This Is Us | Eastern North Carolina Now

    The typical U.S. household headed by a person age 65 or older has a net worth 47 times greater than a household headed by someone under 35, according to an analysis of census data released Monday.

    They like to refer to us as senior citizens, old fogies, blue hairs, geezers, and in some cases dinosaurs. Some of us are "Baby Boomers" getting ready to retire, others are from the Greatest Generation already retired. We walk a little slower these days and our eyes and hearing are not what they once were. We worked hard, raised our children, worshiped our God and have grown old together.

    In school we studied English, history, math, and science, which enabled us to lead America into the technological age. We still use two spaces after a period when typing. Most of us remember what outhouses were, many of us with firsthand experience. We remember the days of telephone party-lines, $.25 gasoline, and milk and ice being delivered to our homes.

    We are probably considered old fashioned and outdated by many. But there are a few things you need to remember before completely writing us off. We won World War II, fought in Korea and Vietnam. We can quote "The Pledge of Allegiance" and know where to place our hand while doing so. We wore the uniform of our country with pride and lost many friends on the battlefield. We didn't fight for the Socialist States of America; we fought for the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave." We wore different uniforms but carried the same flag.

    We know the words to the "Star Spangled Banner," "America," and "America the Beautiful" by heart, and you may even see some tears running down our cheeks as we sing. We have lived what many of you should have read in history books and we feel no obligation to apologize to anyone for America.

    Yes, we are older and slower these days but rest assured, we have at least one good fight left in us. We love this country, fought and died for it, and now we are going to save it. It is our country and nobody is going to take it away from us. We took oaths to defend America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, and that's an oath we plan to keep. There are those who want to destroy this land we love but, like our founders, there is no way we are going to remain silent.

    It was mostly the young people of this nation who elected Obama and the Democratic Congress. They fell for the "Hope and Change" which in reality was nothing but "Hype and Lies" from their college professors. You youngsters need to taste socialism and see evil face to face to understand you don't like it after all. You make a lot of noise, most are all too interested in their careers or "Climbing the Social Ladder" to be involved in such mundane things as patriotism and voting. Many of those who fell for the "Great Lie" in 2008 are now having buyer's remorse. With all the education we gave you, you didn't have sense enough to see through the lies and instead drank the 'Kool-Aid.'

    Well, don't worry youngsters, the Grey-Haired Brigade is here, and in 2016 we took back our nation We may drive a little slower than you would like, but we get where we're going, and in 2020 we're driving to the polls again by the millions.

    So the next time you have the chance to say the Pledge of Allegiance, stand up, put your hand over your heart, honor your country, and thank God for the old geezers of the "Gray-Haired Brigade."