This is an interesting article I came across this morning: The Boomers Ruined Everything
It points to increases in land-use rules, zoning laws, requirements of licensure for employment, and incarceration rates, among other things. It partially attributes these changes to the formal ending of segregation, which led to attempts on the part of many to seek out informal ways of segregation.
The rules of licensure for occupations are also deemed problematic.
The article also mentions that, even as educational costs are skyrocketing, the actual return on a college education has fallen flat.
Another major issue which is pinned on the Boomers is the incarceration rate:
And then, of course, there's the issue of debt. Over the course of their lifetimes, Boomers have incurred massive debts to fund their lavish lifestyle, while leaving it all to be paid for by future generations.
So, what do you think? Are Baby Boomers to blame for this mess? Was it their parents' fault, the Greatest Generation?
It points to increases in land-use rules, zoning laws, requirements of licensure for employment, and incarceration rates, among other things. It partially attributes these changes to the formal ending of segregation, which led to attempts on the part of many to seek out informal ways of segregation.
There’s debate about why this is: Some researchers say the end of formal segregation may have pushed some voters to look for informal methods of enforcing segregation. Others suggest that a change in financial returns to different classes of investment caused homeowners to become more protective of their asset values.
Today, strict land-use rules—whether framed as rules about parking, green space, height limits, neighborhood aesthetics, or historic preservation—make new construction difficult. Even as the American population has doubled since the 1940s, it has gotten more and more legally challenging to build houses. The result is that younger Americans are locked out of suitable housing.
But, of course, Boomers didn’t only make rules that nudge young people out of homeownership. They also made new rules restricting young people’s employment. Laws and rules requiring workers to have special licenses, degrees, or certificates to work have proliferated over the past few decades. And while much of this rise came before Boomers were politically active, instead of reversing the trend, they extended it.
The rules of licensure for occupations are also deemed problematic.
Just as tight land-use rules make existing homeowners richer by reducing how many new houses are listed on the market, strict licensing rules make existing workers richer by reducing competition in their fields. And while some industries clearly need licensing rules for health and safety reasons, most of the growth in licensure has been in fields where health and safety justifications are less salient: Do you really need hours of course work and special exams to be a florist, an interior designer, or an auctioneer?
Again, scholars differ on explanations for why licensure has proliferated. It could be that work has simply gotten more complex. Or it could be that the decline of unions led to a search for new ways to maintain occupational closure. Increased gender and racial integration in workplaces may also have led to a search for new forms of hierarchy.
But even for workers who don’t need a formal license, barriers to work have grown over time. Jobs that once required a high-school degree now require a college degree. This escalation of credential requirements has created a kind of educational arms race.
The article also mentions that, even as educational costs are skyrocketing, the actual return on a college education has fallen flat.
Another major issue which is pinned on the Boomers is the incarceration rate:
The most glaring example of this growth in regulation and control is also the easiest one to pin on Baby Boomers: the incredible rise in incarceration rates. Even though murder rates are today at the same levels they were in the 1950s, the imprisoned share of the population is higher in America than in any country other than North Korea. We imprison a larger share of the population than authoritarian countries such as Turkmenistan and China.
And then, of course, there's the issue of debt. Over the course of their lifetimes, Boomers have incurred massive debts to fund their lavish lifestyle, while leaving it all to be paid for by future generations.
Making these payments will require fiscal austerity, through either higher taxes or lower alternative spending. Younger Americans will bear the burdens of the Baby Boomer generation, whether in smaller take-home pay or more potholes and worse schools.
So, what do you think? Are Baby Boomers to blame for this mess? Was it their parents' fault, the Greatest Generation?