I joined the Air Force in 1973 while still in high school. At the time I was working at a $2.60 hour job. Neither my father nor my grandfather had finished high school, at least I would do that.
The world was changing when I inherited it. Vietnam was winding down; Richard Nixon was impeached. But, there was opportunity. I could still buy three gallons of gasoline for a dollar bill and some guy with a greasy shirt pumped it. He also checked under the hood.
Life was good. A pizza and a movie were a casual night out. A new Ford Mustang when I graduated from Sheffield-Chapin. The economy was good.
Fast forward 40 years.
My grandson Charlie visits a veteran memorial in the park and finds a different future. I wonder what choices he will make in his lifetime. Will our country be at war? Will he get a college education like his mom and dad?
Doses of reality set in as I ponder these questions. Think about our legacy to the next generation for a moment. Will he will pay taxes for our mistakes? Billions of dollars went to banks that made unsecured, risky loans to businesses and individuals who falsified their income. A war we couldn't afford. Medicare fraud. We subsidize housing for people who could pay rent. We pay out unemployment benefits for years to people who could move to a new city and find a job. Congress debates over sexual orientation.
One crisis after another; flooding, fires and tornadoes. Terrorism in Boston, a gun fight at a house of worship. Student loans to for profit schools that mainly purchase commercials during daytime television. We subsidize the oil industry get a spill in return. Antibiotics are poured into animal feeds and we get infections in people we can't treat. An epidemic of diabetes and heart disease.
So what does Charlie inherit from this generation? It is not too late for us to act responsibly. We can make his future brighter.
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