I just finished checking
the calendar and it is true, we have made it already to the first
Wednesday of the new year on this
January 5, 2011. Hello and
welcome. You may not have known that I am a part of an elite group who will,
beginning this year, start to wreak havoc on all the systems and services of the
United States government. That's right. It's not the British this time who are
coming, it is the boomers, as the leading edge of those of us born after WW2
begin to turn 65. That would be 1946 through 1964 to be precise and they tell us
that myself and my brothers and sisters will be clogging up the systems at the
tune of 10,000 per day until all 70 million plus of us are officially in the
elderly care group. My coming of age party doesn't land until August but I am a
member of the first wave, therefore, be aware that I put you on notice because
the blooming boomers are coming to a clinic near you. Just joking but only in a
nervous sort of way. I watched a segment on the PBS News Hour this past Monday
evening about this avalanche about to be experienced and it does have the think
tanks working in overload mode trying to figure out how all this can be
accommodated without sinking the already weak economy. How did this happen? The
war ended. The warriors returned home and reconnected with their families and
that led to a population explosion which will dramatically alter the demographic
landscape especially when it comes to the age segments within our nation. If all
us boomers become a voting block, look out, we may have everyone in the congress
sporting gray or no hair! How funny is that?
This is not something that has
not been known about for many years. It is a subject that has been studied and
reported on with all kinds of predictions. However, we in this country have a
habit of waiting until the wave hits before we determine how to prepare
ourselves to receive it. The reason nothing much has been done is because there
are always winners and losers when decisions have to be made, and most
politicians lack the intestinal fortitude to act, especially when doing so makes
some folks angry. Making over 70 million people angry is not a good way to keep
your job. But, now that the actual wave is hitting beginning this past January
1st, suddenly everyone is running around like the proverbial chicken with their
head cut off trying to come up with a way of adjusting for this. This is why you
hear serious talk about raising the retirement age. Older Americans are already
working longer than their predecessors and that trend will likely continue. When
the older workers stay in the workforce that also has an impact on those
entering the job market. It's that old adage about how you push down in one
place but it comes up somewhere else. Bottom line: It's a messy situation. How
do you like that for simplicity and clarity? But, me talking about it will not
turn back my own personal clock, therefore, come May or June, I am supposed to
begin to begin knocking on the door marked Medicare. My wife's attitude is
somewhat negative. She more or less thinks that when you open that door there
won't be anything behind it, and the same for Social Security, etc., etc. Could
be but we must keep on keeping on and trust God to guide us with light from
above.
Amen.
Some of you no doubt hope that
my old people jokes will get better with age. It could be one like this: "Our
mother started walking everyday when she was 60 years old. She's now 97 and we
have no clue where she is." Or maybe you would agree with the fellow who said
that he dearly loved long walks, especially by people who annoy him. Here I am
on the cusp of being 65 years young and I just may be nearing that age when you
no longer resist talking about it, you actually begin bragging. Let's hope not.
You may not have seen this list of recommended hymns for older folks, therefore,
I wanted to share a few of them with you. 1) Precious Lord, Take My Hand, And
Help Me Up; 2) Just a Slower Walk with Thee; 3) Go Tell it on the Mountain, but
You will have to speak up; 4) Nobody Knows the Trouble I Have Seeing; 5) Count
Your Many Birthdays, Name Them One by One; and finally 6) Blessed Insurance.
They are jokes so don't be offended, okay? Meanwhile, consider yourself to be
forewarned because us boomers are headed your way and we will likely come to
stay for a good long while, Lord willing, of course! May God bless us all as we
deal with the life, young, old, or in-between, that He has given to us!
Amen. ......More later.
This is not something that has
not been known about for many years. It is a subject that has been studied and
reported on with all kinds of predictions. However, we in this country have a
habit of waiting until the wave hits before we determine how to prepare
ourselves to receive it. The reason nothing much has been done is because there
are always winners and losers when decisions have to be made, and most
politicians lack the intestinal fortitude to act, especially when doing so makes
some folks angry. Making over 70 million people angry is not a good way to keep
your job. But, now that the actual wave is hitting beginning this past January
1st, suddenly everyone is running around like the proverbial chicken with their
head cut off trying to come up with a way of adjusting for this. This is why you
hear serious talk about raising the retirement age. Older Americans are already
working longer than their predecessors and that trend will likely continue. When
the older workers stay in the workforce that also has an impact on those
entering the job market. It's that old adage about how you push down in one
place but it comes up somewhere else. Bottom line: It's a messy situation. How
do you like that for simplicity and clarity? But, me talking about it will not
turn back my own personal clock, therefore, come May or June, I am supposed to
begin to begin knocking on the door marked Medicare. My wife's attitude is
somewhat negative. She more or less thinks that when you open that door there
won't be anything behind it, and the same for Social Security, etc., etc. Could
be but we must keep on keeping on and trust God to guide us with light from
above. Amen. 
Some of you no doubt hope that
my old people jokes will get better with age. It could be one like this: "Our
mother started walking everyday when she was 60 years old. She's now 97 and we
have no clue where she is." Or maybe you would agree with the fellow who said
that he dearly loved long walks, especially by people who annoy him. Here I am
on the cusp of being 65 years young and I just may be nearing that age when you
no longer resist talking about it, you actually begin bragging. Let's hope not.
You may not have seen this list of recommended hymns for older folks, therefore,
I wanted to share a few of them with you. 1) Precious Lord, Take My Hand, And
Help Me Up; 2) Just a Slower Walk with Thee; 3) Go Tell it on the Mountain, but
You will have to speak up; 4) Nobody Knows the Trouble I Have Seeing; 5) Count
Your Many Birthdays, Name Them One by One; and finally 6) Blessed Insurance.
They are jokes so don't be offended, okay? Meanwhile, consider yourself to be
forewarned because us boomers are headed your way and we will likely come to
stay for a good long while, Lord willing, of course! May God bless us all as we
deal with the life, young, old, or in-between, that He has given to us!
Amen. ......More later. 
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