbilisi he was the apparent target of a failed grenade incident. The day after he got home, a stray airplane over Washington set off a White House evacuation. And now the real danger begins: Bush is going to start campaigning again for a change in Social Security.
We all know the spiel. The system is running out of money. In 1950, there were 16 workers supporting every beneficiary; now there are only three (and soon it will be two). Sometime around 2040 the fund will go belly up. Sacrifices must be made.
But not by everyone. The president says nobody born before 1950 will lose a thing. Bush was born in 1946. I was born in 1947 and consider this an excellent plan.
But it's doubtful that younger Americans will feel the same way. Unfortunately for Bush and me, there are millions of Gen X (and Y, and Z) Americans out there who would like nothing more than to see the Grooviest Generation f-f-fade away on a diet of cat food and welfare cheese.
Why do they hate us? Well, it could have something to do with the fact that sometime between Elvis and the Beatles we seized control of the national dial and kept it tuned to us ever since. For the past half-century we have been guided by the immortal words (not all of which could be printed here) of Jefferson Airplane's Grace Slick: "We do what we want." And, because there are so many of us, we have.
In retrospect we should have been a little more inclusive. In the '60s we dismissed our parents ("Never trust anyone over 30") and ignored our younger siblings. As adults we've hogged the best jobs, lived in the biggest houses, force-marched our children to Grateful Dead concerts and generally lived in passionate, uninhibited pursuit of our every whim and pleasure. If you're looking for a metaphor for boomer-Gen XYZ relations, I'd say the relationship between Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky pretty much summed it up.
Not surprisingly, we are an unloved generation. This is what President Bush forgets when he urges younger workers to sacrifice (up to 40%, according to some Democratic pronouncements) future benefits. Sacrifice on whose behalf?
"For those born before 1950, the Social Security system will not change in any way," Bush says. This protected population encompasses the boomer aristocracy: the Sons and Daughters of the American Sexual Revolution, 90 million people who were at Woodstock and almost everyone old enough to have wrangled a student deferment during Vietnam.
Now, it's possible that Gen XYZ is prepared to treat the boomers to 30 or 40 medically prolonged golden years. But it is more possible that they will rebel against Bush's "he's-not-heavy-he's-my-father" fix for Social Security.
Gen XYZ could decide, for example, that we can work a few more years say, until the Stones stop touring. Or that we should be assessed a good-luck tax for being the only generation in history to escape war and depression (with exemptions for Vietnam vets and residents of Detroit).
Or the kids could go Gitmo on us, turning the entire state of Florida into a giant boomer internment camp, barbed wire from Miami to the Georgia line, patrolled by sullen young men and women who have heard one too many parental dynamite anecdotes about the Summer of Love.
Extreme, you say? So too, it once seemed, was banning cigarettes in New York bars. It doesn't take much in this country for an idea to go from absurd to obvious.
Getting old is a big enough drag without worrying about winding up in geriatric Camp X-Ray. Being that Bush is one of us, and he needs to look out for our interests, which, in this case, means the right to a gracious and prosperous seniority in the retirement venue of our choice. If the system goes broke after that, well, that's not our problem. Let Chelsea and the twins sort it out.
So come on, Mr. President, drop the subject. Never trust anyone under 50. And remember this: If you get us all thrown into Boca without a golf club, nobody named Bush will ever carry Florida again.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Veteran journalist and JWR contributor Zev Chafets is author of "The Project" (Click HERE to purchase. Sales help fund JWR.). Comment by clicking here.
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