In a column for The Seattle Times, Danny Westneat, 48, reminisced about his college days. It was possible in his college years, he said, to actually earn a year’s tuition to college with a summer job.

According to the columnist, in 1981, a year of tuition at the University of Washington was $687. Today, it’s $12,500. Part of the difference is that the government paid ninety percent of the tab in 1981. Today? Thirty percent. Westneat’s opinion is that his generation milked the system, but, having prospered from their education, aren’t interested in doing the same for the current generation.

Thomas Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum, in their book That Used To Be Us, How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back, question resources transferred from the nation’s youth to seniors since Social Security was established in the 1930’s. The authors state: “The national interest depends on everyone, including seniors, making some sacrifice so that the country can make the investments it needs in America’s future.”

We might also consider the money spent on the wars we have fought in the last few years. They have taken money that might have been used to better fund our pension system as well as pay more for education for our youth. Our military adventures that sent our young to war also robbed them of educational resources.