Cloudy
What turned a professed “Generation-Xer” into a “Baby Boomer” expert? Laura Lorson’s blog, “Welcome to the Summer of Hate,” is supposed to be a humorous look at the older American’s that make up part of the “sleeping giant” that’s been flocking to town hall meetings; but, instead, it’s insulting and demeaning.
Forty years ago, long-haired, incense-burning baby boomers were subjecting us to "The Summer of Love," and they got all worked up and piled into VW micro-buses and drove out to upstate New York, rolling around in the mud and taking drugs, and generally alarming their parents with the threat of — I don't know — communes. Now, it's 40 years later, and gray-haired, incensed boomers are subjecting us to what I guess you might want to call "The Summer of Hate," to judge from the pictures of people's faces contorted with rage, calling each other names that they used to reserve for "The Man." Now, instead of the peace and harmony, make-love-not-war thing, they're getting all worked up and piling into tricked-out minivans and driving out to their congressional representatives' offices, rolling around in their Medicare-provided scooters, yelling about the cost of drugs and generally alarming their parents with the threat of — I don't know — health care.….From Woodstock to apoplectic rage, in 40 short years… I keep expecting some fella to go up to a podium and announce, "Hey, everyone, the brown Maalox that is circulating around is not too good."
Someday this arrogant, ignorant little cuss may be in a walker with someone calling her life worthless, and, if I’m still around, I’d like to hear from her then.
We, the Baby Boomers, have spent most of our lives working, paying taxes, raising families, going to church, paying into Social Security, saving towards our retirements, voting and being productive members of a free society. We’ve been frugal and wise. We paid for our houses and burned the mortgages. We paid, or helped pay for your college educations. Now we are helping our elderly parents who can’t feed or dress themselves, because we know that is the right thing to do, even though we know your generation will change very few Depends.
We are at the town hall meetings, writing blogs, corresponding with members of Congress and the White House, because we want you to have the same chance to the pursuit of happiness that we have had. We want you to live in a democracy. We want the Constitution to protect you, as it has us.
We don’t want the government to coddle us like your generation does. We want to work and earn respect. We don’t want handouts and entitlements. We value liberty over government mandated “security.”
And, for you Boomers out there, “Stay the course, old timers!” We’re seeing a victory over single-payer, socialized medicine for the USA, but we still have to defeat Cap and Trade, rid the capital of ridiculous Czars and get a balanced budget! Keep your voices strong!
Summer of Hate
