........... but about the general decline of responsible living in the U.S., from the individual all the way up to organizations, industry, and government.
Mostly the fault of us baby boomers 
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I'm not sure if you're being serious or not. But I have heard that before, and it's complete hogwash. It's ridiculous to blame a current generations financial shortcomings, on what a past generation did or didn't do.
Things happen in an economy. Sometimes good, and sometimes horrible. It's not because of what an entire generation before did, or didn't do. The WW II generation didn't blame the Great Depression on their parents. There are people in all generations who make bad individual choices. Many during the best of times.
You have people who overspend across the entire economic spectrum. And you always have, and always will. And you also have people who are good with money. Regardless of how easy or hard it becomes to accumulate.
I know several who set themselves up for financial ruin during the housing crash of 2008. They would have been fine had they stayed where they were, and did nothing but go to work, and buy down their present mortgage.
But they ran with the sheep and were slaughtered. A few lost all of their equity and then some, and ended up bankrupt in apartments. No one's fault but their own. Not the bankers, or the real estate agents. "Predator Loans" only work when they can find idiots to prey on. They were a dime a dozen in 2008.
Kids are complaining today that college degrees cost too much. And they very well may. So they go into huge debt with student loans. Why? Don't go to college. That's their choice. No one put a gun to their head. It doesn't automatically mean you're going to end up a ditch digger.
Many wind up coming out, waving a degree in a field they cannot find work in. This happened to a friend of mine's son. He got so depressed he killed himself over it. How is that the fault of the "boomers"? It's obviously not. His father told him not to do it. He didn't listen.
Trade schools today are all but begging for students. Many offer guaranteed job placement upon graduation. Still no takers. People always have options. Some are more desirable than others. But whatever choice you make, you make it on your own, and you live it on your own.... Not off the back of whatever generation preceded you, that you think you can blame it on.
