As the baby boomers start to reach retirement age, the percentage of the U.S. (AAA/Negative/A-1+) population eligible for government support will begin to mount. Babies born in 1946 turn 65 this year and will become eligible for Medicare. They will also be entitled to start collecting full Social Security retirement benefits next year, under the current system. The U.S. government, however, is not currently collecting enough money to pay its Medicare, Social Security, and other long-term bills. (Listen to the related podcast titled, "The Graying Population In The U.S. Could Cost Even More Green," dated July 5, 2011.) The issue isn't unique to the U.S.—virtually all the major industrial societies will have to deal with it sooner or later (see
