Tom Brokaw and The Boomer Report

On Thursday night, Tom Brokaw did a report called BOOMERS on CNBC. It was of great interest to me because I was born in 1957---which means I am a part of the baby boomer generation.

Part of Brokaw's report was done at the University of Michigan. I'm not sure why. If I had been doing that report I would've gone back to Kent State University because that is where four young people (who would be baby boomers today)were gunned down by the police while protesting agains the Vietnam War. But that's just me.

Much attention is being paid to baby boomers these days as the first wave of us moves towards retirement and social security. Brokaw attempted to give us a 50 year look at the boomers in a two-hour period.

Yes, we were the first generation to grow up with television; many of us lived through the civil rights era and the Vietnam War. But the “real” image of a baby boomer is what I question. Brokaw failed to show the true diversity of us as a group. We are not all white kids who grew up in the suburbs watching the Mickey Mouse Club. He referred to us as the most diverse generation but the fact of the matter is some of us actually grew up in a separate and unequal society and according to a Duke University study, diversity has not led to equality. Brokaw didn't talk about that. Instead, he showed us how one black man in America was living a life he never dreamed of. The fact of the matter is many blacks in the boomer generation are no better off relative to whites than their parents and grandparents. Many older southern baby boomers can still tell you stories about the Jim Crow laws and the impact it had on their lives.

We have also been called the wealthiest generation but despite what some would have you believe, we are not all living in the land of milk and honey. Some of us may have plenty of disposable income but, according to the Duke Study, quite a few of us are struggling financially.

One thing I will agree with in the report is a comment made by author J. Walker Smith. He said baby boomers became more focused on self and a promise of economic prosperity as they grew up. They became more focused on "things", and tried to live beyond their means. Greed and ego were also the order of our generation.

Maybe that explains some of the financial mess we're in. You think?

Baby Boomers and Health Care Reform

A lot has been said about health care reform but I think the biggest statement came this week when it was announced by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that more than $55 billion dollars was spent on baby boomer health care in 2007.

Another interesting finding in this report is the fact that nearly one-third (29.0 percent) of hospital stays for baby boomers were elective. Procedures that were more likely to be elective, such as knee replacement, back surgery, spinal fusion and hip replacement, had the highest rates among privately insured patients aged 55-64.

What wasn't addressed in this report, and what I believe is a key factor, are the number of needless elective surgeries baby boomers undergo like: liposuction, breast implants, facelifts, etc.

There is no doubt in my mind that we need health care reform and I am personally sick of the media giving credence to these "staged" town hall meetings where people are complaining about government interference. Sadly, some people are being "spoon fed" a bill of goods and are getting all riled up without really knowing or understanding all of the facts. If you trust the word of a Glenn Beck, then I know you're clueless because he's not even a bonafide journalist. DO YOUR HOMEWORK!

If you want to get riled up about something, get mad at the government for not cracking down on the cheaters in the insurance industry. Get mad because the pharmaceutical companies are causing your medication to be triple the cost. Get angry about the number of needless and ridiculous referrals some doctors make on behalf their patients--and then turn around a bill medicare some outrageous fee. If I have a back problem, why send me to a neurologist?

Get mad at your government because you can no longer wait for them to clean up the waste and fraud.

Or is this really a black man being President???

How to Keep Your Job in Corporate America

Earlier this year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported nearly 1.85 million people age 55 and older were out of work, and the jobless rate for that group rose to 6.4 percent.

Why? Because Employers would rather pay less to younger workers eager to get a foot in the door than to pay top dollar for experience.

If you're a baby boomer still employed in Corporate America, here are some simple Employer guidelines to follow to keep your job:

1. Never say you can't do a job because they'll make you do it anyway and add more to it to force you out.

2. Never say it's easy because they'll just make it harder and force you out.

3. Never complain because they never listen (but they will take good notes about the complaints you made and bring it back in your face at review time).

4. Never look like you enjoy it because they'll put a stop to it an create a more challenging task to force you out.

5. Never say "take this job and shove it" because they will!

Like Daughter Like Mother

Baby Boomers have been known for setting trends but the one I'm about to share with you is utterly ridiculous!

It appears a 50-year-old woman decided it was time for a change---a change in appearance that is---and she spent $15,000 to do it. Why? Janet Cunliffe says its because she wanted to look like her daughter, Janet. In an interview on Good Morning America, she said seeing how attractive her 28-year-old daughter was made her want to get her own youthful looks back.

First this baby boomer mum had breast implants, then lost 30 pounds. The final act was the cosmetic surgery to smooth out the wrinkles on her face. She now brags about the fact that she and her daughter look more like twins than mother and daughter.

What is disturbing about this story is that Plastic Surgeons are reporting more and more procedures like this. Older women looking to recapture their youth with a knife.

My daughter is a beautiful young woman and one I am very proud of, HOWEVER, I know where she got her looks from and I'm just fine with aging gracefully.

What do you think? Is there something wrong with wanting to have a more youthful look to build your self-esteem?

Baby Boomers are Flocking to Raleigh, North Carolina

I guess I don't have to pack up my bags and find a place to retire because, according to the latest research, I'm right where I need to be. That's right. I'm a baby boomer living in the Raleigh, NC area and according to research by the Urban Institute, this is the area predicted to have the greatest boom in baby boomer seniors.

The UI report says the senior population is poised to grow by 36 percent from 2010 to 2020. Another interesting note is the fact that the black population continues its move toward large Southern metro areas like Atlanta, Houston, and Washington, D.C., and Hispanic populations are growing most rapidly in the Southeast.

So what makes the Raleigh area so attractive for boomers? I don't really know but you can see for yourself: Raleigh

I can tell you what I don't like about the area. Many of the communities have no sidewalks and the educational system for K-12 needs serious improvement. I dread the thought of sending my grandson to public school here. The neighborhoods also lacks true diversity---but I think that's an issue everywhere.

Areas That Will Experience Senior Growth Due to the Aging of Baby Boomers

1. Raleigh-Cary,
2. Austin-Round Rock, Texas
3. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Ga.
4. Boise City-Nampa, Idaho
5. Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev.
6. Orlando-Kissimmee, Fla.
7. Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas
8. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas
9. Colorado Springs, Colo.
10. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas
11. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz.
12. Charleston-North Charleston, S.C.