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“People seldom do what they believe in. They do what is
convenient, and then repent.” (Bob Dylan)
Lonely servicemen returning from the second Great War
with a twinkle in their eye quickly made up for lost time. Before long they had
seeded a generation that would continue making society a better place for
everyone. Conceived during the Cold War, they grew up fearing the threat of a
red attack and the evils of socialism and Communism. They were schooled to
protect the gifts our founders had bequeathed to them. And most importantly,
public schools taught “boomers” to love America.
When those love-hungry men and women celebrated the end
of the second Great War, they copulated what would become one of the most
dominant political and social forces in American history. While some dropped
out and some stayed in, they collectively agreed: If they wanted to make
America a better place for them, they had to do it themselves. With civil
rights marches, war protests, sit-ins, campus groupies, love-ins and rock
festivals, they changed America to making love, not making war.
The birth explosion known as the baby boom signaled the
end of the Depression and World War II. Since world peace and prosperity
returned, America was ready for a new start. This era not only brought babies
but also a new confidence in capitalism. Corporations grew and became more
profitable. They paid higher wages and the future was brighter for workers.
This enabled parents to give their kids better opportunities than they had. And
as they grew up, America grew with them.
While millennials call boomers antique losers, they are
the richest, best-educated and most accomplished generation of Americans living
today. They were the ones that developed a strong, confident and prosperous
country for us. Born between 1946 and 1964, boomers took advantage of the
benefits of the postwar period's extraordinary economic growth. When
opportunity knocked, they walked in. And as boomers aged, they shared a wealth
of knowledge for generations to come.
Because of the size of their generation, boomers defined
every institution in which we live today. Looking over the past half century,
we see their successes everywhere. Their legacy was not due to spontaneous
combustion. They set the U.S. on fire, provoking political thought, setting
trends and changing social awareness. They made reality out of dreams for an
improved post-war America.
"When the power of love overcomes the power of hate,
the world is a better place."
– Jimi Hendrix
Boomers achieved mythic status as hinge points in
American history during the 1960s and ’70s. From the civil-rights campaigns in
Mississippi and Alabama to Martin Luther King’s March on Washington, their
transformative activism helped end segregation. They paved the way for the
Civil Rights and the Voting Rights Acts of the 60s. In 1967, their anti-war
March on Washington D.C. and the campus protests following the Kent State
shootings helped bring an end to the disesteemed Vietnam War.
Boomers are the most politically diverse generation ever
conceived. Some supported a president only to be turned off as Watergate
unfolded. Others were shocked when one boomer was caught with his hands in
someone else’s cookie jar in the oval office. Some supported impeachment while
others forgave him. During the debacle in Florida, some jostled for Bush and
others for Gore. But during the terrorist attack upon the America they loved,
they mourned together and afterwards they got their revenge.
“We are more determined than ever to live our lives in
freedom.”
– Rudy Giuliani
They were divided when leftist candidate Barack Obama ran
for office. Some bought his change rhetoric.
Many saw it as identity politicking: Others claimed he
was an unqualified novelty politician. Some voted for him twice out of guilt
redemption to prove to America the ages of past social indignation had been
laid to rest. And others just voted for him to make history and have bragging
rights that they did what nobody did before. Most all admitted their mistake
and they are paying for that now.
“It’s more important to make change than it is to just
make policies that work.”
– Barack Obama
Unfortunately time marches on, and the generation that
decided to be young forever is enrolled in Medicare, Social Security, and
receiving pensions and IRA payouts. And since life expectancy has increased
over 10 years since boomers were born, it doesn't seem like they’ll just fade
off into the sunset anytime soon. And that means savings, pensions and
institutions they depend on need to be there longer than they did in the past,
and that is the problem each one is worried most about.
The generation that was once divided socially and
politically moved to the center last election after seeing their savings, IRAs
and CDs go belly up in eight years. And it paid off. For three years, they
experienced the greatest economy since they were born. But their worst fear
came out of nowhere when COVID-19 derailed the Trump Express. And that is just
what the socialist left had longed for. They’ve mixed mythical fiction with
medical fact to destroy Trump and the economy, and stole the boomers future
away from them.
“Facts are not liberals' strong suit. Rhetoric is.”
– Thomas Sowell
The bible says, “Beware of false prophets.” While COVID
dealt a blow to our economy, the left used it to wreck the nation. They shut
down their states and won’t reopen them; yet Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams
set forth a plan for a return to normalcy. Liberal state governors plan to keep
this up until Election Day, which is fatal for boomers. They’re eking out an
existence on sub zero bank rates, empty portfolios, bankrupt pensions, while
dealing with rationed socialized health care.
To further bury the hatchet, liberal politicians support
violent protests by groups like Antifa, who instigate riots and looting at
protests for U.S. socialists. Boomers now fear shopping or going to medical
appointments if they think they will be injured or worse. The left’s allies in
the media are creating chaos and fear by reporting daily how unsafe Trump and
white supremacists have made America. That has led to the continual
anti-American violence, rioting and looting by BLM and Antifa.
Sociologist Todd Gitlin said, “the protest movements of
the 60s triggered changes in our attitudes on everything from sex to trust in
authority.” And boomers were driven by social ethics, not politics. Their vices
were sex, drugs, and rock and roll, not looting, maiming and killing people.
When media forgivingly compares today’s thugs who are allied with the socialist
left to the 60s boomer societal protests, that’s a false narrative! Boomers
were non-violent. They believed in making love, not war.
The 2020 general election will be the last Election Day
many boomers will see. It will be their last chance to save the nation for a
generation that can’t do it for themselves. Millennials need adult supervision
to survive in the free world, where capitalism is king and liberal socialism is
the enemy. Boomers are aware life is not a dress rehearsal, and they’ll not get
another chance to appear on the national stage. This is their last curtain
call. America has been too good to them to fail her now.
Boomers elected Trump because the left promised them cake
and gave them crumbs. They chose capitalism over socialism. Will they unite one
last time for future generations?
“When America is united, it is unstoppable! I promise!
The American people will always come first!”
– Donald Trump
Contributing
Columnist William Haupt III is a retired professional journalist, author, and
citizen legislator in California for over 40 years. He got his start working to
approve California Proposition 13.
