Boomer bashing, always a fun activity for some, could become an extreme sport this year now that the generation has officially hit Medicare age. Instead of just going after boomers as self important bores the trend is to paint boomers as burdens.

And who benefits from this new round of boomer bashing, we might wonder,  as we see headlines like:

Squeeze from retiring boomers starts now

Big demanding generation.. expected to strain resources

Baby boomers may bust plans

While it is true that the boomer generation has come up with a lot to change society, like pushing to end racism, sexism and ageism, Medicare and Social Security are not boomer inventions. Social Security, a government run insurance program funded by payroll taxes, was started in 1935. Medicare and Medicaid were added in 1965.

Boomers have been paying into both ever since we looked at our first paycheck and wondered “what’s FICA.” Medicare began just as the oldest boomers started working, meaning that boomers have paid more into Medicare than any other generation.

But instead of being considered big contributors we’re now considered a liability.

The deal was we paid then so the government would deliver it when we need it, now.

It’s not that boomers aren’t aware of concerns over risks to funding Medicare and Social Security. The math is there. There are more older workers ready to make claims than younger workers paying into the system. Some say fix the system. Some say scrap it. In any case, boomers are made out as the big burden. The big drain.

Some even suggest boomers are asking for some fat allowance that we don’t deserve. That’s bunk. The average monthly Social Security benefit in 2010 was $1,158, an essential safety net if you’re in the struggling class. If you’re rich, the cost of a couple pair of kick-butt shoes. Medicare does not cover lip plumping.

It’s not like boomers are a bunch of newcomers asking for special privileges.

We’re the parents and grandparents and older siblings of the younger generation. Most people probably had at least one boomer at their table over the holidays. We’re not aliens who just walked in the door demanding all the good wine.

And we’re not cavalier about threats to Social Security and Medicare. Polls show that boomers are, in large part, willing to make some sacrifices by raising the eligibility age and/or paying higher Medicare taxes rather than slicing benefits. We’re as worried for the younger generation as ourselves.

No self respecting boomer should let the propagandists get away with implying that older people want it all now, the future be damned.

Who does it benefit to convince young workers that Medicare and Social Security are doomed, rather than engaging them as advocates in coming up with ways to make the system sound and fair for everyone? Who stands to gain from creating a generation war over Social Security and Medicare?

Critics say leave health care for older people to the insurance companies. Dump Social Security and let people invest in their retirement.

This would take away the government’s responsibility to its older citizens and turn it over to the private sector which some consider a one way ticket to an ice floe.

The best alternative would be to insure meaningful, well paid jobs for as long as you want to work and then to age without ever getting sick. But no one, not even a boomer, has figured out how to do that.

Two friends turned 65 and threw themselves a Medicare birthday party. We drank margaritas, played bocce ball and frolicked long past our bedtimes. It was hard to imagine our friends being 65. Or any of us ageless agile people who all looked gorgeous by candlelight.

But that’s what happens. You look up one day and you’re old enough for Medicare. Which makes being 65 something to shout about. At least loud enough to put your age on a government document and celebrate with sympathetic contemporaries. It means you have made it to the finish line. At least one of them. You can stop worrying about health insurance.

It’s not exactly the same thrill as being old enough to take your driver’s test or vote or order a drink. But it’s a definite rite of passage. Sixty five – the new 21. Bring on the black balloons.

I remember being at a dinner party a few years ago and realizing that our conversation had been dominated by deductibles, COBRA and pre-existing conditions. When did health insurance get to be so sexy, I asked the silver-haired marvel on my right.

Back then we griped about employers switching to health plans that didn’t include our long-time family doctor. We talked about co-pays going up. About sticking with a job just for the benefits. Things weren’t as grim as they are now, but the concern was starting to creep in that something a lot of us had taken for granted all our working lives was eroding.

Sixty five – the new 21. Bring on the black balloons.

Now that health insurance has turned into a huge, slippery pile of lies, threats and insecurity, you can turn 65 and be glad to be over that particular hill. No more worrying that you’ll lose your coverage. And the doctor finds something awful which costs bags of gold to fix. And you have to sell your home and move in with the kids.

Bad economic times color one’s perspective on many things. Suddenly it’s not so bad to be getting older. The worst recession in 80 years can make a person grateful to have lived long enough to climb into one or two life boats. Medicare and Social Security may be leaking but at least you’ve got a seat.

Well, at least for the time being. The relief could be brief, because there are mighty forces trying to torpedo the life boats. Opponents of Social Security and Medicare would like to undo both, leave it to individuals to find their own best deals. Critics, including members of Congress, sneer at these government guarantees like they’re some kind of public assistance. They call them entitlements. But wait a minute. Social Security and Medicare are no more entitlements than members of Congress get with their own socialized health insurance, made in the USA.

For us regular people, they’re a return on our long-time investments. We’ve had money taken from our pay checks for Medicare and Social Security ever since we started working. It’s been our deal with the government, that there’d be this sure thing when we needed it.

Not that it’s enough. You have to buy a supplement if you want more than bare bones Medicare. And Social Security is a nice allowance but you can’t live on it. Most people expect to also rely on their greater savings, investments and pension. But look what’s happened to them. No sure thing there, either. Plenty of retirees turn around and go back to work.

When I asked in a bookstore for books on retirement the clerk, in gray ponytail and Birkenstocks, said, “Who can afford to retire?” I’m starting to worry that he might be right. Maybe we need to change the lyrics in the song from, “I hope I die before I get old,” to “I hope I die before I go broke.”

Susan Swartz is an author and journalist in Sebastopol. You can also read her at www.juicytomatoes.com and hear her Another Voice commentary on KRCB-FM radio on Fridays. Email is susan@juicytomatoes.com