 Key Issues Uniting GenerationsDonna M. Butts Chapter Chapter Four in Intergenerational Solidarity, 2010, pp 83-97 from Palgrave Macmillan Abstract: Abstract Christopher Buckley’s satire, Boomsday, opens with Gen Xers attacking a gated retirement community in protest of the taxes they must pay to support aging “baby boomers” who do nothing but play golf during their long, leisurely retirement years. Encouraged by blogger Cassandra Devine, a new plan is introduced in Congress to address the growing conflict. Adults 65 and older will be given a package of incentives, including tax breaks and free medical care, if they sign an agreement that they will “voluntarily transition” at age 70. In other words, younger generations would foot the bill for five years of retirement if elders promised to commit suicide at the end of the term of the agreement (Buckley, 2007). The book sparked chuckles, but also some serious discussion about justice between generations. Fortunately, Boomsday is just a novel, but the continuing rhetoric of the press and policy makers can be even more damaging to the age-old compact between generations. Keywords: Civic Engagement; Intergenerational Conflict; Intergenerational Solidarity; Intergenerational Interaction; Intergenerational Programme (search for similar items in EconPapers) There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it. Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:palchp:978-0-230-11548-4_5 Ordering information: This item can be ordered from Access Statistics for this chapter More chapters in Palgrave Macmillan Books from Palgrave Macmillan |
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