mauler's writeup, though unapologetically opinionated as usual, illuminates some very intriguing aspects of our immediate history that are not often brought to light. After the Great Depression and WWII, a ton of babies were being born. It was only in the 90's that birth rates caught up to what they had been for that 20 year period. What is the effect on a society when one generation is so significantly larger than the ones preceding or following it?
Democracies are intended to be governed by majority rule. Obviously this gives members of the majority a bit of an advantage in terms of getting what they want. This is why we have policies meant to protect racial minorities, but it is harder to account for age. If one age group is larger than the rest then you might expect to see policies adopted over that groups lifespan favor whatever demographic they are currently a part of. This is what mauler was illustrating.
If I cared to make a few broader generalizations I might say that the Baby Boomers took advantage of their position in the 80's: Finding themselves leading a commercial revolution, they steered the business sector towards consolidation and outsourcing. Corporations merged and conglomerates formed. Manufacturing was handed off to developing countries with a more desperate workforce. Lobbyists guided Washington to enact policy that "encouraged business" by reducing corporate tax rates, and taxes on the upper class in general. The result was an economy which was more hostile to start-ups, accumulated debt, and helped to shape China and India into superpowers nearly big enough to rival the United States.
While mauler's WU holds nothing back in its Boomer bashing, mullakamakalaka seems to bring some added clarity to the argument. It is astonishing that our middle class has made so little progress. Smaller families, more family members working, but life stays the same. There is no American Dream here. And no, Millennials aren't perfect either, but we've not been given a chance to run anything yet. I'd recommend borgo and moeyz reserve their judgment until some evidence appears; lest they be accused of harboring the same attitude that sparked this clutter of rants.