I'm a boomer ... I certainly don't share life experience (well at least many decades separate us), nevertheless, I think I get you. I'm probably voting Bernie next Tuesday in Michigan. Have not completely solidified but the more people here ridicule him and his voters the more I am inclined towards him.

I'm a progressive and I'm tired of being pushed around by the mainstream. Maybe it is time for them to listen rather than talk.

I personally have never ridiculed any Biden supporter here.

"Get over it" is indeed, the absolute opposite of petulant ridicule, and akin the the weighty gravity of an elder statesman.

The most bullying I've ever experienced ANYWHERE in my 70 years has been by the Biden supporters on Democratic Underground. They jump in with really mean talking points on every thread where anyone says anything good about Bernie Sanders. They really really hate him!!! And they hate and bully anyone that says nice things about him!!!

I have yet to see anyone being that way toward Biden. Not anywhere.

It feels nice to know that there are others who can at least empathize with what I and my generation are going through! <3

I take offense at the suggestion that only Bernie cares about you. My issue has always been that slogans and empty promises do absolutely nothing to help people like you. Do you know what does? Passing legislation. But Bernie has repeatedly attacked the very same people he would need to pass any legislation. Then what? How does that help you and your situation?

But they expect him to be an effective President.

It astounds me that some people don't want to look at the facts, and instead believe pie in the sky promises.

But some people will believe what they want to believe.

What sense does that make.

Amendment King.

Toast

all his life, can so misread the nation and mislead his supporters into thinking that this country will elect a socialist—especially now when there is no economic downturn. It's just not going to happen. The naivete is stunning. Why do you think trump and the repugs keep pushing for Sanders? They know the country is not going to elect a socialist so they want him to be trump's opponent.

I do relate to your circumstances though (been there, done that. Every generation goes through it), but things will get better, opportunities will open up. Pls be prepared when they do.

fighting all this time to give those that need, all that they have been able to accomplish. White wash it all, while he did nothing for 3 decades. To sit there and throw out bogus free this and free that knowing well it will never happen. And raising the expectations of the kids to feel that it is a can do thing, throwing away the opportunity to actually accomplish it with a strong blue wave dem win.

And yes, we are BETTER than this.

Younger generation.

I definitely hear you and have a sense of how you’re feeling. Of course, it’s impossible for me to truly know your plight because I’m not living it. But I know that many, if not most, of my generation let you down. And, by dismissing and dissing Bernie, are continuing to do so.

I can understand voters’ reluctance to vote for Sanders. I think that Biden has a better chance of beating Trump. But, I’m not gonna run scared. Nor am I gonna think only of myself. If Warren withdraws, I will vote for Sanders in my primary. I don’t think it’s a slam dunk that he’ll lose, I think he could win. I wouldn’t vote for him if I felt he was certain to lose. But I think dramatic changes... real hope and real, fundamental change... are long overdue. For your generation, and mine as well.

Joe Biden might be the safer choice. But I believe he represents more of the same. I don’t mean more of Trump. I mean more of the same ole thing, which will do nothing to alleviate you of your need to work three jobs just to have the basics in life while Mitt Romney installs a car elevator in one of his many mansions. Something is extremely askew when those circumstances are allowed to continue unchecked. And they will continue unchecked under a Biden administration.

nearly 50 years ago. When I ended my service, unemployment rate was nearly 20% in the county I lived in, interest rates soon soared to 18%. I was married, had a 2 year daughter. Don't think for ONE blasted second that boomers didn't face their challenges.

They are clearly not aspirational, as evidenced by the OP.

Link to tweet

on Sanders choosing their candidates. Sanders just does not like that once again he is the outsider. Always the outsider and one more reason he would be a poor choice. The playing field is a little more fair without so many Democrats splitting the vote and Sanders and his supporters are crying foul. Poor white man needing special treatment, kind of like the whole bottom line of his 5 decades spiel.

What do we have today?

Besides, you need to consult your lexicon on the word aspire.

Per Merriam-Webster

to seek to attain or accomplish a particular goal

People that were about stopping getting things done. During that couple years progressives we elected got a lot of things done, but we pretend we do not remember or worse, we actually are not informed enough to know all we got done. We want progressive law? We vote the people in that will give it to us. If we do not do that, we do not get I do not care who you get in that top office.

which then cost us the Senate and the House...

So how is it that you all are going to get us the needed 61 Senators to pass M4A with President Sanders waiting to sign the bill?

And if we had such a majority, what would happen in the next election cycle when all of us have to pick up the tab for it. Or lets say you cancel the military... we don't need that, right? And Russia decides to take back the Baltic States, the Ukraine, Poland, Eastern Europe... what we will do then... our European allies will pick up the tab?

Think Putin doesn't want to do that? You haven't been paying attention.

Hard pass!

and people like the ACA... and if YOU would fight and elect progressive Dems to the House and Senate... then maybe we can extend and fix the ACA and offer a public option.

Buit if you think Sanders will get more socialists into the Senate right now or even keep the House... you are fooling yourselves.

Vote for whoever works for you. As a progressive, I voted for Hillary. How did that work out for us? How did we do in the senate and congressional races in 2016.

were elected. I don't think Bernie sponsored them.

Sanders endorsed two U.S. Senate candidate and both won election to the Senate.
Sanders endorsed 15 U.S. House candidates and five won election to the House.
Sanders endorsed eight gubernatorial candidate and two won election, with one race pending.
Sanders endorsed four lieutenant gubernatorial candidates and two won election.
Sanders endorsed two attorney general candidates, one won the election.
Sanders supported 26 ballot measures. Of those, 17 were approved and seven were defeated with two remaining pending.
Sanders opposed seven ballot measures. Of those, three were defeated while the remaining four were approved.

in our loses of. all democratic seats -over 1000 seats lost around the country while were congratulating ourselves on having regained the executive branch in 2008.The Democratic PArty in 2016 was a shadow of what it was in 2008.....and then came Putin.......

Unless someone can point me to their time-machine or crystal ball, I am going to have to cast aside any election prophecies.

All that needs to happen to appeal to Sanders voters is fairness. It's a concept that as Democrats we should embrace. There should not be the appearance of unfairness; that's all. Fortunately, if he is as unelectable as everyone says, there are no consequences to his full participation, except for more people participating. Fairness and participation are good things.

if Sanders wins the nomination. Memes are really effective.

Can you please provide the analysis that tells you that if Sanders wins the nomination we would loose the house and not win the Senate? But no "he said/she said" please, solid data is important, the rest are just people's opinions who are supporting another candidate. A lot of people say that trump will run circles around Biden, I bet you disagree with that opinion, right?

[link:https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/04/joe-biden-electable-trump-2020-election|

And about Medicate For All:

[link:https://www.democracynow.org/2020/2/19/lancet_report_medicare_for_all|

I graduated from college in 1980. There was 15% unemployment in my state. I had a temp job for 9 months, then did retail-- all I could get-- for awhile, then did substitute teaching for years. I got more targeted education, but I was already so far behind. I've never earned even $40K a year, which means my SS will be-- wait for it-- $1162 a month.

Life is difficult always for upwards of 70% of the population of any generation. We should keep that in mind when we start grousing.

When I got out of law school, my first job guaranteed me $400 a week after taxes. My rent and student loan payment was $1600. So I had no $ for everything else, and had to run up further debt and figure out how to survive month to month until I could make $.

Things weren’t rosey for our generation either.

I get why you are upset.

I don;t get why you think that dude is gonna be able to help you.

He's full of promises for sure, but short on how any of that will actually happen.

FWIW, my daughter is 17, and I am well aware of the world she is facing. It's scary.

1000000000000000000x improvement of where we are now.

A lot of things need to change, but to blow up everything isn't the answer.

Whether he can help or not is a good question. I’m very happy he is at least fighting for the things that can help me as I move forward in life. Thank you for the understanding.

Why don't you already know that not only have the Democrats been fighting for you, but they are the one getting the increase in minimum wage is so many areas of the country? Fighting for the pell grants to help kids go to college? Fighting the medical complex to get you insured?

Sanders is telling them, basically, the line, "I alone can fix it." Now where have we heard that before?

And like the MAGAts believe Orangeface, they believe Sanders.

Do their research, know what they were talking about because they were not going to get a pat on the head simply by parroting. I can remember when one was only like eight. We were very socially oriented in our house, always having conversations about what was happening in the world. Their whole lifetime. One of them came to me, parroting what I had said about something. I told the kid that she did not get to just use my words as argument, she had to do her research and know what she was talking about. Then come back and have the conversation.

That is probably why both of mine see thru Sanders.

We were expected to be informed, using more than one credible source. We were taught to question everything, respectfully. Good for you raising good citizens.

with absurd promises. And what I have to say is, I am old, need that insurance now, how dare you dismiss my life with this protest vote against the Democratic party. Talk about? Some of us need Biden or any Democrat to get in and again strengthen ACA for our lives, ensure the procedures are being paid for, make certain preexisting is covered. I got all the preemptive tests done and told what to watch for and when to get further preemptive tests. But now, it is considered preexisting and they are starting to not pay.

Some of us need more than just an, oh well.

Where we differ is in how to make things better; many of us are unwilling to trust our future, and that of our children and grandchildren, to a career politician who never held a normal job, has attacked both allies and foes equally for decades, has no record of substantive achievement, and has no basis for forming the type of coalition within the government to actually get anything done.

Your generation is the first in quite a while that will most likely do worse than your parents did. My parents grew up during the great depression and they passed on to me a life that was more comfortable than what they had to go through. Now it's the responsibility of we boomers to support forward looking policies that will at least give younger generations that same chance that we had.

<3

It's not a generational question. It is a where are you on the political spectrum question. I don't get singling out Boomers when most of my friends who are the biggest Sanders supporters actually are Boomers. I have friends who support all of the ones running except Gabbard.

I'm only 10 years older than you. I had to deal with the recession and had to find a job to help support my mom and I for a bit. I get that struggle. I didn't go to college because of the prices. I did however go into trade because of the huge demand for it. But you voted with you heart and I respect that. But let's be honestly. You're getting promised unicorns.

So I kinda, and I emphasize kinda get where you are coming from but I disagree. I struggled I’ve been there. Come from a middle class working family.

I took minimum wage jobs to get by. When I got serious about school, luckily in CA we have waivers for class fees at community college if you live under a certain income level, which I qualified for. I took all of my undergrad classes at a community college level for free and paid for my books by picking up extra shifts etc. When I transferred to a bigger college to complete my BSN, I took student loans cause that’s what I had to do to get my license to practice. It sucks and a sacrifice but that’s what I had to do.

Now I have a great paying job with great benefits that is very rewarding in all areas. My problem is with everything Bernie is proposing he, will ending up inadvertently hurting me, because it will require higher taxes on me and others like me, who worked their asses off to get to where we are. That’s not okay with me. I believe in a progressive tax code that heavily taxes the ultra rich and rich in general but based on his proposals middle class family’s like mine are going to feel the cost greater.

I faced massive hurdles and worked to overcome them with the help of my parents and some family. Some strangers gave me stuff that was beneficial to me, but that was far in-between. If you think someone is going to be a hero for you, you likely won't get very far toward where you want to be. Every generation has it's massive challenges, there is not a lot special about yours. You say climate change? Guess what, my generation dealt with really poison water and food, a killer disease in AIDS, and war.

I prefer voting for a person that has an actual track record of accomplishments, that is why I almost certainly will vote for Biden on March 17 in Florida. I have found from experiences that unproven promises only result in me getting set back.

didn't get my first US citizen coworker until I was 31 despite being born and raised in the USA. So I can see why many lower income and service industry workers are feeling the Bern and don't have much to lose because they don't have much. Where you are at 19 does not have to be where you stay. It can get much better for you later in life. Don't be discouraged.

Our party's nomination will be decided long before I can vote in the DC primary. But I can already see the trend by income on what sort of people are backing Biden vs Bernie.

I know you are hopeful with Sanders, I just don’t believe he can deliver on anything to help you.

When I was your age, I was working for a small California town as a sanitation engineer. I was a garbage man. I was making $3.25 an hour. I got married at 20. I, and Mrs Potato were poor kids, from poor families. No help at all from family or life.

We decided we wanted some good stuff and also a family to raise as our own. Pretty simple aspirations. The economy was crap at the end of Carter’s term. So, I did what millions of other young people did to move up. I joined the Military. I was a smart little poor boy, so I scored high on their tests and got a good skills. Immediately, our standard of living went up, manyfold.

We got medical care, we had children, we traveled all over the world. We had money, nice living conditions, and children. Our children cost about $20 each to have, due to good medical benefits. I worked my ass off and advanced in rank rapidly and 20 years flew by. College and higher education was absolutely affordable in the service.

I “retired” from the Army at 43 years old. I’m sure, nowadays, the military looks like a terrible job for many, but it was good to me. You get back what you put in. The military is the fairest job I ever had. Minorities and females have good, level playing fields to work and advance on.

Being well off means different things to different folks. It’s all just a big comparison to whatever your life’s experiences are. Good luck, and I know you will make it.

than an easy road today for so many.

Great story, and kudos to you for finding your path to success. But don't forget that the military is a socialized system - it's a government run program that provides good value for its participants because its goals are so highly valued by our government. The VA, the GI Bill, good pensions, etc. - these benefits are all government-supported and are admirable, but something similar should be available to everyone, non-veterans too. Unfortunately, our government has put its resources elsewhere and over-prioritized the military. If we led the world in spending on education or child care, say, rather than weapons, then many more millions of Americans could enjoy the fruits of their labor as you have been able to do. It's a good model, one that should be made available to many more people.

Biden has battled stuttering his whole life. That makes him sometimes have verbal gaffes. It has nothing to do with losing (not "loosing" ) his mental capabilities - he has had this propensity his entire life.

Verbal gaffes are meaningless nowadays, Trump has shown that. Biden will hire the right staff.



ps. Warren has at least as much momentum as Bloomberg does. Based on what you said you believe in, Warren should be your second choice.

...have an issue that this man (Bernie) had a heart attack not a few months ago. Before I will feel comfortable with a Sanders presidency, I will need to have FULL confidence in his VP pick. Yes, all the candidates are elderly. But only one has had a major coronary event in the last year, if I'm not mistaken.

I don't like the choices (or chances) we have, quite frankly.

#bluenomatterwho nonetheless...

He has had a heart attack, is well over 70 and won't release his medical records. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Sanders is really going to look his age at the end of the primary season.

No question Biden has lost a step. If he is the nominee then everything can look swell until a key debate moment against Trump in which Biden suddenly loses trend of thought and comes across as very old. That is almost likely to happen as opposed to merely a possibility. No question Bloomberg would have greater chance to beat Trump than Biden would. All the outrages here against Bloomberg the past two weeks would not impact November at all.

The greatest clarity here was a couple of weeks ago when we had threads calling for a Bloomberg/Klobuchar ticket. Now people in those threads would be embarrassed they called for such a thing. Meanwhile what has changed? Nothing has changed. But it's simply the difference between people who understand the big picture and people who frantically ingest every variable and think every one of them mandates an overreaction.

I understand your generation's passion for Sanders. An older woman I know switched from Obama to Trump while her granddaughter is gung ho for Bernie Sanders. The grandmother was baffled and asked me to explain it. I detailed all the long term concerns facing that generation, the ones you described so well. The grandmother kept nodding her head while saying, "Oh, I see. I see." It really doesn't occur to them unless spelled out.

We didn't have an ideal candidate. I wish your liberal vehicle could have been a younger charismatic male who is not a self-described socialist and actually a Democrat.

You have a right to vote for whoever you choose.

I do not support Bernie, not because I don't like his policies, but because I do not believe that Bernie is capable of delivering on any of it. In fact, I believe that with Bernie as the nominee, not only would we lose the Presidential race but we would lose congress as well. And if that happens, we are going to accelerate going in the exact opposite direction of where Bernie wants to take us.

Even the last couple of weeks, as the front-runner he had a significant opportunity to show he could build coalitions to get things done. Instead, he chose to repeatedly attack the democratic party-the party who's stand-bearer he would need to be as the nominee.

Politics is basically the art of compromise. No one is able to get everything, or even close to everything, that they want. You need to be able to build relationships and coalitions to get things done. Even AOC, who has been in politics for less than 3 years, shows signs of understanding that. Yet, Bernie with a 30-year congressional career does not understand how DC works. He thinks of himself as a revolutionary figure- but there cannot be a 1 man revolution at the ballot box. You need support from others to get it done.

This is basically why I can never support Bernie. If he turns out to be the nominee, I will vote for him but I cannot get enthusiastic about his candidacy.

I get you. I have three daughters in their 20's. They are out of college and saddled with college loans and I have s peice of their loans myself. I fear for the quality of life they will have. The jobs pay little well rents and the cist of living are high. Ive already had one tell me she doesn't plan on having children, "it isn't a financial possibility"

It’s very comforting to hear the support! I wish the best for you and your daughters! <3

down the road will look like for you. I do know what a decade or two down the road will look like for me.

You can afford a two year college to get prerequisites done and live at home and work. You can save money and finish up college. Many of us did that in our generations. We couldn't afford to go away to college and incur debt any more than today. In my time it was not even a consideration.

You have another 4 decades of health for the HC situation to get resolved. We who need it now are desperately finding ways to throw in fixes now.

I had a 25 yr old looking to buy a house, working the same minimum wage job as me. After a couple of day going thru the process of learning the ends and outs, what the market looks like he sits back and says, well it is harder for our generation to buy a house than yours. At minimum wage, NO ONE in our generation bought a house either. I told him to look up minimum wage of the 70's.

Single women never had it easy, nor POC. We all had hurtles thrown at us. Women had separate listings for jobs from men. Reflective of wage. Financial success was almost impossible.

My two kids are in their lower 20's. I well understand the circumstances of the situation with your generation as I am still paying it.

And I do understand why you voted for Sanders. Mine are going for a solid Democrat that will make the house and senate winnable so we can get a Democrat in and progressively move forward to make life better for all of us. Try to understand where we are coming from. Because I do not think there is a lot of that going on either.

Minimum wage is never ever enough to live on. It's just terrible.

Because they do not have a foot in the reality of it and I have to wonder, why not.

I was so pleased. Turned out the company had just gotten word that the minimum wage would be raised 25 cents the first of the year. This was Dec 15. The boss was trying to get credit for it!

It scares me to think that Trump will win another four years.

We were where you were years ago. It's hard. But I for one can't see how Sanders can govern without cooperating with others. We need to heal first. But don't give up on the process. It IS your future. Let's hope together all will be better. Good luck

I HATE this “Boomers don’t get it” stuff. We’re not fools. We’ve been poor kids and many are poor elders who are working to help our families to afford things this ridiculous trend toward ogliarchy and authoritarianism is doing to us all. We are literally vulnerable when it comes to life and death as we need more medical care. We can go bankrupt from health care costs.

But I’m telling you, Bernie’s policies are like leaping a too wide chasm rather than building a bridge. He cannot just will things into place. That establishment he rails against—all those boomers he’s a part of whether he likes it or not—holds power in the Senate and House and are the wells of experience to draw from as he would strive to fill positions. He has to work with them. Who’s the down ticket he’s fighting for? Who’s the global community he’s got trusting relationships with?

It does not happen by magic. I sympathize. I want a better world for all y’all young people. But you do not have the experience, networks, credibility, resources, etc. to do these things without the help and nurturance of us clueless elder boomers. We can either work together or you can cast us aside and lose to the monsters who don’t give a damn about you.

but I understand you."

I wonder what she would think about the tax rates we had back then.

but so much got done! Boomers build the highway system, the waterways, the space program, the communications systems, computers...they didn’t come from nowhere, and we paid for them. The fact they’ve been neglected and pillaged isn’t boomers’ fault. It’s privateers and Republicans’ fault.

I don’t care to be misrepresented but I sympathize with the anxiety. That might be the real harmful legacy we gave them. Anxiety about the future and a sense we don’t care either.

I hope we can do better all around, and teach them to as well.

what their young brains are being fed is a conditioning. It does not serve them well. Think outside that box that they are rigidly keeping themselves wrapped in.

starting out in life. Very few people make enough at 19 -- one year out of high school -- to fully support themselves without roommates or multiple jobs. That's mostly because they are still very young and focusing on learning a trade, so they make sacrifices for those endeavors. If you have parental help still at your age, you are very lucky. Try living with divorced parents who hated one another and wouldn't raise a finger for their children out of spite.

Sorry, but these stories about "Bernie" sound a bit forced. Good luck to you, though!

where I worked for $1.25/hour. I couldn't see how I would move on from that. I ended up joining the USAF, where I started at $96/month with free room and board. I spend four years in the USAF, and when I left, I was getting $256/month.

It took several years before I could complete college on the GI bill, sharing a $96/month run-down house with two other guys. Eventually, though, i made my way, but it took a long, long time, and a lot of hard work.

At 19, though, I had no idea how I'd survive. So, I do understand where you're coming from. There is hope.

You voted for the candidate you prefer. Good for you. That's a privilege living in this country gives you. I won't criticize your vote. You think Bernie offers you the best alternative at this time. OK.

It could give you a good start on a better future, and a better job quickly.

A few ideas:

https://www.npr.org/2019/07/10/740387601/university-of-texas-austin-promises-free-tuition-for-low-income-students-in-2020

https://www.gpb.org/blogs/georgia-at-work/2017/05/22/want-free-college-tuition-georgia-here’s-how-you-can-get-it

Don’t want to minimize the challenges, but you’ll be better off by taking a few college courses. In a few years, you won’t be sitting there saying you wish you had started earlier.

Anyway, good luck and thanks for voting and posting here.

If he gets the nomination, we'll damn sure vote for him in the general. But we Democrats who will vote for him in the general will not be enough. Once the repukes say the word "socialist" in every ad they run, a whole lot of people won't vote for him. Trump wins. And we're all screwed.

That is probably true, but it is because we had the motivation and the determination to improve our circumstances. I was a very poor Hispanic student that could not afford college either. We had NO scholarships then, we only had student loans. My dad had to cosign each year so I could attend the 4 year state school in our city. After completing two years on the Dean's List, I grew very concerned about the size of the loan. So I decided to leave college to work for a semester. Well, I got a job with TWA and that led to other jobs in the travel industry, and I never did go back to college. I did not get my BS until I was 45 and was able to complete an accredited college online.

So I understand your struggle because as a 19 year old, that was my struggle. Young boys who could not afford college were sent to Vietnam and many died there. Most of those young guys had no say so either due to the draft and the fact that they couldn't vote until they were 21 at that time. Many of my friends had brothers in this situation. Many of us Boomers lived through very difficult and tumultuous times. I mention this to demonstrate that there are many issues like income inequality and access to health care that have always been a part of American life as far back as I can remember. That is why I became a Democrat and have voted in every election since I was eligible.

I hope you will be able to understand that those of us who are voting for Biden are doing so based on our experiences. While Bernie has wonderful ideas, I do not think he would ever be able to get them passed, especially if we lose House and Senate seats. Many of us think that's what will happen if Bernie is the nominee. Trump won in the red belt states that we need to win the electoral college. We need to win back those states to win in 2020. We do not want to take a risk on nominating a candidate that we think will be soundly defeated in a GE. The stakes are too high. Having said that, I wish you the best. Do not give up.

With a Democrat in the White House you will probably get health care through a Medicaid/Medicare Public Option right away. Gov. Abbott declined to expand Medicaid in your state. In my youth, we had to hope we never became sick, because we had no health or dental insurance. Both Bernie and Biden are advocating affordable college. Biden has proposed making all community colleges free while Bernie is proposing to make all colleges free. So you see, in many ways you will have more opportunity with a Democrat in the White House than many of us "Boomers" did. That's why most of us say, Vote Blue No Matter Who.

I know you have a fight in front of you. For as long as I'm alive, count me on your side. I'm not well off but it wouldn't matter if I was. Some times good work and concentrated effort "pays off, some times it doesn't. I worked in mental health, community organizing, and environmental activism. That's not where money has ever been at in America, but I have no regrets. I love the life I've had so far. It's more your future than it is mine, I won't second guess you.

Thank you for the work you’ve done! It makes me happy to see you helped with mental health as that is a big concern I would like adressed more!

Some boomers are well off. Ask single women of that age whether they're well off. Ask the man disabled after 40 years of manual labor who can't find a job if he's well off.

Just stop with the delusion that all boomers or even most boomers are so well off. Many of us are figuring we'll be working well into our 70s. Maybe your parents are doing great, but most of my friends certainly are not.

Even the better off boomers weren't well off at 19. We worked our way through college. We had roommates. We just have lived longer and had more earning years by now.

Your generation has 50 years to earn what some boomers have now. You might do great.

Stoking generational warfare has always been a weapon of the right. Let's not fall for it.

As a VP of Hotel Management firm - Vice President -

She never made half of what I do - with far more responsibility. She shattered a ceiling - but now - she's thankful my dad was retired prior to passing away.

Because of decades of low pay for professional women - her SS income would have been far less than my dads.

People your age are making it every day here. In many different ways. If you dont see opportunity where you live, move to somewhere that does have opportunity. Learn a trade; trade jobs are hurting for workers & the jobs pay well. Dont waste your money on a college degree that isnt a sure-fire job getter. Save your money, get educated & dont have any kids yet. That puts you ahead of a LOT of people your age. Same as it was for me 40 yrs ago.
There are many ways to succeed. To some of my wealthier friends, I'm probably not doing that great because of where i live & what i drive. But i can pay my bills & enjoy life for the most part.
Dont give up on it. Bernie Sanders isnt going to provide it either. No politician will

There were plenty of very rich people back when we were growing up, but nothing like this. And there were so few very rich people under 40 (who didn't inherit anyway). So there wasn't that constant rebuke-- "You loser. You're Zuckerberg's age, and you don't even own a house."

I think it would be difficult to live with the greater inequality and the much lower respect for hard work. It's too easy to be branded as a failure now, and that's got to take its toll on young people's optimism.

And back then, poor was also a totally different life. If someone is comparing you to someone like Zuckerburg, THEY are the losers! Dont let others define you. Like I said in my other post, i know some people that I know who think i'm not on their level simply because i dont have a big house and a fancy car. I dont care. A lot of those people are probably over extended.
Keeping up with the Jones's has reached a whole new level this century. I'm not playing that game & I never really have. Sure, i've been jealous at times. I'd be lying if i denied it. But I've learned that what others have usually has nothing to do with what I have. Not so much a glass 1/2 full guy, but maybe a glass 1/3?

Bernie is right about everything he says.

But we're not there yet with most of America as long as the EC exists, and I'll die if Trump gets re-elected.

Somehow the boomers sucked us up. You discount fights some of us went through. I walked out of college at 142 pounds. I’m six foot two. Had to work three jobs and go to school. Now the shitty part is today I couldn’t pull that off.

It is tempting to loop us all in together. But most here aren’t your enemy. When I was in school I had to battle all those Reagan College Repub assholes. Basically greed a ignorance won but we fought it.

My kids had college covered. That is great was based upon my experience. And yes in five years I can retire. Again we aren’t the enemy and having fought the battles. I see no way of Bernie getting anything done. Short of massive protests it ain’t happening

I’m ready to battle, but right now I don’t see many ready to fight.

My mother was a boomer. We were from very different worlds. She loved the Kennedys. I loved the Dead Kennedys.

I'm less concerned about Bernie not getting things done. I'm terrified that he cannot win the general leaving us in a much worse situation.

But they lump us in with them. I think up to 1964. Anyway you hit it, punk rock, etc, was our way to be different.

He is selling a dream. Yes, a nice dream, but not real

It is like it is a damn "protest" vote against Democrats. While they cry about how hard it is. I mean, really?