Generation Betrayed

The Numbers Don't Lie

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$83 Trillion

Baby Boomers control over 50% of all U.S. household wealth, despite representing only 21% of the population. Meanwhile, they created a system that actively prevents wealth accumulation for younger generations.

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72%

Of U.S. renters are now age 30 or older. Homeownership, once a stepping stone by age 25, is now delayed until 35, 40, and beyond—if it happens at all.

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90%

Millennials and Gen Z together own just $17 trillion—only 10% of total household wealth, despite being the largest generations by population size.

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-94%

The loss in purchasing power of minimum wage from 1969 to today. What once could buy a house, car, and support a family now barely covers rent in most cities.

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Tax Theft

Young workers pay the highest proportion of income in taxes to fund Social Security, Medicare, and other benefits they'll likely never receive at the same level.

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$1.7 Trillion

Total student loan debt crushing younger generations. Boomers paid for college with summer jobs. Today's students take on mortgage-sized debt for the same degree.

The Great Wealth Transfer Scam

The system revealed: Younger generations actively subsidize Boomers through taxes, despite Boomers controlling over 50% of all wealth. This system only worked when each generation could expect a better future—that promise is now broken.

👵 Boomers

$83 Trillion
53% of total household wealth
21% of population
Peak earning years: 1980s-2000s
Median home price when they bought: $17,000

🧑 Gen X

$43 Trillion
27% of total household wealth
20% of population
Caught in the squeeze
First to see declining prospects

👨‍💻 Millennials + Gen Z

$17 Trillion
10% of total household wealth
46% of population
Highest education costs ever
Median home price now: $436,000

The Betrayal: How They Failed Us

Housing as Investment, Not Shelter: Boomers transformed housing from a basic need into a speculative investment vehicle. They enacted zoning laws, blocked development, and treated homes as retirement funds—pricing out entire generations. They bought homes for $30K and now sell them for $800K, calling it "smart investing" while young families can't afford rent.

Wage Stagnation by Design: Since 1971, productivity increased 77% while wages grew only 12%. Boomers in leadership positions systematically suppressed wages, busted unions, and shipped jobs overseas—all while their own retirement accounts ballooned. They got theirs, then pulled up the ladder.

Education Turned Debt Trap: Boomers paid for college with summer jobs. Average tuition in 1970: $394/year. They then cut state funding for education, turned universities into profit centers, and created a $1.7 trillion student debt crisis. They got free rides and left us with mortgage-sized debt for the same degree.

Healthcare Privatization: Boomers enjoyed employer-sponsored healthcare and now receive Medicare at 65. They then supported policies that made healthcare a for-profit industry, where insulin costs $300/month and a broken arm costs $10,000. Medical bankruptcy didn't exist in their youth—now it's the #1 cause of bankruptcy.

Environmental Destruction: Boomers inherited a planet and systematically destroyed it for profit. They knew about climate change since the 1970s but chose oil profits over planetary survival. Now they'll die before facing consequences, leaving us with melting ice caps, mass extinction, and trillion-dollar climate disasters.

Social Security Ponzi Scheme: Boomers designed and benefited from Social Security—a system where young workers pay for retiree benefits. They paid in when there were 5 workers per retiree. Now there are 3 workers per retiree, and the system is projected to be insolvent by 2035. They'll get their checks; we'll get IOUs.

Wealth Hoarding: Boomers control $83 trillion—more than Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z combined. They lived through the greatest economic expansion in history, enjoyed 30-year careers with pensions, bought assets when they were cheap, and now lecture young people about "financial responsibility" while we can't afford rent.

Corporate Greed Normalized: Boomers pioneered shareholder capitalism, offshoring, and "maximizing shareholder value" at the expense of workers, communities, and long-term stability. CEO-to-worker pay was 20:1 in 1965. By 2023, it's 399:1. They enriched themselves while destroying the middle class.

Political Gridlock: Boomers have held political power for 30+ years—presidency, Congress, courts, state governments. They've accomplished: massive debt, crumbling infrastructure, broken healthcare, climate inaction, and wealth inequality not seen since the Gilded Age. Their legacy is dysfunction and refusal to solve problems.

The Gaslighting: After creating every crisis facing young people, Boomers blame us for it. "Stop buying avocado toast." "Just work harder." "We had it tough too." No. You paid $330/year for college. Your minimum wage bought a house. Your healthcare was affordable. You. Are. A. Joke. To. Them.

The American Dream Is Dead

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Renting: The New Normal

Renting is no longer a stepping stone for young 20-somethings. It's become a lifestyle. More Americans are being priced out of homeownership until age 35, 40, and beyond. 72% of U.S. renters are now age 30 or older. This wasn't an accident—it was engineered by policies that benefit asset-holders.

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Median Home Price

When Boomers bought homes in the 1970s, median price was $17,000 (1.4x median income). Today's median home price: $436,000 (8.2x median income). The math is simple: they made housing unaffordable, then told us to "work harder."

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Rent as % of Income

In 1970, median rent was 20% of income. Today, it's 36-50% in most cities. Young people spend more on rent than Boomers spent on mortgages—and they're building zero equity. This is wealth extraction, not housing policy.