Baby boomers urged to back social programs

    In her words, “Instead of sinking into despair, I did what came most naturally to me: I telephoned some friends and called a meeting.” Many of her friends were also being forced into retirement.
    Maggie and her friends formed a group that was intergenerational. Members of all ages were brought together by their interest in social justice, which was a radical notion. The group was first called the Consultation of Older and Younger Adults for Social Change. Soon a talk show host dubbed it the Gray Panthers after the radical African-American group the Black Panthers. Its slogan became age and youth in action.
    Maggie’s key insight was that it was very important to connect seniors with the rest of the community and not isolate people by chronological age. She vehemently disagreed with the then-popular disengagement theory that said old age involved a necessary separation from society as a prelude to death. However, the Gray Panthers believed in remaining engaged with activities such as picketing the White House in opposition to the Vietnam War, saying they didn’t want their grandchildren to die fighting there.
    Some of Maggie’s harshest words were reserved for seniors-only housing. She called housing that isolated seniors from mainstream society glorified playpens. She promoted and practiced intergenerational home sharing. One can easily imagine what choice comments she would have about today’s seniors-only retirement communities, some of which have restrictions such as prohibiting no permanent residents under the age of 19 and limiting visits by children to three weeks.  
    In recent years, the efforts to marginalize us as seniors have been revived as political divide and conquer tactics. Congressman Paul Ryan’s Social Security privatization proposal assured persons over age 55 that their Social Security benefits wouldn’t be touched. His implication was clear -- we seniors are greedy geezers who only care about ourselves. If we’re taken care of, we don’t care about anyone else.
    I see it as precisely the opposite -- as the village elders we must take the long view based on our experience. As baby boomers we have lived through numerous wars and economic downturns. We know that future generations will need a financial base for their retirement. That’s why we will fight to keep Social Security and Medicare viable -- not just for ourselves but for our children and grandchildren. We must join the public debate about our country’s economic future, and we must support reasonable steps needed to preserve those programs, even if it means paying more taxes. I believe Maggie would have agreed.

    William F. Flynn Jr. is executive director of the Senior Agenda Coalition. Contact him at senioragendari@yahoo.com or (401) 274-6900, extension 205.