Throwback Thursday: From Cedar Point to Social Security—Gen X and the Retirement Time Bomb

The year was 1992.
June. Just one day after I graduated high school, my father dropped me off at Cedar Point, Ohio’s crown jewel amusement park, to begin my first real job as a restroom attendant.

Potty Patrol wasn’t glamorous, but it was honest work.

Minimum wage: $4.25/hour.
My housing and food were deducted from my paycheck, along with federal and state taxes. And then there were those mysterious lines: Social Security and Medicare. I was just 18, but already I was contributing to a system meant to take care of an older generation—one I hadn’t yet joined and had no say in.

There was no option to opt out. No 401(k). No Roth IRA. No index fund to grow my investment. Just quiet compliance. We were told, “This is how the system works.”

And now, here I am at 51. My husband is 55. We are that “older generation” now, or getting close to it. But instead of security, we are met with doubt, fear, and gaslighting.

They Call It an Entitlement.

But let’s be clear: We paid into it.
We’ve given decades of our working lives to a system that promised something in return. Now we’re hearing that by the time Gen X retires, Social Security might be underfunded or gone. We’re watching COLA increases for Boomers while being told we are a burden for wanting the same dignity in retirement.

The mainstream narrative is manipulative:
“Social Security is an entitlement program.”
“People are living too long.”
“The system is unsustainable.”

Let’s reframe that:
It’s a program we were forced to fund with no control or choice.
It’s a system we upheld.
It’s a deferred paycheck we were promised.

Meanwhile…

There are news stories today celebrating billions in tariff revenue going into general funds. Why not invest that money into the future of Social Security? Why not create investment-based models that give younger generations the ability to grow their own retirement assets?

We have been financial hostages, forced to participate in a broken system, and now blamed for expecting a return.

Dear Gen X:

We are the forgotten middle child—wedged between Boomers with pensions and Millennials with crypto. We raised ourselves on latchkey afternoons and worked through recessions, 9/11, the housing crash, and a global pandemic. We know how to stretch a dollar and survive without praise.

But we’re also tired.

And now, in the supposed home stretch, the finish line keeps moving. Retirement is starting to feel like a mirage.

It’s Time to Speak Up

We are not “entitled.”
We are owed.
And we need to start demanding accountability and investment strategies that ensure Social Security—and real retirement options—exist for us and future generations.

Let’s stop being silent. Let’s stop letting Congress kick the can down the road. Let’s stop accepting “nothing can be done” as an answer.

This #ThrowbackThursday, I remember the girl scrubbing sinks at Cedar Point, believing that hard work would pay off.

Let’s make sure it still does.

🗣️ Share this if you’re Gen X and sick of being left behind. Comment below: What was your first job, and how much did you make? Have you lost faith in retirement being a reality? Let’s talk. 👇