Hello all you Boomers

[OKNancy]

I'll start. As a Boomer, what are your biggest concerns politically?

I am 55 years old. My biggest concern right now is what will happen to Social Security. Another concern is, as a self-employed person, I find as I age, I can't afford private health insurance payments.
( Husband in construction...he doesn't have it through work either)

[Longhorn]

1. We have a lot in common, Nancy,

(except for those pesky avatars! ;)) My husband is a residential remodeling contractor. If you haven't already, come visit the Small Business and Entreprenuers Group. I started a thread there about health insurance premiums when you're self-employed. And at this age, this would be the worst time to go without health insurance as our likelihood of encountering health problems increases.

Of even more concern to us is the fact that our son is a Marine. He's a computer administrator and he's stationed in Japan for now so he is not at as much risk as others in Iraq but with the way this administration has handled relations with North Korea, I can't help but worry when Kim threatens to attack U.S. military bases in Japan and says he'll make Japan into a "sea of fire."

Then there's the economy. This last year was one of the worst for my husband's business in many years. He does high-end remodeling but even his wealthy customers put off remodeling projects last year as they lost money in the stock market. Besides our son, we have three daughters in their early 20s and I worry about their job prospects as they get started on their lives.

[OKNancy]

2. Yes, a lot in common

My husband paints high-end homes. Do you find that your husband is a bit of a snob? Mine lives in these fancy homes 9 hours a day and gets a little forlorn in our nice little three bedroom ranch.
I own a dance school ( ballet ) I have a lot of students, but now I can't tech as many classes as I used to, so my income is not what it was in the past. Also, I have trained my competition!

I have one still in college. My other daughter is on her own, but still asks for money, as she has a hard time making it as well.

[Longhorn]

3. Yes, we went years without decent furniture

because he wouldn't let me buy something that he could build! Then when we did go get some bedroom furniture, I had a budget in mind of about $2000 but he decided that all of that stuff was crap. We ended up spending $6000 so that we could get the quality that he desired. It is beautiful and will last us forever but I wish he'd let me go with the cheap stuff "temporarily."

He just skimmed the walls on his shop and he said they are perfect. I said, "Better than the walls in our house, I'll bet" and he said, "No comparison!" So why can't I have nice walls in my house? Because he doesn't have time to do anything in the house while he's doing it for everyone else! But believe me, I'm used to it.

[RedEarth]

4. Nancy, you sure are old

lol....but I'm older...56. Yep, two "old" OU alums. At times it seems like yesterday, walking down the south oval, sleeping in the library, going to the sooner superette, cheering for Owens and Mildren, my gosh, time flies.

Perhaps, you have already checked it out, but Blue Cross/Blue Shield offer a group plan through banks. It's not cheap, but none of them are. Health care is one of the primary reasons I wanted Kerry elected...at least he had a plan to help out the self employed and also cut premiums. Something has to be done, since increases of 8, 10, 12% per year can't continue. However, with Bush in office it's unlikely anything will happen on health care.

I would guess we will find out quite a bit about SS over the next two years. I wouldn't be surprised if the retirement age will be increased(I think it's 67 for folks our age) or benefits cut...or both. I would also think it would be safe to say, Medicare will not provide as much for our age group as current retirees....too many of us retiring and it's unlikely health care costs will be contained. I wish I could be more optimistic about SS and Medicare, but, frankly based upon what I've read it doesn't look real promising.

[OKNancy]

10. Sooner Superette

OMG I had forgotten about that. I'm a Norman native, so I went there long before I was a student. I think there was a bootlegger there at one time in the fifties. My Dad used to go there and come back with the forbidden juice.
Norman has really changed. It was always a hotbed of liberalism...now even Cleveland County went pink. Damn immigrants
( OKC white-flight)

[DURHAM D]

5. Biggest concern - medical insurance. I own a small

company, I am 59 (will be 60 at midnight tonight), don't have a husband or children, currently pay over $500 a month for my medical insurance, have never filed a medical claim in my life and can't retire because I can't afford to both retire and keep medical insurance. Had so many hopes for a new plan under Kerry.

Also, an O.U. graduate. Did you say you have a daughter here in North Carolina?

About social security - both of my parents are still alive and drawing social security. My mother worked for exactly 16 quarters so she could draw social security. Actually, she worked for my Dad so she didn't really work - just wanted to qualify for benefits. Very smart move on their part. She has been drawing for 18 years. My Dad has been drawing social security for almost 25 years and he is aware that after the first 2 -3 years they were both receiving money that they didn't put there. At least they are aware that all those middle-class entitlements that were put in place as a way of thanking them for winning World War II are not really warranted and the kids and grandkids are paying for it. I have never thought I would get social security benefits - my parents have it all.

[OKNancy]

6. Yes a daughter in Durham

( LOL - I am sure Longhorn is surprised by all the OU people here)

She moved to Durham from Oklahoma about three years ago after a divorce ( she is 32). She got a great job at Dive Alert Network
( out of Duke)
She called the other day moaning about not knowing where there was a place to watch OU football. Her boyfriend is not too sport minded although she is working on him.

[Longhorn]

8. Yes, I am definitely feeling outnumbered!

But that's okay. I think we can all get along even if some of us have red blood and some of us have burnt orange blood! :D

[MuseRider]

7. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Just checking the new group out, don't have time to post much this morning but wanted to wish you a great birthday! How is 60 possible? I turn 51 in a few weeks, it just goes by so quickly. Have a great day.

[Longhorn]

9. Happy Birthday!

I hope you celebrate in style! Sixty isn't what it used to be, is it? I'm always surprised to find out that people who I thought were in their fifties and even late forties are in their sixties. They just don't act "old" like my grandparents did at that age. Our generation has sort of refused to grow up all along and now is no exception!

[DURHAM D]

11. Thank you for the b-day wishes. You are right - sixty isn't so old.

Although I don't have any children I have a whole bunch of kids in my life. They are giving me a party tonight at a local club. They range in age from 21 to 29. When I was their age I didn't have any older friends. Remember, we didn't trust anyone over 30. But, these kids are not ageists and they don't even give it a thought.

The most common aspect among the kids is that they all seem to need an adult in their life that they can respect. Most of these kids's parents are divorced, others have parents that are still together and have high-powered careers and in both situations instead of parenting them its seems they just became friends with them. They all love their parents but don't seek their advice or trust their judgment. But, the true is that I learn so much more from them then they get from me. Their life experiences are so profoundly different from mine and I am fortunate to have a glimpse into that generation.

However, I admit that I do screen for three things in them (1) They must have a generous heart (2) They must have what I consider to be legitimate conundrums and (3) They have to be political and active. They were (are) all so heart-broken about the election. It was, for most of them, their first time for being so involved and thus so let down. Cheers.

[Nite Owl]

14. Hope you had a happy birthday! n/t

[SoCalDem]

15. Happy Birthday to Yuooooooooooo

[Sugarbleus]

22. LOL...omg, your graphics/pix are too funny.........

You're the bomb SCD! :hi:

[NMDemDist2]

12. health care and the environment are my two main ones

i am past the age of reproductive health issues, but encourage young women to stay involved

in 2000 we had close to 100K in our 401K

now we have $2500

some we lost in the market conditions, the rest we used to start a business when we lost our jobs to outsourcing.

we hit a few rough spots (what new business doesn't?) and I just "laid off" my husband and canceled his health insurance policy that cost us over $500 a month that we never used. But I'm turning 50 this spring and working way too hard, so I am understandably concerned being uninsured.

We have no children, but I still have a great love for this planet and it breaks my heart to see how we are destroying it....

I'll add this group to my favorites, since I am definitely in this demographic

[Nite Owl]

13. Just found this group

How nice this is to be here with all of you other 'boomers'. I'm 57 and have two sons 19 and 22. Draft age. I'm worried about me but most of all I worry what kind of legacy there will be for the kids. What kind of future do they face in a country that is moving away from democracy? If there is a draft I will do my best to get them out of the country and someplace safe. If I have to go with them I will. It's suddenly the 60's all over again and we once again need to put on those marching shoes.

[MuseRider]

17. Hi Nite Owl.

My sons are 18 (19 the end of December) and 20 (21 in February) and the draft is my biggest fear right now. I NEVER thought this would happen. With the first selection I got worried and it did not take long for that worry to become more than just a small, occasional thing.

[Kahuna]

16. I'm a boomer. I'm 50! 5-0! And I love to kick!

:D

[sandnsea]

18. I'm 47

Always getting economically licked by that mass of boomers before me. *sigh*

Biggest concern, corporatism. It's the core behind every other problem we face.

[Catchawave]

19. I'm a Boomer Queen!

Just turned 58 (Oct 1946!), so that makes me a senior boomer? Love Eminem and hate the AARP. Was begat by two WW2 marines, and married a marine before my dependent i.d. expired in '69.

Love of my life, my hubby of 36 years, I met putting a daisy in his rifle in '68. 3 grown children, one of each, a Federal Air Marshall, a special needs thirtysomething "handi-man" and my girlie, an anarchist, living in the NYC "Village"...oy. I enjoy them all very much, my life is full.

Happy to be HERE! I think our little-BiG generation has the most to lose, and the less to lose, depending on how we interpret BushCo that is.

Whatever happened to the Gray Panthers? I used to think that was "kewl" as a kid? Terrorist Grannies, that's what I want to be!

Hope I didn't offend anyone, <snork>.

[MuseRider]

20. Gray Panthers?

Somehow I don't remember that but it sounds wonderful to me! I am 50, 51 in a few weeks with two sons draft age. Gray Panthers sounds like a great idea.

[Sugarbleus]

23. I remember Gray Panthers...LOL-->"Terrorist Grannies"

Don't know what became of them...they were tough on issues surrounding the aging in America.

I'm 56 (in Jan.). My concerns are for all the aging poor. The poor in general, healthcare, HOUSING!!!, Social security along w/disability awards...... Not sure, but I thought I understood that if SS was cut/"reformed"..this would also affect disability payments to the needy et al. NOT GOOD

[ruthg]

27. I think it is time for a Grey Panther revival!

;-)

[latebloomer]

21. I'm 52

but got started late with marriage and family-- have a son turning 13 tomorrow (!) and a daughter aged 10.

I have many concerns for their future-- the draft is looming large now, along with endless war, the environment, civil liberties, job prospects (being a chronic worrier and a political Internet junkie can be a bad combination!!)

[SW FL Dem]

26. Another Boomer living with a teenager here!

I share your concerns. My son is 13 and I worry about his future. THe possibility of a draft scares the living daylights out of me. I wonder if he will be able to find a job or buy a home when he is an adult.

[FrenchieCat]

24. Hello to all Boomers!

Was born in '58 and married to a guy born in '48. Have two kids...17 year old high school Senior and 14 year high school Freshman.

We too are self employed. I am a financial and tax accountant and loan processor. My husband is a real estate loan agent, an attorney, a notary public, an insurance broker, an accountant and a church Deacon. He's older and has the most energy.

One of our main concerns is health care as well. We pay over $700 per month just on health and dental insurance. Education is also important. I note that the Pell grants are being reduced. That worries me, as both of my daughters will be going to college. My oldest just did early admission application to Stanford...which will cost an easy 35 grand a year. She's gifted and we don't want to deny her....but we do not have a clue how we will manage that one....but we will, I guess. We are used to paying by the nose for schools anyway...as both of our kids have always attended pricey private schools....I just don't have a lot of shoes in my closet.

I do worry about retirement sometimes. However, We do have a lot of equity in our house...and property in the California Bay Area....appreciates pretty quickly, so my worries are probably not totally founded--unless we have to take out some of that equity to pay for those college tuitions, which is a real possibility.

Guess we can always move to Las Vegas where we could buy twice as much house for 1/2 the price...and retire on the rest....so at least there is a plan "B".

But I worry more about everyone's children as opposed to my own. I think that my kids will be just fine...cause education is something that can't be taken away.

But most of all I worry for the collective future of this nation. I just don't know how much we will have to suffer before things get better.

[Longhorn]

25. Welcome, Frenchie!

We're glad to have you!

Sounds like you're in the same squeeze as a lot of us -- planning for retirement on one end and paying for college on the other.

We also sent our son to private school for the last two years of high school. We had come into some money and thought it was necessary at the time. He's the youngest of four and we were unimpressed with the teachers he would be having at the high school. I had taught there so I knew them better than I normally would. Also, he was a smart kid who did minimal work. We thought if he was in an environment where everyone was smart, he'd be inspired to work to his potential. Looking back, it's hard to know if we wasted the $25,000 it cost to send him those two years. He certainly didn't take full advantage of the school but who knows what kind of trouble he would have gotten into at the public school.

By the way, I have nothing against public school. Our three daughters all graduated from this school and did fine -- one even entered the University of Texas with a full year of AP credit and graduated in three years with honors. The problem was our son's attitude and the particular group of teachers he was going to have. After a lousy semester in college, he enlisted in the Marines and is now a computer network administrator stationed in Japan -- and at 20, beginning to realize that he could have done some of this growing up on his own without making a four-year commitment to the Marines. Some lessons are costly, aren't they? At least he's safe for now.

[ramapo]

28. Hi all...

I'm be 50 in April. With a daughter 21 and son 17, I'm beginning to feel grown up. Amazing to see your kids at a point that you thought was not all that long ago.

There's certainly plenty to worry about, health insurance being number one. Our insurance depends on the continued viability of a small computer consulting company. Things have picked up a bit but the bottom could fall out at any point. Our family group policy is about $14k/year. Similiar coverage isn;t even available under individual family plan and what we could get is more than 2x the cost.

My daughter is finishing college next week and would lose eligibility for dependant coverage. Individual coverage for her would be $400/month. Our solution is she's enrolling full-time at the local community college which will allow her to stay on our policy. She'll still be able to work 30-40/hrs a week to save money for grad school. She really wants to work in Europe for a year or so. Anyway paying tuition is cheaper than paying insurance premiums!

On another subject, I'm not very happy with the way our generation turned out. Despite the problems and traumas of the '60s and '70s, I always felt there was hope and that our country would progress, solving problems as the years passed.

It is so disappointing to look back at a 25-year regression, much of it due to our generation and those younger.

I feel that we've really stuck our kids with a huge mess.

[naryaquid]

29. ...Health care is a big concern in this country...I'm lucky in the sense

that my "significant other" works for a Canadian-based company in the States and they recognize domestic partnership and thereby allow me to be on his health insurance...I'd probably be dead by now without it!...kidding, no "serious medical issues" just lots of them...all started after age 40...as they say "everything falls apart after 40"...was very true for me.

[Baja Margie]

30. If you need any prescription meds

let me know, we can compare the prices that Canada offers to what is available down here.

[Liberty Belle]

31. Ditto, plus soaring college costs.

[Pallas180]

32. Report tday - 1/2 all bankruptcies due to medical bills - think about that

:shrug:

[Pallas180]

33. Social Security - Jay Rockefeller on Dobbs saying that if the moron

would pull back 1/3 of the tax cuts he gave to the wealthiest, social security would be fine until 2075.

[mandyky]

34. I'm 49 - born June 1955

My issues revolve around the wholesale return to poverty, including the SS changes that are being considered.

Other issues that concern me is the separation of church and state and the environment.

[Sugarbleus]

35. I'm 57 AND I'm raising my teenage grandson....

I worry about the draft/wars that he might get called upon to serve in--though I'd try like crazy to never let that happen.

I worry about healthcare for us and for all sorts of people who are struggling to pay or have no health insurance. I worry about the quality of care for the lower income aging population.

I worry about HOUSING for me and for my children and grandchildren--will the skyrocketing prices ever top out? Will there be jobs even for college educated folks in the years to come? What will the country be like for my loved ones as they grow up and age? The world is changing way too fast...most of it not in a positive direction.

Certainly, there's no gold as I look forward to "those years". It amazes me in that I never would have believed life would become so utterly difficult by the year 2005. I imagined we would have passed into another enlightened, progressive era by now.

Another of our dear friends passed away today. He died from complications of MS and throat cancer. :cry:

[seventythree]

36. My worry is the economy

I fear an economic crash which could wipe out all of our savings. As self employed boomers who had to plan for our own retirement (no employer/government pension), and a crash would make retirement impossible. Unfortunately, you can't just stuff $$ in the mattress --it needs to earn. We have been very careful in the planning of how much to save, earning what interest (appreciation) over what period, to take us to our 90's. The cost of health insurance makes it difficult to retire before Medicare kicks in, unlike our parents who could retire early with a company pension plan and full medical benefits. It's going to be even tougher for the next generation, I fear. Someone here said, our parent's made out (not mine, they died at 65)as thanks for WWII -- I guess we'll still get something as thanks for Nam -- the non-draft generation maybe will have to pay their dues in another way.