Why is liberalism so obsessed with becoming "Greatest Generation 2.0"

Lets face facts here. Between the baby boomer retirements, the infrastructure needs of the nation, the changing face of economics in the globalized economy of the world and the million and one little things going on the in the world, if we as a society really really wanted all of that stuff it would require a level of sacrifice at least equivalent or greater than "The Greatest Generation" of our Grandparents. It would require massive tax rates matching those similar to what we had during World War II and the global reconstruction that took place just after it.

I personally, have no desire to be a part of "Greatest Generation 2.0". You can call me greedy if you want, call me a despicable human being, whatever, but the fact is that my Grandparents did a large portion of raising me, and the knew personally what kind of sacrifices they had to make in order to build the world we see today.

They told me, that they did that so that *I* wouldn't have to. I was not supposed to be asked to make that kind of sacrifice. That the sacrificing was done by that so that we in the future wouldn't have to.

Now, modern progressivism is in a headlong rush to turn Generation X into another "Greatest Generation" where it too, will be expected to sacrifice the majority of it's production and life's income to the betterment of society and the world.

Generation X does not want to become that. We were told we wouldn't be expected to make those kinds of sacrifices, so why are the Progressive Baby Boomers constantly trying to force such a legacy upon us when we do not wish it to be so?

 

If they want all "what stuff"? One of the fallacies of liberalism is that increasing the prosperity of a nation (more people buying and selling more "stuff"???) is mostly a matter of establishing a deeper level of government management of the economy and in particular, more control over the distribution of wealth. Unfortunately, the history of the various degrees of government managed economies have shown that higher levels of central economic control typically produces the opposite of its highly advertised positive goals. To put it more bluntly, Liberalism is simply another name for parasitism, as it sucks the life-blood from the productive host. The sacrifice it requires of every generation, not merely Generation X, is a blood sacrifice - the wholesale promotion of unproductive bureaucracy at the expense of nearly everything that contributes to a robust economy. It's an insult to the rational integrity of a nation's citizenry that so many remain infatuated with the Left's empty promises. It does show however that propaganda en masse does work - especially when force-fed from the nursery to the grave.

 

Well then, you were told lies by your grandparents. Yes, they were the greatest generation. Yes, they sacrificed and toiled in ways we'll never imagine, appreciate, or comprehend. However, you've been sold a bill of goods if you actually believe that their sacrifices meant nothing but good times ahead for all future generations no matter what. Each generation creates enough of its own problems that we can either work through (through sacrifice, hard work, common sense and basic morality) or pass the buck on. The boomers passed the buck on all of their created problems. We, as the Xers, have a choice. We can continue passing both the Boomers problems and our newly developed problems onto our children, or we can take responsibility for them and fix them. The next generation will come up with their own, but do you really want to saddle them with theirs ours and our parents? Simple fixes and simple sacrifices that benefit the whole of society are necessary.

If anything, realize that what we'd have to do to fix our problems (and the boomers problems) pale in comparison to what the "greatest" had to go through. And yet, they did what they had to do. If a 5% across the board tax increase is really equivalent in your eyes, then I don't know what to tell you.

 

In this regard, the US today is like Paris Hilton; reaping the rewards of her hardworking family elders but completely unwilling to help out. And having a party lifestyle to boot, all off the back of her hardworking father (or was it grandfaster - it doesn't matter).

The world looks at Paris and is pretty disgusted, only simple minded, shallow people admire her.

 

What were the corporate and personal income tax rates during "Greatest Generation 1.0"?

Significantly more than now I think. Could this be the reason that the current generation have to re-build "Greatest Generation 2.0" ?

 

Please post a balance sheet and income statement to back up what you are talking about.

My experience and education says that a total tax take of about 30% provides plenty for everyone.

 

That's fine for your grandparents, but there are new generations now and it's impossible for my generation (which I think is also your generation) not to want to sacrifice for the betterment of our children's generation.

What we're not willing to sacrifice is our children's prosperity for the prosperity of a small number of wealthy people.

If I could just work myself into the grave in the hopes that my stepson could live his dream of playing the guitar and watching cartoons his whole life, I would. It looks like a fun life. But that's not realistic, or even really a good idea. Because it's in his nature to work for his loved ones as well, he's just too young to know it. He's still a loved one, not a loving one, which is another way of saying, he's still a child. He'll grow up some day (perhaps in a somewhat more distant future than I would prefer), and he'll need to know how to take care of people.

But if all my work is going to do is make some already wealthy CEO a bit richer? What's the point in that? Who wants to work themselves to death for a guy in a suit?

We all want to work hard and make sacrifices -- that's our nature. We just want it to be for something worthwhile. Imagine finding out that all you had done your whole life is aid and abet the people who were making the world a miserable place. I'd rather work for the people who at least want to play some good tunes.

 

The Greatest Generation has a darker side too.

When we look at WW2, an amazing amount of sacrifices were made. However, with time, this same generation squandered what we gained by buying into Reaganomics.

It didn't help that the Baby Boom generation fell wholeheartedly for it as well.

So, in the end, Generation X and all of its successors will get to sacrifice primacy and decadence as the developing world catches up with us.

Regardless of where we go from here, sacrifices will be made. It's only a matter of deciding what to sacrifice -- not if.

 

Sacrifices like Choice or 2A ,like expansion of Unions & Government or Fiscal Responsibility& constitutionality ...

 

SS will most likely be phased out slowly, for starters. Medicare will become more and more meager on a per capita basis.

Those are the kinds of sacrifices neither party is going to talk much about, but it will slowly become reality as healthcare costs rise and debts require payment.

 

Thanks for that man!! That is was so clear, pertinent and reasonable.

 

When all is said and done, the baby boomer generation will go down in history as the generation that dropped the ball and sunk the titanic. There are individual baby boomers who have done great things for this country. But the generation as a whole was the first spoiled brat / slacker generation. They paved the way for the bored generation of Generation X and the increasingly dysfunctional modern generations.

When America eventually collapses, we can point to the hippies as the culprits who initially got the ball rolling. Be proud, granolaheads. Your legacy will be one of great destruction and ruin.

 

I agree that the Boomers will be most to blame, but it mostly occurred when most of them ditched their birkenstocks and bought into trickle down economics.

When the financial sector took over the government, decline became an inevitability.

 

You've never read much into the 1950's have you?

 

Central planning also seems to work alright for China too.

 

And every industrialized nation with a higher standard of living than ours for that matter.

 

I think in a way... we (the US) is a victim of our own success. The fact that so many people CAN be that shallow, and still get by is a testament to how EASY we have it. Yes times are tough now. But if you compare it to times in the past... this is nothing.

 

If you want to take that analogy, the life guard never came, as it was too busy bickering about who's to blame for the navigation of the ship.

In this, the current American right will go down in the history books looking pretty bad. Absolute refusal to make compromise, insisting that once they made it to the distressed ship, they should save the wealthy passengers first.

 

Indeed. I can see that will wealthy people all over the world. America blew it alright, decadence, selfish individualism, "greed is good" etc...