I don’t know that I agree with Crabby Old Lady’s idea to vote out the entire Congress in the bi-annual elections on November 7th. But I sure think we should vote and have our experience and wisdom speak.
I also don’t think we should turn ‘Boomers’ into a one-issue
constituency —“aging issues such as social security, Medicare and so
forth”. We should certainly speak if we having something to say about
those issues, but more importantly, we should be taking responsibility
for the whole of our nation’s well-being, and that means being
reasonably informed and engaged on a broad spectrum of issues.
What
do retired people have to say about minimum wage, about immigration,
about economic refugees, about stewardship of the environment,
literacy, and, of course, foreign policy?
Instead of simply voting against the incumbent in your district, I would invite every voter to do the following:
- Write down a list of the areas of life that you care about.
- Put down a short thought or two of what you have to say or believe
about that area. Try to keep the focus on what you want, rather than on
what we currently have. - Look up the voting record of each incumbent on the ballot and see
if that person is really representing you and working for the America
you want. (You can check out the official websites of the incumbents in
your district by visiting the NY Times 2006 Election Guide and learn lots more about the 2006 House Elections on Wikipedia.
This may take a little time to do, but whether we each do this or
not, we’re going to live with who is elected for a few years and what
they do and say and how they vote will be with us for a very, very long
time. It is our choice.
I have said that the purpose of this site is to transform the
culture of aging. Not just so older people can have a better life and
be entitled to the same legislative protections and dignity afforded
others in the USA, but also so the extraordinary energy, intelligence,
humanity and power of the Baby Boomers can clean up our the messes
before we die and really leave a legacy that our generation can be proud of, one that will last for centuries.