Thanks to the Greatest Generation

Thanks to the Greatest Generation. Take a moment to thank them now as their numbers dwindle faster each day. Thru their sacrifice during the dust bowl years, the great depression, and World War Two they cultivated values which would lead them into an adventure that would create the most powerful country in the world. Through their thoughtful prayer, conservative budgeting, hard work ethics and a propensity to save they have passed on to my generation, the Baby Boomers, the greatest country our world has ever experienced. The Greatest Generation did not apologize for being the strongest, most productive, most economically successful country in the world. They realized it was through hard work that our country was able to rid the world of evil, feed the world’s poor and economically support the world. I believe they actually took pride in their accomplishments achieved by their mass personal effort.

The Greatest Generation desired a legacy to pass on to their country and their offspring, my generation the Baby Boomers. We took it and we enjoyed the fruits of their sacrifice and labor. It is no accident that I remember and recognize the growth of our country as I grew up inheriting and benefiting from their sacrifice. The feelings of patriotism through our Country’s new position in the world order, the feelings of enjoying the mass economical growth we achieved during their reign and certainly we have all seen the effects, good and bad, of our stable diet. Generally speaking we have nothing to complain about. We became “fat and happy”.

What did my generation learn from the Greatest Generation? I am sorry to report not much. Because we cheerfully accepted their gift we did not learn that conserving, sacrificing and sometimes just doing with out does have merit. We now apologize for our world order while not recognizing all the good we still do for the world’s countries. We have the desire to get everything cheaper even if it means farming our good paying manufacturing jobs out to other countries so we can realize the benefit of their cheap labor and their hard work. We have spent every thing the Greatest Generation gave us. So much so that we can not pass on the Greatest Generation’s legacy to our children. But wait we are not done yet. We still have wants but are not willing to sacrifice by doing with out. The desire is so much so that we want to, and are even willing to, extend our elaborate life style into our children’s inheritance. We want them to pay for our health care, our country’s debt, all without having the benefit of living in a country considered to be the strongest, greatest country in the world.

We have elected leaders of our community and country that are willing to take us down this road seeking a more equal position in world order, apologizing for all the “evil” we did by hard work, willing to enact legislation that allows other countries to compete at our disadvantage, all at the expense of the next generation.

I wonder what we the Baby Boomers are teaching them.