The old and the young duke it out

David Frum, a conservative columnist for Newsweek, wrote a feature article about seniors v. youth and mixes a big dose of innuendo with his facts. Yes, sometimes seniors should have their drivers licenses taken away. Yes, the political clout of seniors (known for their consistency in voting) is huge compared to that of youth. Yes, retiring Boomers are pushing more Social Security and Medicare costs on the young, who are also struggling with student loans and unemployment. Yes, politicians are trying to protect the tax rates of seniors while increasing the taxes on the young.

But what is missing is how the 1% and their manipulations of Congress are heightening the senior / youth divide. Seniors didn't push youth into ruinous student loans. Seniors didn't tank the economy making it tough for youth to get jobs. Seniors didn't narrow the tax options to a zero-sum game between themselves and youth.

It all sounds like the old GOP tactic of divide and conquer. The battle between gays and Christians losing its punch? Waning interest in the match between "real" Americans and those illegal immigrants wanting to take our jobs? Well then, let's get the old and the young to duke it out!

One commenter wrote:

If I'm following this rightly, some old folks drove the wrong way down an Interstate and caused:

1. The Bear-Stearns and Lehman crashes.

2. The resultant housing meltdown.

3. The assorted shenanigans of outfits like Goldman Sachs, Morgan-Chase and Barclays.

4. Massive unemployment.

5. The ongoing Congressional deadlock.

6. Really, just about everything we don't like including, no doubt, 9-11 and the ongoing fiascos in Iraq, Syria and Libya