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Showing Original Post only (View all)OK, boomers; look at what we've left for our grandkids [View all]
By Ron Friesen / Herald Forum
I am a boomer who has had to look in the mirror. No, not the bathroom mirror which shows how old I am. (Do you say, OMG! How did this happen?) But the mirror in our mind that causes us to reflect on where we are and how we got here.
I had to admit to a painful reality during a conversation with my 15-year-old grandson. That reality is this: In 1968 when I graduated from high school, living in a meager single-income family, I could earn scholarships and make enough money working summers to put myself through private college and get a bachelors degree. This opportunity is a pipe dream for him.
In todays dollars, I had the opportunity to earn close to $50,000 in local scholarships, and a $17,000 college music scholarship. I had a $34,000 National Student Defense Loan at zero interest, and a work/study program while in school. In addition, my unskilled labor summer job in a lumber mill paid what would no equal $26.80 an hour.
I had a 3.76 high school GPA, so very good, but not spectacular. I was in a blue-collar community in Southern Oregon, and yet I qualified. This was normal then. So how has my generation done providing these same opportunities for our kids and grandkids? You tell me.
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https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/forum-ok-boomers-look-at-what-weve-left-for-our-grandkids/