Blaming us, Boomers, is the key to not getting back to where we were after WWII: 1946-1976.
The USA was the land of opportunity after WWII because of: unions, the New Deal, the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, Glass-Steagall, etc...
During the Gilded Age, the period of extravagance that caused the Great Depression, the megalomaniacal class (mega(s)), the uber wealthy of the day, did not think, "enough," applied to them. Sound familiar?
The business of business is profit, and unregulated businesses tend to profit only the owner class; those whose parents' fiscal status could make business ownership possible. The mega(s) also despised competition; built trusts wherever possible.
Teddy and Franklin D. Roosevelt were leaders in the effort to put significant, regulatory (government) restraints on their megalomaniacal peers. The fix started before the turn of the 20th century, but was not successfully completed till the New Deal kicked into high gear at the end of WWII.
Keynesian government spending recognized the need for some activities (infrastructure: water, electricity, telecommunications (telephone, radio, TV, etc...), roads, airports, sea ports; military; education: pre-k to post doc; health care; R&D: FFRDCs, tier 1 & 2 public, research universities; etc...) needed to be done for as close to everybody as possible; this was/is not profitable. Socialism was, and still is, needed. Businesses can not, will not, do what's required, even as they declare that, "only they can." Sounding familiar here as well?
In the 1960s and 70s progress towards an all inclusive society was made: the Voting Rights and Civil Rights Acts lead the way. Women's health care made major progress in the precedent set by Roe v. Wade. A woman could not have her own credit card, car or home loan till half way through the 1970s; ask your Mom or Grandmother.
There was a problematic group, heavily promoted by a resurging mega(s) class, during the late 20th century called the, "neo-liberals." They were neither new nor were/are they liberal. Moving away from the government regulations that restrained the unenlightened self-interests of the 1% allowed the economy, that the more recent generations find problematic, to come to pass; again.
I will not defend Boomers from the part of the blame that we deserve. However, if you want to rebuild the economy that made the USA the most equitably wealthy, overall, in the world, you've got a great deal of work to do. If, “socialism,” seems unworkable to you, that points to that person in your mirror as your main problem.
You can ask the Boomers to help, and quite a few of us will, but the effort you need the most is your own; start with voting. Greed is an ever present characteristic of the human race, and it must be regulated by government; of, by and for the people (voters and other participants). Mega(S) self restraint has not, and will not, ever happen.
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