Let me agree to this. I'm 60, right on the generational boundary, and watched the Boomers screw the pooch in so many ways. GenX are just the ones who first had to navigate it. And you've pretty much hit the nail on the head as to the specifics — the economics, religious fanaticism, and sociopathic unconcern for others of the Reagan years set the tone for all the $#!+ that followed.