A Legacy Boomers May Not Want

OK, here is my first “real” blog. Remember, this is me thinking out loud, throwing out something for reflection. This is not set in stone stuff. I don’t mind disagreement and I wouldn’t mind changing my mind. Here goes:

I was born in 1959. According to most cultural timelines I’ve seen, that sneaks me in on the caboose of the train that is the “Baby Boomer Generation.” Boomers have been described as a “Me First” generation. Generalizations like this are always at least partial lies, but often that means they are also partial truths. Recently, I’ve seen evidence that maybe the “Me First” label is something more deserved than we would like to admit.

We Boomers first came into our adulthood with the rebellion of the 60s against authority. Yet, as we inherited political, social and institutional power and became the authorities, we found ways to build on the wealth we gradually inherited from our parents. Now, as the Boomer generation reaches the last years of calling the shots, the economy we re-shaped has suffered what seems to me to have been a delayed but inevitable severe recession. The impressive retirement funds amassed by Boomers took severe hits and the economy no longer is hiding how we have taken more out than we put in.

I am saddened by what may be an “Our Generation First” response to the economic crisis we had a major hand in creating. My state of Virginia, which built a national reputation on providing quality education, is determined not to raise taxes while balancing the budget. An area high on the list of cuts is Education. Massive state cuts are leading to severe local repercussions. I believe the school board members who soberly report that there is nothing more to cut from the Roanoke City School budget without seriously damaging basic educational programs.

And Virginia is not alone. Across the nation, massive cuts in education are being made, both in the closing of schools and in the closing of programs designed to help the children of those whose rights we Boomers stood up for back in the 60s: the underprivileged.

Education used to be a leading cause for Boomers. Look at what we expected of our schools for our students with special promise and special needs. Why would we Boomers now find it more logical to cut education before raising taxes? The possible answer that saddens me is that, statistically speaking, most of our children are now cycling out of the educational system. When it was about us and our children, we demanded better education. Now what are we demanding?

Unless we reverse this recent trend, here is the end result that I fear will be part of my generation’s legacy: The generation we rebelled against made major sacrifices so we could have better educational opportunities then they had available to them. We might end our tenure as the generation in power by demanding our assets be protected through sacrificing educational opportunities for our children’s children.