Forum: OK, boomers; look at what we’ve left for our grandkids

By Ron Friesen / Herald Forum

I am a “boomer” who has had to look in the mirror. No, not the bathroom mirror which shows how old I am. (Do you say, “OMG! How did this happen?”) But the mirror in our mind that causes us to reflect on where we are and how we got here.

I had to admit to a painful reality during a conversation with my 15-year-old grandson. That reality is this: In 1968 when I graduated from high school, living in a meager single-income family, I could earn scholarships and make enough money working summers to put myself through private college and get a bachelor’s degree. This opportunity is a pipe dream for him.

In today’s dollars, I had the opportunity to earn close to $50,000 in local scholarships, and a $17,000 college music scholarship. I had a $34,000 National Student Defense Loan at zero interest, and a work/study program while in school. In addition, my unskilled labor summer job in a lumber mill paid what would no equal $26.80 an hour.

I had a 3.76 high school GPA, so very good, but not spectacular. I was in a blue-collar community in Southern Oregon, and yet I qualified. This was “normal” then. So how has my generation done providing these same opportunities for our kids and grandkids? You tell me.

How many students can even imagine receiving $50,000 worth of scholarships from their local community? How many $17,000 academic college scholarships are there for anyone with less than a 4.0 GPA? Who can afford any college after working only summers at Amazon, Starbucks, or the local landscape company? In addition, my $13,000 annual tuition at a private school then, is now $36,024 at the University of Washington, a state public school. So has the bachelor degree nearly tripled in value in 50 years?

Now factor in the price of housing. I lived at home for only two summers, then was on my own with two years of college left. Housing was affordable. At the end of my four-year college, I had a little under $34,000 in loans to pay off in loans to pay off. And I could reduce that amount by half if I taught in qualified schools (which I then did).

So, I ask my “boomer buddies,” where are these opportunities for our grandkids? I was a hard worker, but not academically or even musically exceptional. We all benefited from social and government progress in the 1950s, ’60s and early ’70s.

But in the ’80s we were sold a bill of goods called “trickle-down economics.” Now, 40 years later we have seen what “trickled down.” We all know what runs downhill, and it is not income and opportunity for the middle class.

In fact, 1968 was the highest level of middle-class earning power. It went down slowly until the ’80s, and the decline has been a steep one ever since. These are the boomer years, and they are our responsibility.

Now, my wife and I are retired teachers with good pensions. We both have Social Security and Medicare. We were able to use IRAs to put aside some of our income so we could enjoy our retirement. And the retirement life expectation for us as boomers is longer than any previous generation. We followed the rules: “Work hard, get good grades, save your money, buy a house, only have two kids, and be sure to vote.” The rules worked for us.

We have lived in Marysville since 1975, and I am sorry to report that, in general, boomers now in our 60s, 70s and even early 80s are the least generous generation. Boomers, who have enjoyed the most benefit from government largess in history, are the most likely to vote “No!” when it comes time to approve government taxes to assist anyone but ourselves. Thus we vote overwhelmingly for fire district taxes, but turn down minimal school levies. Passing a bond to rebuild crumbling schools is unthinkable!

I am old enough now to be thinking about the legacy we will leave for our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. One of the mottos drilled into me growing up in the Friesen family was this: “Leave the wood piled higher.” It’s an old-fashioned way of saying, “Leave things better than you found them.”

So boomers, are we leaving it better than we found it? I don’t think so. But with our now longer lifespan, we still have a little time left. Shall we be remembered as a selfish generation, or a generous one? At long last, when we look in the mirror, what will we see?

My retirement bliss has been disrupted by the pandemic, disturbing and dangerous politics, and the harsh economic realities I have to share with my grandchildren. And so I say to all of my generation, (with apologies to Jean-Luc Picard), “Engage!”

We are better than this, aren’t we? We have to be.

Ron Friesen is a longtime Marysville resident, a retired music teacher and community and church musician and is committed to community improvement.

Herald Forum

The Herald Forum invites community members to submit essays on topics of importance and interest to them. Essays typically are between 400 and 600 words in length, although exceptions for longer pieces can be made. To submit essays or for more information about the Herald Forum, write Herald Opinion editor Jon Bauer at jbauer@heraldnet.com or call him at 425-339-3466.