I fought the bailout, and all I got was a t-shirt.

Anti-bailout t-shirts are here, and they are funny, but they are also, in a way, deadly serious.

This is how it works in America in 2008: On Monday, bailout backlash was a historic popular revolt that shocked Washington and Wall Street. Today the bailout is law and the revolt is just a t-shirt, available on-line for $15.

If you can't read it, the shirt says, "Got $700 billion?"

And so capitalism, in the form of on-line t-shirt vendors, clings to life in America.

On a serious note: There is some real generational backlash going on here. From what my 40-something ears can still hear, I sense that young people are pretty ticked off at Baby Boomers for creating messes like this one, and then sending the bill to the next generation.

I repeat what commenter "awing" wrote here earlier today:

The baby boomer generation have given us youngsters a going away present as they head off to retirement; the bill for their retirement accounts.

Tune in to our wallets.
Turn off democratic representation.
Drop out with the wealth of future generations.

Thanks, aging hippies!

--Peter Viles

Your thoughts? Comments? E-mail story tips to Peter Viles.
Photo Credit: www.cafepress.com

Comments

[Bob]

Ummm. Didn't the Baby Boomers claim the same injustice of their elders?

[Jim]

I sense that young people are pretty ticked off at Baby Boomers for creating messes like this one, and then sending the bill to the next generation.

Ya think?

::fuming::

[jody]

Here's some more bailout humor - a really funny song about the Wall Street mess. Anything to lighten up a grim topic: http://evamoon.net/blog/2008/10/02/bailout-man/

[rip]

Let's see the boomer scorecard:

1987 market crash? Yup.
1992 S&L crisis? Yup.
2000 Dot Com bubble? Yup.
2008 complete financial meltdown? Yup.

I'm not sure how the boomers will top this most recent feat. I'm guessing the complete and utter bankrupting of the United States government through the collapse of the Social Security system. Really, that's all they have left to ruin.

[Sue]

Re: the bailout - I guess the Zombie Bankers are still winning...

Zombie Banker video:
http://www.dun.org/sulan/video/zombiebanker.html

[Silverfern]

Christopher Carroll, who is an Econ prof at Johns Hopkins Univ and part of the early GenX, wrote his dissertation on how our generation (us Xers, but also including those born later) were being _____ by the Boomers.

I'll see if I can track down a summary somewhere.

[Not that this helps the current problem, simply that some folks saw it coming >10 years ago.]

[amir]

Don't forget losing Vietnam. The only war the US has ever really lost.

More historians now say that had the US kept the war one more year, the North would have collapsed.

[Giacomo]

The "baby boomers" are to blame?

I guess it had to happen here eventually. Every blog resurrects this canard at some point, once the whining reaches full gallop.

Here's a clue: the boomers blamed their parents, too.

[Mucker]

Well I'm a baby boomer and I'm not going off for some grand retirement. As noted somewhere above money markets have lost 25% of value. Boomers retirements are hammered. The Kiddies need to learn that along of us got screwed by these dope dealers (all word play options apply).

[CBF]

For the record, the "Silent Generation" (born 1929-1945) have been in charge of the economy through most of the crisis mentioned above. (Greenspan was in the Fed during the years that fed the crisis from 1987 to 2006--he's the one who manipulated interest rates)

Silent Generation folks are the CEOs of major corporations and they have run congress most of our lives. (Both Biden and McCain are from the Generation) Scratch the surface of any situation and more often than not, you'll find them at the helm in an economic mess and not a Boomer. (See also Ken Lay of Enron)

Beyond generational issues. If you want to fight the Boomer people who caused this fight Obama! Obama has ties with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Jim Johnson and former Fannie Mae chairman and CEO Franklin Raines are part of Obama’s advisors.

Franklin Raines stepped down after a $6.3 billion accounting scandal, which Obama’s calls on for advice on mortgage and housing policy matters.

Jim Johnson was on Obama’s VP search and made millions from his Fannie Mae CEO job.

[Soylent Green is Sheeple]

Right on CBF, you keep on calling out politicians who have Freddy and Fannie lobbyists on their campaigns. Everyone knows that if you've got a Freddy/Fanny lobbyist on your team,. you're in the bag for the GSE's!

You know, like John McCain must be because of the 19 former Freddy/Fanny lobbyists that are part of his campaign.

Like Aquiles Suarez, who was a director, and later, a lobbyist for Fannie Mae! Or Charlie Black, McCain chief campaign advisor, who was a lobbyist for Freddy Mac between 1999 and 2004? Don't forget McCain’s campaign manager, Rick Davis, a “former” Freddie Mac lobbyist who just got busted lying about the fact he was still getting paid $15k a month by Freddie.

Yup, keep up the good honest work!

[Soylent Green is Sheeple]

RIGHT ON CBF! you keep spreading the truth about barack obama's slimy ties to Freddy and Fannie! everybody knows that anyone who would ever have Fanny/Freddy lobbyists working for them is obviously not to be trusted.

Don't forget to mention how obama employs Charlie Black, who was a lobbyist for Freddy Mac between 1999 and 2004.

Oh, wait ... my bad, he's John McCain's chief campaign strategist.

Well, there's always Aquiles Suarez, who was a director and lobbyist for Fannie Mae! BOO, OBAMA, HISSSS!!!

Oh, right, sorry, she was one of John McCain's economic advisors.

At least there's Rick Davis, a “former” Freddie Mac lobbyist who was yesterday revealed to still be on the payroll for Freddie Mac to the tune of $15,000 a month. What more evidence do you need against Obama?!?!?

Crap ... that's right, he's John McCain's campaign manager. Sorry 'bout the confusion, there.

In all, there are 19 people who are former lobbyists for Fannie or Freddie now working for the McCain campaign.

But yeah, that Mr. Obama sure must be corrupt to have all those nasty Freddy/Fanny people working for him ...

[STARCHY]

yeah I guess thats about right... so hope you Generation X, Y and Z stay healthy and working because I plan to get ALL my Social Security money back with interest! So keep on working and keep those FICA payments up up UP!

oh and get ready for the draft as well, because YOU my friends will have to fight the NeoCon's War for the next fifty (50) years if you don't put down your cell phone and VOTE

And by "fight" I mean pick up a rifle and get shot at, in a dusty stench hole far far from your family and friends... its for FREEDOM! sweet delicious RED STATE STYLE freedom!!

"Gas, Guns and God - The Redneck Way of Life!!!"

only mavericks need apply

[MyLessThanPrimeBeef]

Just remember, don't trust anyone over 30!

Forget McCain.

Froget Obama.

Vote for Paris Hilton...I think she's under 30.

[MyLessThanPrimeBeef]

One can argue that GenXers haven't messed things up because they haven't been given the opportunity.

Let's not under-estimate how destructive humans can be, whether it's this generation or another one.