’08 Elections And A Plee To The Baby Boomers

I know it is early, there is no reason to get our panties all bunched up. However, the sentiment is one that has occurred to me over the past 6 years or so. The two winners at the New Hampshire primary gleaned their votes predominantly from people over 45. If the trend continues it seems that people under 30, often, who stand by and watch, are coming out in droves.

The boomers still represent the largest sector of the voting constituency. They also seem to be the ones most influenced by cheap marketing gimmicks like catch phrases and crying for the camera. “Experience” equals “I have been in the pockets of Washington lobbyists for a longer period of time.” “Change” from their mouth equals “back to the way it was last time”.

Since before the boomers reached voting age, we have had a major conflict every 20 years. In between conflicts have been periods of economic disparity. The boomers claim to fame, champion of the political arena was Bill Clinton. While Washington in the 90's was claiming the policies were the reason for the United States economic boom, those of us who were under 30 were actually making it happen in spite of the huge strains on the system. The economic sucess of the 90's should be credited to the Bill Gates, Andy Bechtolsheim, Vinod Khosla and Scott McNealy, plus Bill Joy, and the Tim Berners-Lee's. Not to mention the IEEE, ASCII, and all of silicone valley made making money in the 90's easier then hunting deer in a Kentucky state park. For god's sake, we made a publicly traded company that sold dog food!! Bills few attempts at influencing the economy were misguided at best. Think NAFTA here.

I do have good things to say about Bill Clinton, but not here. Here is where I tell you to forget the nostalgia, it was puff. That last 8 year have really put us in a pickle and we need the best and sharpest minds thinking outside the box.

Then there is McCain. Pretty much McCain voters are represented by the last remaining sector of the population that still believe Saddam had WMD, Iraq was required, you can have a war against and emotion such as "terror", and trouncing around the middle east killing and even occasionally raping and murdering, is the best way to stop a group of people that make up about 1% of a population from taking cheap sucker punches at us. This is all done while encouraging gaping holes in our border and looking the other way as millions of people come crawling into our country with out question. You also have to hold the belief that the only thing that makes you American is that location of soil in which you were born on. Protecting the freedom of speech, liberty, movement, and religion are only afterthoughts. American can be enslaved by the environment, finances, education, and disparity, but as long as they have land to stand on they are still Americans. This is pretty much what you would have to believe to be a McCain Supporter.

Hillary at 61 and McCain at 72 are way to old to get a grasp on what is going on out there in the cultural world. Those of us who have grown up with the internet as a constant no longer view countries, race, and governments the same way. It is a positive effect of a virtual world that has none of those. We now live in a word where one of your best friends could be a half a world away, not speak your language, and lives under a completely different governmental and belief structure. It doesn’t matter because we both like the same rock band, sport, or school subject.

So I guess what I am saying to the "Baby Boomers" is that you have had your time. Normally we are not at such dire straights. Your generation has brought us to this point. You have raised us sensible enough to take care of your needs. We understand that you need more social security benefits, bigger signs, and better health care. So do we. We also know that you don't get computers and that signing up for programs, voting, and traveling via the computer is something you will never completely grasp. Right now we need you to sit down, shut up, and trust us. That means we don't need your old hags with Washington "experience" and "change" back to the same again.

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