Are baby boomers to blame?

From MSN Money:

Behind a lot of our current economic woes and hanging over the future is a simple problem: A huge generation that has to keep working because it hasn't saved enough for retirement.

...the longer-term picture is even scarier: If nothing is done, by 2024 -- according to a Credit Suisse estimate -- 100% of U.S. tax revenues will go to entitlement spending and interest payments on the federal debt. That's it. Nothing left for tanks, jets, food stamps and SEC regulators. Nada.

While this seems intractable, the root of the problem is really quite simple: too many old people.

Specifically, the nearly 80 million members of the baby boom generation are quickly aging, with most in their mid-50s now. This simple dynamic is the undercurrent beneath many of our problems, from a stagnant stock market to a bleak jobs outlook and the debt/deficit problem....

Thus, instead of enjoying the twilight of life atop a Harley or upon white sandy beaches, a lot of these folks will be staying in the workforce -- often at low-paying, menial positions -- just to survive. The percentage of respondents expecting to retire before the age of 60 has fallen from nearly 20% in 1991 to just 8% now, while the percentage of workers expecting to clock out at 70 or older has jumped from 9% to 26% over the same period...

It's a vicious cycle. Boomers are working longer because they can't retire, and they can't retire because their homes and nest eggs aren't holding their value, much less gaining. This keeps younger folks from taking over their jobs, which would allow the younger folks to buy those homes and start building their own nest eggs, pouring fresh cash into investments. (Instead, it seems, a lot of those younger folks are moving back in with their boomer parents. The cycle of misery is complete.)...

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Link: http://money.msn.com/investing/are-baby-boomers-to-blame-mirhaydari.aspx