The entire basis for The Candy Store Generation is an impression I got during the 2000 presidential campaign debates, specifically the first debate. George W. Bush and Al Gore argued about what to do with the Federal budget surplus that was just about to become a reality.

The whole thing seemed absurd to me. The surplus was a projection only at that point, a projections by the Congressional Budget Office. How well had they done in the past? I thought it was absurd to plan to spend a surplus you didn’t actually have yet. It seemed I was the only person who thought it absurd, because I heard no news coverage saying it was absurd. No on with whom I was acquainted said it was absurd. I couldn’t get any interest from anyone about it.

The image that struck me was the Bush and Gore were like children in a candy store, with a lot more money than they expected. And I realized they were both Baby Boomers, the first time in history that two Boomers faced each other at the presidential level. I further realized they very well represented their generation. The vast majority of Boomers were children in candy stores, spending recklessly, unmindful of the future.

So I renamed the Baby Boomers, “The Candy Store Generation”, and decided to write a book.

Next post will be about Chapter 2.