http://www.crikey.com.au/2012/12/07/dont-just-blame-the-1-on-charity-donations/ now with extra source Fri, 24 May 2013 13:02:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.crikey.com.au/2012/12/07/dont-just-blame-the-1-on-charity-donations/comment-page-1/#comment-231183 Janice DUDLEY Fri, 07 Dec 2012 04:41:05 +0000 http://www.crikey.com.au/?p=336435#comment-231183 I think at 62 years of age I qualify as a baby boomer and for once have been stirred to defend the baby boomers - for many it would appear that baby boomers are the source of all Australia's problems: if they're not getting older and so needing health care then it's because they retire too early, are self fundeed retirees and now they don't donate enough! But not all baby boomers are 'wealthy' - many are poor and live in poverty , many are still working - and because they need to ... in other words, it's not a 'lifestyle choice'! Perhaps many don't donate enough - but many do, and quite significant donations in terms of their incomes. The costs of health care for the aging population gets plenty of press - and yet health stats show that people make maximum use of the health system in the 6 to 9 months before they die ... whether that's at 20, 30 40, 50, 60, 70 or 80 ... so instead of implying that the greatest contribution baby boomers could make to Australia society is to die quietly and stop costing everyone else money, some reality rather than stereotyping could be part of the conversation! I think at 62 years of age I qualify as a baby boomer and for once have been stirred to defend the baby boomers - for many it would appear that baby boomers are the source of all Australia’s problems: if they’re not getting older and so needing health care then it’s because they retire too early, are self fundeed retirees and now they don’t donate enough! But not all baby boomers are ‘wealthy’ - many are poor and live in poverty , many are still working - and because they need to … in other words, it’s not a ‘lifestyle choice’! Perhaps many don’t donate enough - but many do, and quite significant donations in terms of their incomes.
The costs of health care for the aging population gets plenty of press - and yet health stats show that people make maximum use of the health system in the 6 to 9 months before they die … whether that’s at 20, 30 40, 50, 60, 70 or 80 … so instead of implying that the greatest contribution baby boomers could make to Australia society is to die quietly and stop costing everyone else money, some reality rather than stereotyping could be part of the conversation!

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