Baby Boomers and No-Growth

Thank you so much for printing the wonderful yuppie letter. I was torn between laughter and tears at the frustrations of this poor young man who had the misfortune to be born in America in 1948.

It is apparently inconceivable to him that because he is “ready for something better in life” someone or something should dare to stand in his way. Right on, Jeffrey, that’s the spirit that won the West and got those covered wagons across those mountains!

“I, for one,” he says, “am tired of settling for something less.” Less than what, Jeffrey? Nirvana? Cradle to grave security? Bliss in a basket? Slow-growth initiatives, he says, are “a selfish attempt by the older generation to keep us from moving into better housing.” That’s America for you. If there’s a fly in anyone’s ointment, it must be the result of a conspiracy. I feel sure the homeless people on our streets agree with you 100%. The illegals, also, are “ready for something better in life” than the Tijuana slums.

I really shouldn’t make fun of this young man. At some point in his education in those overcrowded classrooms his teachers failed to make it clear to him that being an American confers on one the right to pursue happiness, not demand it.

JUDITH L. BARNEY

Solana Beach