1/31: NYS Budget: Down the Deficit, Say Voters

Facing an estimated $10 billion budget deficit for the upcoming fiscal year, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo will detail his plans to close the gap when he presents his budget tomorrow.  And, according to this NY1/YNN-Marist Poll, many New York State voters think addressing the deficit is the state’s top priority and have confidence in the governor’s ability to do so.

Click Here for Complete January 31, 2011 NY1/YNN-Marist Poll Release and Tables

A plurality of voters — 41% — say reducing the state’s deficit should be the top concern.  More than three in ten — 31% – report cutting taxes should be the focus while 27% think maintaining services and benefits should be the priority.  Fewer than 1% are unsure.

“New York State voters recognize the importance of addressing the state’s deficit and are confident in Governor Cuomo’s ability to do just that,” says Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion.

Highlights from this NY1/YNN-Marist Poll:

• While reducing the deficit is the top priority for many voters statewide, party makes a difference.   Democrats closely divide.  41% of Democrats see reducing the deficit as priority number one, and 36% place maintaining services and benefits at the top of their list.  Among Republicans, although 44% believe the first thing to do is drive down the state’s deficit, 45% of the state’s GOP believe cutting taxes should be the state’s highest priority.  42% of non-enrolled voters want the deficit slashed with nearly 3 in10 placing either cutting taxes or maintaining services and benefits at the top of their list.
• There are regional differences, as well.  While 46% of upstate voters say cutting the deficit should be the state’s focus, 45% of those in the suburbs want cutting taxes to be the first item on the agenda, and 43% of voters in New York City want to maintain services and benefits.
• Nearly six in ten voters — 58% — are confident that Governor Cuomo will be able to solve the state’s fiscal crisis.  Included here are 9% who have a great deal of confidence in his ability and 49% who have a good amount of trust.  Almost three in ten — 28% — don’t have very much confidence in the governor on this issue, and 10% have no confidence at all in his fiscal prowess.  Just 4% are unsure.
• More than two-thirds of Democrats statewide — 67% — are confident in the new governor’s ability to tackle the state’s fiscal problems, and even a majority of Republicans — 52% — have, at least, a good amount of confidence in Cuomo.  54% of non-enrolled voters agree.
• Most voters — 68% — do not have confidence in the New York State Legislature to solve the state’s fiscal crisis.  Included here are 41% of voters who report they do not have much confidence in it and more than one in four — 27% — who do not have any confidence at all.  On the other hand, 23% have a good amount of confidence in the legislature’s ability, and 3% have a great deal of confidence in it.  Six percent are unsure.
• 64% of voters want the “millionaire’s tax” to be extended beyond the end of the year to prevent increasing the budget deficit.  33% do not want to extend the surcharge on those who earn an income of a million dollars or more, and only 3% are unsure.
• When it comes to property taxes, nearly seven in ten — 68% — want them capped so they do not rise more than two percent per year. However, 28% do not want them limited because they believe a cap will force local governments to cut services or raise other taxes.  Just 3% are unsure.
• Many voters support the tax cap regardless of region.   70% of upstate voters, 67% in the suburbs of New York City, and 66% in New York City would like to see an annual cap on property tax.
• Voters want to make changes to union workers’ pay increases.  42% would like raises based on merit or performance put in place when union contracts come due, and 27% think union workers should receive cost of living increases and nothing more.  At opposite extremes, 15% say no raises should be authorized compared with 13% who think union workers should receive the same type of increases they have had in the past.

Table: Top Priority for NYS
Table: Confidence in Governor Andrew Cuomo: Fiscal Crisis
Table: Confidence in State Legislature: Fiscal Crisis
Table: Millionaire’s Tax
Table: Property Tax Cap
Table: Pay Increases for Union Workers

NY1/YNN-Marist Poll Methodology

1/28: Gillibrand Approval Rating Climbs to Highest Point Since Taking Office

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has improved her standing among New York voters.  Nearly half of registered voters statewide — 49% — think she is doing either an excellent or good job in office.  Included here are 13% who report she is doing an excellent job and 36% who say she is doing a good one.  Gillibrand’s approval rating is the highest she has received since taking office in January 2009.  Currently, 29% rate Gillibrand’s performance as fair while 10% say she is doing poorly.  12% have not heard enough about her to offer an opinion.

Click Here for Complete January 28, 2011 NYS NY1/YNN-Marist Poll Release and Survey

When Marist last reported on Gillibrand’s approval rating in late October, 36% gave her above average grades, 30% thought she was doing a fair job, and 18% said her performance was poor.  16%, at the time, were unsure.

“This is the first time since being appointed to the U.S. Senate by former Governor David Paterson that Senator Gillibrand has established herself with New York voters in terms of her job performance,” says Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion.  “Voters see Gillibrand in a different light.”

Although Gillibrand has bolstered support across party lines, the largest bump in her approval rating comes from her own base.  61% of New York State Democrats approve of the job she is doing in the U.S. Senate.  In October, 45% of Democrats held this view.  Among the state’s GOP, 39% give Gillibrand a thumbs-up compared with 30% who did the same in Marist’s previous survey.  And, among non-enrolled voters, 40% approve of Gillibrand’s job performance while 28% did so at the end of October.

Regardless of region, Gillibrand’s approval rating has enjoyed a boost.  A majority of voters — 54% — in New York City, 45% in the city’s suburbs, and nearly half of those upstate — 49% — approve of her job performance.  In October, those proportions stood at 31%, 35%, and 40%, respectively.

Table: Gillibrand Approval Rating
Table: Gillibrand Approval Rating Over Time

Schumer Approval Rating Up

Senator Chuck Schumer’s job approval rating is strong.  Nearly six in ten voters — 59% — think New York’s senior senator is doing either an excellent or good job in office.  This includes 22% who believe he is doing an excellent job and 37% who report he is doing a good one.  Nearly three in ten — 28% — give him fair grades, and just 9% say he is performing poorly in office.  Five percent are unsure.

At the end of October, Schumer enjoyed a 55% approval rating.  His highest approval rating came in October of 2004 when 61% of voters lauded his performance.

Table: Schumer Approval Rating
Table: Schumer Approval Rating Over Time

Obama Approval Rating at 53%

Among registered voters statewide, a majority — 53% — approve of the job President Barack Obama is doing in office.  Included here are 17% who think he is doing an excellent job and 36% who report he is doing a good one.  One in four think his job performance is fair, and more than one in five — 22% — say Mr. Obama’s performance is poor.  One percent is unsure.

The president’s approval rating in the state has grown.  At the end of October, 45% approved of the job Mr. Obama was doing as president.  23% gave him fair marks, and about one-third — 32% — thought his performance was subpar.

Although there has been a seven percentage point bump in the president’s job performance rating among non-enrolled voters, Republicans in New York play a role in Mr. Obama’s improved standing as well.  26% of the statewide GOP currently approve of the president’s job performance.  16% thought that way in Marist’s previous survey.

Table: Obama Approval Rating
Table: Obama Approval Rating Over Time

NY1/YNN-Marist Poll Methodology

The Marist Poll’s Lee Miringoff discusses Gillibrand’s improvement in the polls:

1/28: The Son Also Rises…

Lately the signs of the galaxy have undergone change.  Not far from MariosCosmos, once a very bright star on the horizon, the glistening SonofCosmos has come into view.  Somewhat similar in appearance, sonar cannot detect any noticeable difference in sound.  To find SonofCosmos, locate the lights above Albany and set your gaze slightly to the right.

SonofCosmos’ return to the Empirous constellation followed his having been active not too long ago in the orbit of Clintonia.  The rediscovery of SonofCosmos in Empirous was somewhat serendipitous given SonofCosmos’ placement in the shadows of Planet 9.  But, Planet 9 wilted like a Mayflower, passing the controls of Albany to his co-pilot.  Soon thereafter, the skies parted and SonofCosmos, like MariosCosmos before him, became the brightest light in the constellation.

Will his star shine throughout the 62 counties of Empirous?  Will he again take flight when the stars realign in 2016? Will his spacecraft, leave the Albany tarmac and head to the distant granite planet? Keep your telescopes fixed towards the northern poll to detect any future changes in the astrological signs.

1/27: NY1/YNN-Marist Poll: NY Voters Psyched About New Gov… Job Approval Rating Off to a Good Start

One month into his tenure, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo is viewed favorably by more than seven in ten registered voters statewide, and nearly half — 48% – approve of his job performance thus far.  Many voters think Mr. Cuomo may be the right prescription to treat New York’s ailing state government.

“Out of the starting gates, it’s so far so good for Governor Andrew Cuomo,” says Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion.  “His numbers surpass initial polls on the previous three governors and are comparable to his father’s.”

Click Here for Complete January 27, 2011 NYS NY1/YNN-Marist Poll Release and Tables

Key points from this NY1/YNN-Marist Poll:

• 71% of registered voters in New York State view Governor Cuomo favorably while 17% – do not.  12% have either never heard of him or are unsure how to rate him.
• Positive impressions of the governor span party lines.  Not surprisingly, 79% of Democrats view him favorably, but 66% of Republicans and 67% of non-enrolled voters also share this view.  Although well-liked regardless of region, Cuomo fares slightly better in New York City — 76% — than in the suburbs — 71% — and upstate — 68%.
• Governor Cuomo’s approval rating stands at 48%.  Included here are 9% who report the governor is doing an excellent job and 39% who think he is doing a good one.  28% rate Cuomo as doing a fair job, and just 5% say he is performing poorly.  To be expected after just one month in office, 19% have yet to form an opinion.
• Along party lines, 55% of Democrats, 43% of Republicans, and 42% of non-enrolled voters give Cuomo high marks as governor.
• Cuomo receives kudos regardless of region.  In the suburbs of New York City, half of voters — 50% — approve of Cuomo’s job performance.  48% of New York City voters and 47% of those upstate do the same.
• On the specifics of Cuomo’s image:

o   More than seven in ten — 72% — think Cuomo is a good leader for New York State compared with 15% who do not.  13% are unsure.

o   61% say the governor represents all regions of the state.  Although he fares better in Democratic New York City, at least a majority in all areas of the state have this view.  68% in New York City compared with the suburbs — 62% — and upstate — 56% — believe Cuomo represents all regions of the state.

o   66% of the New York State electorate perceive Cuomo as a governor who cares about the people of New York.  25% disagree, and 9% are unsure.

o   Cuomo is viewed by 63% as a unifier who will get the state working together.  Almost one in four — 24% – disagree.  12% are unsure.

o   Nearly six in ten — 58% – believe Cuomo is improving the way things work in Albany while 23% disagree.  Of note are 19% who are unsure.

o   A majority of voters — 54% — say the governor is fulfilling campaign promises, 20% do not think this to be the case, and a notable 26% are unsure.

o   55% of New York voters call Cuomo a political moderate.  The governor is perceived by 26% as a liberal, and 12% think he is a conservative.  Eight percent are unsure.  Interestingly, a majority of voters, regardless of party, perceive Cuomo as a moderate.

Table: Andrew Cuomo Favorability
Table: Governor Andrew Cuomo Approval Rating
Table: Governor Andrew Cuomo as Leader
Table: Governor Andrew Cuomo as Representing All NYS Regions
Table: Governor Andrew Cuomo Caring About New Yorkers
Table: Governor Andrew Cuomo as Unifier
Table: Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Impact on Albany
Table: Governor Andrew Cuomo Fulfilling Campaign Promises
Table: Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Ideology

Voters More Positive About Direction of NYS

There has been a sharp decline in the proportion of registered voters who think New York State is moving in the wrong direction.  Although a majority of voters — 52% — still report the state is traveling down the wrong path, 78% thought that way when Marist last posed this question at the end of October.  As for those who say the state is going down the correct road, 42% have this view while just 18% shared this perception three months ago.

Table: Direction of NYS
Table: Direction of NYS Over Time

Major Changes Needed in New York State

Although 42% of voters think the state is now moving in the right direction, 73% still think major changes are needed in the way things are done in state government.  An additional 10% go as far to say that government is broken and beyond repair.  However, 16% report minor changes are needed, and only 1% says state government does not need to be changed at all.

There has been little movement on this question since Marist last reported it in its September 24^th survey.

Table: Status of State Government in Albany
Table: Status of State Government in Albany Over Time

Legislature Not Keeping Pace, Say Voters

When it comes to how the State Senate is performing, just 18% give the body high marks.  Included here are 1% who says it is doing an excellent job and 17% who report it is doing a good job.  34% rate its performance as fair while 43% give it poor grades.  Only 5% are unsure.

When Marist previously asked this question last spring, the New York State Senate’s approval rating stood at 14%.

There has also been little change in the approval rating of the New York State Assembly.  17% say it is doing either an excellent or good job.  This includes 1% who thinks it is doing an excellent job and 16% who believe it is doing a good one.  35% give the State Assembly fair grades while 43% report it is doing a poor job.  Five percent are unsure.

In Marist’s previous poll, 13% gave the Assembly above average marks.

Table: New York State Senate Job Approval Rating
Table: New York State Senate Job Approval Rating (Over Time)

Table: New York State Assembly Job Approval Rating
Table: New York State Assembly Job Approval Rating (Over Time)

Voters Wait to Weigh In on New AG

Newly-elected New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s job approval rating is 34%.  This includes 4% who believe he is doing an excellent job and 30% who report he is doing a good one.  However, most voters do not give Schneiderman a poor performance review.  While 31% give him fair grades, only 5% say he is doing poorly.  More than three in ten voters — 31% — have either never heard of him or are unsure how to rate him.

Table: Schneiderman Approval Rating

DiNapoli Approval Rating at 34%

New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli may have won re-election in November, but he continues to struggle to impress New York State voters.  34% give him high marks in office.  Included here are 4% who report DiNapoli is doing an excellent job and 30% who say he is doing a good one.  More than one-third — 36% — rate his performance as average while 8% think he is performing below average.  23% are still unsure how to rate him or have never heard of him.

When Marist reported this question at the end of September, 33% approved of the comptroller’s job performance.  33% gave him fair marks, and 13% thought he was performing poorly.  21%, at the time, were unsure how to rate him.

Table: DiNapoli Approval Rating
Table: DiNapoli Approval Rating Over Time

NY1/YNN-Marist Poll Methodology

1/25: President Outshines Athletes, Celebs as Most Wanted Autograph

Presidents have been known to sign an autograph or two as they leave the House Chamber following their State of the Union addresses, but members of the U.S. Congress aren’t the only ones who want the president’s signature.  The Commander in Chief’s John Hancock is the autograph most desired by Americans.

When asked from whom they would prefer to receive an autograph, a majority of U.S. residents — 52% — say they would like to get one from the president.  A professional athlete comes in a distant second with 18%.  And, while this year’s Academy Award nominees were just announced, expect only one in ten Americans to clamor for an autograph from an actor or actress.  Eight percent say they would value an autograph from a rock star, and 4% would cherish the signature of a newscaster.  Eight percent are unsure.

Although a plurality of younger Americans would most appreciate the president’s autograph, more older Americans have this view.  57% of those 45 or older would want the president’s autograph while 45% of those younger than 45 agree.  Slightly more women — 56% — than men — 48%– share this opinion.

Table: Autograph Preference

Marist Poll Methodology

1/25: Welcome to the World of Sports Signings!

If ever there was a blank slate, I was one.

It was June of 2009, and I found myself amid a crowd of basketball fans at my local shopping mall.  No, there wasn’t a sale at Modell’s, Champs, Foot Locker, or any other sporting goods store.  We were gathered for an autograph signing by former New York Knicks players John Starks and Anthony Mason.

It was my first sports signing in more than 20 years.  And, trust me.  My name was never synonymous with this type of event.  Don’t get me wrong, I love sports!  As a kid, I was thrilled to meet New York Mets Howard Johnson, Terry Leach, and Mackey Sasser at baseball card shows at my elementary school.  As an adult, though, attending these events never really appealed to me.  But, all that changed.

Shortly after meeting my, now, fiancé, I discovered the one addictive part of his personality — his love of collecting sports memorabilia.  Enamored by the stories of those he had met and the pieces he had in his collection, I became intrigued and was a willing participant in the next signing.  To put it simply, I thought it was cool!  I mean, I could hold my own.  I have those childhood baseball card shows under my belt.  I thought I knew what was in store.  Boy, was I wrong.

Soon, I realized this wasn’t just a hobby, it was a whole world (not to mention an industry) with its own set of rules populated by some of the most loyal fans around.  Here’s a taste of what I learned:
•    Collect unique items (e.g. a ball signed by the pitcher and catcher of a perfect game)
•    Without an inscription, it’s really not worth it
•    Inscriptions are extra
•    Prices vary based upon the athlete
•    Different fees exist for different items (balls, flats, jerseys, etc.)
•    16×20 photos must be purchased sparingly (They take up too much wall space and should be reserved for only the most exciting of action shots.)
•    When framing memorabilia, do so with UV protected glass
•    The thrill of meeting some of the greats never dies

Mays, Berra, Palmer, Ripken, Henderson, Seaver, Gooden… Needless to say, I am hooked.  Would I call myself one of the 18% of Americans who told the Marist Poll they would prefer an athlete’s autograph over, say, the president’s?  Probably not.  But, I will say the adrenaline rush of meeting an athlete whom you’ve watched, and in many cases, admired over the years, is incredible!

1/24: The State of the Union: Few Expect Change in Level of Confidence

As President Barack Obama prepares for tomorrow’s State of the Union address, most voters nationwide do not expect the speech to renew their confidence in the future of the country.  While more than three in ten voters believe the president’s speech will alter their view, nearly six in ten — 59% — say it will make no difference.  23% believe they will be more confident about the direction of the country following the speech, almost three times the proportion of those who think they will be less confident — 8% — after hearing the president speak.  11% are unsure.

“The address is not likely to change how most feel about the nation,” says Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion.  “But, by three to one, voters who are likely to think differently expect to be more positive.”

Along party lines, Democrats divide.  A plurality — 45% — say Mr. Obama’s State of the Union address will not impact how they feel about the direction of the country while 41% report they expect to be more confident following the address.  Not surprisingly, about two-thirds of Republicans — 66% — believe their level of certitude will be unchanged.  The same proportion of independents — 66% — share this view.

Among voters who approve of the president’s job performance, 39% say the president will inspire them about the state of the union.  However, even 49% of voters who approve of the president’s overall job performance report Obama will not add to their level of confidence about the direction of the country.  It’s little surprise that 68% of those who disapprove of how Obama is doing in office believe the address will not change their views.

Table: Impact of State of the Union Address

Marist Poll Methodology

1/20: Boomers Expect Less Comfortable Retirement

2011 marks a milestone for one of the most discussed generations — the Baby Boomers.  This year, the Boomers began turning 65 years old.  As they enter this golden stage of life, how optimistic are they about their future?

Click Here for Complete January 20, 2011 USA Marist Poll Release and Tables

When it comes to their retirement years, a majority of Baby Boomers — 54% — believe they will be less comfortable than other generations before them.  In fact, Boomers are the generation who is least optimistic about post retirement life.  Nearly half — 48% — of Millennials and a plurality — 44% — of Gen Xers believe retirement will be more difficult compared with previous generations.  Only the Silent-Greatest generation has a more positive outlook.  Nearly four in ten in this group — 39% — say they are more comfortable than generations who preceded them. 37% say they are about as comfortable.

Among Americans overall — 44% — report their retirement years will be more trying compared with about one-third — 33% — who say they anticipate those years will be about as comfortable as those who retired before them.  22% believe they will have it easier than their predecessors.

Table: Life Post Retirement

Looking Back to the Future: Hope for a Cure

When they were teenagers, four in ten Baby Boomers — 40% — thought a cure for cancer would be discovered by the time they were 65.  21% thought poverty or hunger would be ended, 18% believed there would be an end to war, and an additional 12% predicted a clean environment around the globe. 10% were unsure.

Hope for a cure for cancer spans the generations.  52% of Gen Xers, 51% of Millennials, and 31% of those in the Silent-Greatest generation report they, as teens, thought a cure for the disease would be found by the time they turned 65.

Among adults as a whole, 43% of Americans believed, as teens, a cure for cancer would be discovered by the time they reached retirement age.

Table: Goal Accomplished by the Age of 65

Visions of Innovations: Driving Sky-High

As for the innovation that Boomers thought would most likely be invented by the time they reached 65, three in ten — 30% — believed, as teenagers, there would be flying cars.  35% of Gen Xers agree.  Millennials divide with 28% predicting, as teenagers, that flying cars would enter the transportation landscape by the time they reach retirement age and 25% anticipating human robots.  There is little consensus among those in the Silent-Greatest generation.  Among this group, 17% envisioned flying cars, 16% thought people from earth would be living on other planets, and 14% believed there would be a technological way to make us smarter.  12% thought human robots would be commonplace.  Four percent believed there would be no need for sleep, and nearly four in ten — 38% — were unsure.

Among adults nationally, as teens, 28% reported flying cars and 21% believed human robots would be invented by the time they reach 65.

Table: Innovation Invented by the Age of 65

Boomers: Burden or Benefit?

Most Americans — 80% — acknowledge the contributions Baby Boomers, as a generation, have made to society.  This includes 87% of Boomers, 79% of those in Gen X, 77% of Millennials, and 75% of those in the Silent-Greatest generation who believe Boomers have been more of a benefit than a burden to American life.  However, a greater proportion of Millennials -than any other generation — 19% — consider Boomers to be more of a burden than a benefit.

Table: Boomer Generation -– Societal Burden or Benefit?

Marist Poll Methodology

Related Stories:

Baby Boomers’ Reality: An Interview

Blog: Boom or Bust?

1/20: Baby Boomers’ Reality: An Interview

The largest explosion in population for the United States occurred in the years just following the end of World War II.  Known as the Baby Boomer Generation, this group has been the largest demographic of the American population and has been the driving force of the economy ever since.  In the second decade of the new millennium, Baby Boomers are graying and facing the reality of retirement.  Will retirement be as rosy as they might anticipate?

The Marist Poll’s John Sparks visits with Marist Poll Contributor Perri Peltz, a distinguished television news journalist and public health advocate.

Listen to the interview or read the full transcript below.

John Sparks
Perri, the Baby Boomers are graying and approaching their golden years, so the Marist Poll reached out and asked if they thought those golden years were going to be as golden as they had hoped for.  What do you think? What will retirement be like for Baby Boomers?

Listen to Part 1 of the Interview:

Perri Peltz
You know, it’s such an interesting question. Seventy-eight million people, Boomers, will start turning 65 come 2011.  So, this is a huge change in our demographics as a country, and it’s been called everything, including the silver tsunami, that the graying of our population is really enormous, and it’s going to place tremendous demands on this country.  How are these people going to be cared for?  Who are going to provide for them?  What about the finances? That being said, what I find fascinating about it is the Boomers who are entering these retirement years are incredibly optimistic, incredibly upbeat about what their prospects are, in spite of the fact that they’re — we’re in a recession, coming out of a recession, however you want to look at it, and obviously that places tremendous demands on this group, this population.

John Sparks
Well, what do boomers have to look forward to in the area of health care?

Perri Peltz
Health reform is obviously a very good thing for Boomers.  The concern that has been stated kind of over and over again is that as you have this enormous number of people entering these years, entering their senior years, obviously health demands go up, and health care demands go up. The question that remains is who’s going to take care of these people?  How are their medical needs going to be met?  Do we have enough medical personnel to care for Boomers who are reaching this age where their health demands are going to be increasing?  So, on the one hand, we have all of these amazing advances in medical technology and medical care, yet do we have the infrastructure?  Do we have the personnel to be able to care for them?  Are there going to be enough doctors?  That is a real question that remains to be seen and whether — how is that gap going to be filled?  Are we going to have different kinds of providers that are going to be filling those gaps?  That’s a question that I think remains to be seen, but it’s without a doubt a real concern within the medical community.

John Sparks
You mentioned the optimism. Boomers have always had what I call “We’ve got the world by the tail” syndrome. And I say “we” because I am a Baby Boomer born in 1947. We took the challenge of sending a man to moon and back and made it a reality, but there are other things that are just beyond our grasp — a cure for cancer and then, of course, AIDS, Alzheimer’s. You have an expertise and an interest in public health and medicine, do you think that Boomers, the folks of my generation, have a chance of seeing any of those challenges becoming a reality in our lifetimes?

Perri Peltz
You know, I think they do.  I don’t think there’s any question about it.  I think that the advances that are taking place are really astounding. You look at the new medications that are happening in cancer treatment which are phenomenal. I mean chemotherapy, while it’s still an incredibly important part of cancer treatment, is becoming less of a focus as you start to look at these — this new round of treatments.  So, I think that there are all of these advances that are taking place, and I think Boomers are going to be able to enjoy some of those advances in medical care.  Are we going to find a cure for cancer during this period?  You know, hard to say.  Are we going to find a cure for Alzheimer’s?  Maybe not.  But, it seems as though we are making tremendous strides, and I think that Boomers are going to enjoy some of those benefits of really the things that they’ve been working on during all — during this time.

John Sparks
They’ve always had this terrific idealism besides in the areas of health, this idealism that perhaps we might even — we would seek and we would find an end to poverty. I know that you work with the Robin Hood Foundation. That’s an organization dedicated to fighting poverty.  What do you think about an end to poverty?  Will we be able to accomplish a goal as lofty as that?

Listen to Part 2:

Perri Peltz
Oh, I think that’s a really, really, really difficult one, and I think that you know with the economic period that we’re in certainly has made it even more difficult. I think that the good news about this population, about the Boomers entering retirement, they’re not really retiring. They are staying so engaged, and the numbers seem to bear that out, that this a group of people who have really little interest in stopping their activities and that they want to remain engaged, that they want to continue with the idealism for which they’ve been known for such a long period of time, that they want to continue with that and engage in fighting poverty and in fighting so many of these things.  So, I think the good news is their enthusiasm, their idealism is certainly not going to end just because they turn 65.  So, hopefully, that will continue, and that will help to end some of these bigger issues that we are dealing with. One of the things that I love is how many of the Boomers are volunteering and trying to make change.  So, perhaps, they’re leaving the traditional workforce, but they certainly are staying engaged, volunteering in numbers that have been unprecedented, and that is only good.  Right?  So, whether we can fight poverty or win that battle, that’s an enormous question, but as long as this incredible force of people, who are idealistic, stay engaged, chances are good that real things yet can be accomplished.

John Sparks
Another thing that Marist asked Boomers had to do with things that they might expect to see in their lifetimes that go beyond health issues — living on other planets, microchips to make us smarter, human robots. This is certainly not the same world I was born into, but what do you see on the horizon in the form of technology, and will it be for the better or worse in the years to come?

Perri Peltz
You know it’s a great question, and I look at the age that we are living in right now, put aside living on another planet, the way that we are connected, the Internet, all of these unbelievable things that I find as though we’re living in this incredible era. So, you think about what is the next step, and it’s so hard to understand that as you’re just trying to figure out how to stay current with this technology that we have.  So hard to say where it’s all going, but I think it’s such an incredible period of technology development and growth, you know, who knows what’s coming next?

John Sparks
Perri, many of our Marist listeners remember you from your days at WNBC.  Can you catch us up on what you’re doing these days?

Listen to Part 3:

Perri Peltz
I remember … you know, I was with WNBC for a long time and punctuated — I went to CNN for a couple of years, I was at ABC for a couple of years, loved the work that I did. I had an incredible opportunity and largely focused on issues that were somehow related to public health, whether it was addiction issues or disease problems or … the AIDS epidemic is really how I got started in journalism.  So, it was an amazing, amazing opportunity. About three or four years ago, I decided I wanted to return to school.  I had always planned after I graduated from college to go to medical school and public health school and really focus on issues relating to public health. I never went to medical school. I kind of got sidetracked and wound up going to WNBC and starting out as a medical reporter focusing on lots of these kinds of issues.  So, after 20 years in the business, I decided I wanted to go back to medical school. I did.  I wound up staying for one year in medical school and then realizing that I really wanted to focus more on public health issues, that at this point in my life it was unlikely that I was going to start practicing medicine, and really what I was — wanted to remain focused on were issues concerning public health and, in specific, access to care for poor people.  So, I’m now at Columbia.  I’m in their doctoral program for public health and pursuing these issues about access to care, and the issues of aging certainly tie into that.  I mean, what happens not only is you have this incredible population of people who are reaching retirement age, but what about the numbers of poor people?  And that has traditionally been a problem in the United States. How do they get health care?  And now you have to magnify that, right.  As you look at this population of people, what happens to the people who don’t have health insurance, who are poor?  How do they access care, and how do they access care now that they are coming in numbers that we have never seen before?  So that’s really what I’m focusing on.  I still try to stay current in journalism.  I have a show that I do once a week for the SIRIUS XM network, which I love, and I do that once a week, and we focus on a health care issue each week, so that’s been really you know terrific and that’s how I kind of stay engaged with journalism.  But, other than that, I’ve largely been a student.  So, that’s what I’m doing.

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Each year when Beloit College releases its Mindset List about the traits of the entering freshman class, I am reminded of something I find myself saying more and more often … this is not the world I was born into.

I am a classic Boomer born in 1947.  World War II was history.  My world in Texas reflected what was going on in other parts of the country … growth, housing starts, and the height of the military-industrial complex created out of necessity to defeat Hitler, Mussolini, and Japan.  The United States was a manufacturing giant, and my generation has always been the trend setters, the driving force behind the economy, and the beneficiaries of the Greatest Generation — our parents — whose values and determination strived to make the world a better place for us.  Born in the Great Depression, they never wanted us to do without.  The American Dream was the goal — everyone living in a house in the suburbs with a two car garage and a college education.

Polio was the dreaded disease.  Health insurance was not an entitlement.  Doctors made house calls, and we paid them in cash.  When I was six years old, my mother placed me in an experimental program to help find a vaccine for polio.  A couple of years later, we had the Salk vaccine followed by the Sabin vaccine.

Davy Crockett was the King of the Wild Frontier, and Walt Disney capitalized on him in one of the first mass marketing campaigns utilizing the new magic box in our living room — the television.  Television would play a formidable role in our lives, and for me, personally.  I would spend 40 years of my adult life working in television news.

As a child, I recall the times as optimistic and fun.  The shadow of the Cold War and the threat of nuclear annihilation were ever-present, but my day to day concerns were of cowboys, baseball, Boy Scouts and later on cars and girls.  We all felt we would live forever as invulnerable as another television and comic book hero, Superman.  Somehow our parents protected us from fears of doom, drought, and an economic recession that hit us in the 1950’s.  I never spent a waking hour thinking about retirement.

I barely remember Harry Truman.  The first real president I do remember was a grandfather-like figure who came on the television on rare occasions — Dwight Eisenhower.  The world would stop when that happened, and everyone would watch and listen closely.

The optimism of my pre-teen years was followed with the youthful vigor of our next president, John F. Kennedy.  He inspired us into believing we could send a man to the moon, and he talked about the torch being passed on to a new generation — us.

I saw President Kennedy in person on the morning he was assassinated.  I was at the breakfast at the Hotel Texas in Fort Worth where he spoke just hours before he was gunned down in Dallas.  I could have reached out and touched him in the motorcade as it left the Hotel.

Many have written that the shots that rang out in Dealey Plaza marked the transition from an age of innocence.

Regardless of when, somewhere along the way, things went awry.  Some of it was our own undoing.  Some of it for all good intentions were the mistakes of our parents.

The verve turned to violence and Vietnam.  We began to question the status quo.   We had all the answers.  Our next president from an older generation vowed to end poverty with his Great Society.  He failed.

We had Earth Day and became aware of our environment.   We became the Woodstock Generation, and we thrived on drugs, sex, and rock and roll.

Believe it or not, though, forty years have passed, and in the course of time in the year 2010, those of us still kicking have survived many more periods of ups and downs.  Greed and corruption have always been present.  Every age has its own perils and promise.  Today, it’s terrorists, technology, and Tweets.  Tomorrow?  Who knows?

Of concern lately has been the results of a survey indicating that for the first time Americans feel like the country’s better days are behind us and not ahead.  Financial forecasts tell us to be prepared to work way past the age we thought we would retire.  Alzheimer’s is a growing concern of many of us as medical strides have lengthened our lifespan.

We Boomers are coming to grips with our own mortality.  As the world turns, our youth has given way to gray hair and wrinkles, but along with the fears and trepidation, this Boomer remains an optimist.

The earth still spins on its axis.  Life is still worth living.  The glass is far more than half full, and I continue to be blessed with new friends and new experiences.  I am thankful for being born when I was and for experiencing life as part of the Baby Boomer Generation.  I wouldn’t trade places with anyone.

I also look forward to 2011 and to continue sharing interviews and insights with our Marist followers.  Happy New Year!

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