Listening to oldsters complain about everyone under 30 as "entitled" is getting old. Who caused the current Great Recession/Depression 2.0? Oldsters. Who got the big bailouts? The grey beards. Who sucks up nearly 50% of the federal budget through entitlement programs? It ain't the under-30 set.
If "kids" are unmotivated, who can blame them? While not part of the Gen Y, I certainly relate more to the young than to the old.
How can anyone look at what the Baby Boomers banksters and politicians have done to the economy and not become demoralized? The average age of a United States Senator is 62. Look at how those old men behave. I saw more maturity at last week's kegger.
How can a young person remain motivated when she sees Social Security taxes taken from his paycheck - knowing g-damned well that she'll never have that money given back to her?
Meanwhile, old people remain at the top of the Ponzi Scheme due to unions and age-discrimination laws. Companies are unable to get rid of unproductive employees because - under union contracts negotiated by the oldsters - seniority trumps competency and efficiency. Companies that want to rid themselves of older workers have to conduct expensive statistical analyses to protect themselves from disparate impact lawsuits. Simply firing too many old people - even if for a good reason - is enough to justify a lawsuit. Thus, the guy who hasn't had a fresh idea in 10 years remains among the highest paid.
In academia, old people have lifetime tenure - and they're not going anywhere. Old academics who earn $150,000 or more rarely teach or write. Instead, they outsource all of that work to - young - graduate students - who earn $8/hr.
The Entitlement Generation is you.
