Dana Blankenhorn

Silent Majority

The thing about a Silent Majority is that we’re silent.

We just want to get on with our lives.

There used to be two seasons in Washington. There was political season and policy season. Drunk on the attention of the last few election cycles, Washington reporters and pundits now think it’s always political season. Republicans, the minority party, have indulged them with constant outrage. The insurrection meant to bring down the U.S. Constitution was just the start.

But I can’t see a single issue on which Republican stands represent a majority view. The only way these views get any traction is by filtering everything through a Republican prism. There’s an entire media class, owned by oligarchs, doing nothing but that. Extremism in the defense of liberty is a vice, for in extremism there is no liberty. Moderation in the pursuit of justice is a virtue, for without moderation there is no justice.

Boomers Win Again

A lot of folks are complaining about the U.S. economy right now, but there’s one group that has no right to kick.

Baby Boomers. My people.

I was born in 1955. That was the center of the Baby Boom for males. My dear wife was born two years later, its center for females.

Like other Boomers we’ve had our share of problems. Housing was even more unaffordable when we bought our place in 1984 than it is today. The interest rate on our mortgage was 12%. We’ve lived through three stock market collapses, and dozens of mini-crashes. We’ve had to constantly adjust as Moore’s Law eliminated jobs. Even white collar workers were not safe.

Now, after a decade of free money, money costs money again. It’s happening just in time.