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From the Chair:
It’s a wonderful
life!
At mid-century
Jimmy Stewart starred in a favorite and often rerun
movie titled "It’s a Wonderful Life."
How prophetic this title was in describing how the
century ended for most U.S. citizens, with a special
effect on seniors. We must now attempt to plan the
direction that our new century should take to make a
movie sequel even more superlative – "It’s
A More Wonderful Life."
Let’s review
briefly a few changes that occurred between
1900-2000. Life expectancy rose from 50 to 78 years.
Social Security/Medicare came into our lives. The
minority population rose from 13 to 28 percent. The
urbanization of the country proceeded at a fast pace
as the total population quadrupled. The per capita
GDP (Gross Domestic Product) grew eightfold, while
people who owned stock went from 1 to 52 percent.
Have we reached
utopia for our seniors? No, but we are on the right
highway. So let’s post the road signs carefully to
aid people in cars to find their way. Directional
signs pointing the way toward affordable long-term
care reform and coverage, access to quality
information and assistance, and transportation
improvements are being posted as we approach the new
legislative session. Let’s ensure that the first
decade of the new century is truly the forerunner of
wonderful times to come.
On a final note,
let us never forget that seniors continue to be a
major resource in the volunteer world.
– Kenneth Moritz,
Chair
Minnesota Board on
Aging
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