As we age and slide into retirement, we are like a cast iron anchor that is dragging along the ocean floor, slowing up our ship of state.
It's bad enough our age group is taking slings and arrows for what we've done in the past. For how we've steered the country when we had our hands on the wheel.
Some critics are calling us the worst generation in modern history. They point to the 2008 financial meltdown. The divisive presidencies of George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. The way our corporations have been managed.
In short, things are not good right now in the United States of America and some are laying the blame at our feet.
Whether that is true or not is a subjective matter of opinion.
But there seems to be little doubt the Baby Boom generation, by its sheer numbers, is exacting a heavy toll on society.
At the moment, we are clogging up the labor force. Not that we should necessarily be criticized for wanting to work, but the fact that 40 percent of Boomers over the age of 55 are still employed is a major factor on our economy. We are still sitting in jobs that younger and/or unemployed people want to have.
One factor is a lot of Boomers can't retire now due to their financial status. Part of that is our own fault. We have not saved our money well and many of our 401k plans are not what they should be, partly because we didn't handle our nation's economy with the long term in mind.
It also appears we won't be leaving much for the younger generations. In a recent survey by U.S. Trust, 49 percent of "Baby Boomer millionaires" said they don't plan to leave an inheritance for their kids. Part of the sentiment from those surveyed was "we've done enough for our children's generation." Seriously?
Our financial status is also having a negative effect on the stock markets. Analysts say we are the age group that is expected to invest most heavily in the markets. However, we are putting less money into the Dow Jones, Nasdaq and other entities. That is helping pull those institutions down.
We are also starting to drag down our nation's health care system. As our 78 million member generation ages, we are in more and more need of medical attention.
The health care industry has grown the past four years, according to Forbes magazine. It expanded 7 percent the past year, despite the overall economy growing hardly at all.
In the short term, that's good for people who work in the medical field. However, as Boomers start to develop cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other diseases, we will be in danger of bankrupting the nation's health care system.
Social Security is another institution trying to hold up under the weight of our generation. The oldest of the Baby Boomers started to collect Social Security checks three years ago. Now, with the front of our generation turning 65 this year, more and more Boomers are grabbing their share of the pension pie.
We can argue that we paid into the system and should get our money. That is true. However, we might want to think of the rest of the nation before we start grabbing our "fair share."
The numbers simply don't add up. There are too many of us and not enough younger people paying into the system for Social Security to stay solvent.
My suggestion in my book, "10,000 Days," is for Baby Boomers to delay cashing in their Social Security checks. Wait until you're 70 or older. Perhaps, as a generation, we should insist of changing the program's formula and accept less money.
The one bright economic note might be the housing market. As Boomers get older and "downsize" their living accommodations, they are moving out of their single-family homes and purchasing condos and other smaller quarters. That is providing some turnover in the housing market.
So, Boomers... it appears we can help our nation by putting our homes on the markets, taking care of our health and delaying our Social Security checks.
It'd be nice if we did something for the country as a whole instead of thinking of only ourselves.
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