General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Question: how would you feel if they raised the minimum age of Social Security or Medicare? [View all]graham4anything
(11,464 posts)One thing is a fact- when people retire, they die. People who do something, live longer
historically this has been true.
People need to remain active, to keep their minds active. How many times do you hear someone retired, then two weeks later died.
and another trueism is- us Baby Boomers are the single most selfish generation in history.
Come on admit it, WE ARE SELFISH BRATS. Now we are caring for elderly parents (if they are still alive) and the economy sucked for a while (or still does) and climate change has doubled her effect.
we want we want, we didn't save we relied on our mommy and daddy and now, voila we are scared shit because we didn't save and we are caring for mommy and daddy.
SS was never intended to be the only source of income. It was not meant to support someone for perhaps 30-40 years after retirement.
Calling me names and simple minded and all does not get into things seriously.
Of course, I blame Ralph Nader and his Bush/Gore the same meme.
Gore and his lock box were the thing.
But people listened to Nader and Gore lost NH because of that. He won without Florida if he won NH. And SS would have been safe.
And I am getting sick and tired of people here not wanting to discuss OUT OF THE BOX.
One cannot live to be 90 and spend the ages 65 to 90 doing nothing but playing golf.
It was different when someone retired at 65 and knew they would die in the next five years.
Now it seems, if you make 80, you make 90.
And therein is the problem.
Ten extra years.
and yes, you gotta look at the cold raw numbers like an accountant or statistician(say Nate Silver) or actuary.
(me I am a trained accountant, though not practicing one.) And I love stats.
and as for me, whatever President wants or does is 100% fine by me. I am not the #4 president of all time, he is. He is smarter than me, and has great people around him who know alot more than me. I give him unconditionally. Because my life is bettered by anything he does.
Period.
it's not like anyone else would do any better. So he has my 100% unconditional support.
And so far he has suckerpunched and rope a doped his critics very well. Soon we will have even better health care, therefore we shall live longer and longer
and the wheels on the bus go round and round.
but you gotta see the 9 steps ahead to appreciate it.
AND us BABY BOOMERS GOTTA STOP BEING SO FREAKIN GREEDY and spoiled.
How possibly could any further generations be better off than us baby boomers?
It was NOT possible as boomers skewered that line.
(this reminds me-= the greatest generation(I use that mockingly here)- brought boomers up wrong, very wrong. Because they never teached boomers not to be so freakin' selfish and needy.
We patted ourselves on the back cuz we protested. Yet we lacked certain needs in life being coddled so much.
(cue in the Bellamy Brothers "old hippies" and "kids of the baby boom" records)
Like the environment, it is unsustainable eternally.
Let me add-once I had a discussion about life with my now decesased Archie Bunker clone father in law. And I said something or other about life being fun.
And he said, under what right should anyone think life should be fun?
Yet we grew up thinking it should be.
we pay the price for the fun we had.
While we slogan'd- "leave something behind for the future", we financially did not do that.
therein lies the conundrum, and it is there, whether or not you put me down or call me names and ad homenim me, the truth is out there.
We are living unsustainable lives.
(or as John Lennon sang "IMAGINE no possessions, it isn't hard to do"...and then the world would live as one.
We can't live without them.
Also-SS is not being changed for those who are of age. The change would be further down the line.
I for one would hope the kids wouldn't need SS to survive their last 40 years of life.
But then, after 9-11, I wonder how many kids think they are going to reach old age anyhow.