As a baby boomer, we have witnessed a lot of things over the years.
We’ve seen one war after another, including the longest ever; we’ve seen the earth become an endangered species; we’ve watched presidents come and go, some good, some bad, and some horrible; we’ve lived through economic times good and bad; watched debt grow on a national, state, local, and sometimes personal level, to unimaginable levels; and to this day, we live under the vail of nuclear weapons.
We can all remember the notion that we would be safe from nuclear attack if we hid under our desks. Rather than today’s active shooter drills, we had nuclear attack drills. Both do little to solve the problem.
Curmudgeon: A crabby, ill-tempered, usually elderly old man, who is usually habitually stubborn, disagreeable, or cantankerous
What have we done to solve, or at least improve on, any of these problems. Frankly, it seems like very little. The last generation proclaimed they were the greatest ever. They must have forgotten, they were the only ones to use nuclear weapons against humans. I just checked the news. So far, this remains true.
At home here in Galesburg, it was not so long ago a young person could graduate from high school and go to work the next day at one of 4-5 factories with a good salary, benefits, including health insurance, and a retirement plan. You felt good, because you could take care of yourself or a young family. That day is long gone.
Today, we are left with the stark reality that our economic system does not work for everyone. Capitalism is built on the foundation of cheap labor. As it works out, we seem to be it. The space widens between the haves and the have nots. We are caught in a system that allows few to escape We are accepting this life that we lead, as though it was meant to be. The boomer slogan, “love, peace, and rock and roll,” has turned into “severely underpaid, bitterness and the blues.”
Nay sayer: Someone recently called me a nay sayer. That would be one who denies, refuses, opposes, or is skeptical or cynical about something. A negative pessimistic attitude. Not much fun to be around.
I have long claimed to like dogs more than I do most humans. He must have missed my column, “Leave It to Peever,” which I wrote in the Zephyr for twenty years. He would better understand.
So how did I become such a crusty, ill-tempered old man? Politicians have had a lot to do with it, as have most ministers. Most politicians are in it for themselves and their rich friends. They work very little, yet accept their paychecks, free healthcare, and numerous perks, without any problem.
As for most ministers, they must not have attended the seminaries I went to. They are more interested in nationalizing religion than they are preaching the gospel. I get a little ill-tempered and disagreeable with that notion.
ICE cannot be legal. It doesn’t take a Harvard law degree to figure that out. A president cannot have his own law enforcement agency. That notion signifies a dictatorship. That clearly brings out the nay sayer in me. You cannot attack countries without consulting with congress. That signifies a dictatorship. And you wonder why I’m a curmudgeon and nay sayer.
I could go on and on about the things that make me cranky. Poorly constructed underwear is just another. We really should all be curmudgeons. A Curmudgeon Club, or maybe a nay sayers secret fraternal organization. That would really be fun.
Bruce H. Weik was a longtime columnist for The Zephyr and is co-creator of Many Paths Galesburg since 2019.
This article originally appeared on Galesburg Register-Mail: Many Paths: A ‘curmudgeon’s’ view on life and politics | Opinion
Reporting by Bruce Weik, Special to the Galesburg Register-Mail / Galesburg Register-Mail
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
