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I have to pay for them myself, at least partially anyway. That's OK, I've paid my way my entire life, I can handle that. I may be a Boomer but I still have my brain.

Speaking of brains-There once was a man named Gore, remember him? He ran for president and everywhere he went he talked about a "lock box"- a symbol of what he would do to preserve the compact that Americans share with their leaders about the social security system. Then along came a man named "W." He and his cronies thought that it was time to dismantle this vast "entitlement program". So, they went around the country like Chicken Little. The sky is falling. We need to reform social security. Medicare will do us all in.

Well, that didn't get W very far. He forgot that old adage that social security is the third rail of American politics. The last time I checked, his disapproval rating was at about 70%. I think it might have something to do with all that money he spent waging a war when we didn't need one and feathering the nests of his millionaire friends. Will they collect Social Security, too?

The Baby Boomers will retire and life will move on. But the BIG QUESTIONS will remain. Let's stop asking the wrong questions. There is a bigger picture here. What are our priorities as a nation? We have a budget and where we allocate funds says a lot about what we value as a people. It's time to reframe the debate and ask the right questions, the questions that will chart the course for America long after the Baby Boomer go gentle into that good night,

Learn more about this author, Marilyn De Angelis Pennell.
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