Louisiana Republican Bill Cassidy: Let's make the retirement age 70!

[eridani]

A good reason to support even less than ideal Democrats

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/15/1336834/-Louisiana-Republican-Bill-Cassidy-Let-s-make-the-retirement-age-nbsp-70#

Rep. Bill Cassidy, who is the regular Republican running against Sen. Mary Landrieu (they're joined by tea party candidate Rob Maness) showed his Republican stripes and his hostility to Social Security in a debate Tuesday night. Cassidy, of course, maintained that the way to preserve Social Security for seniors is to take it away from soon-to-be-seniors.

The most robust exchanges of the night took place when the three candidates argued about how to keep federal benefits for seniors—like Social Security and Medicare—solvent.

On Social Security, Cassidy is in favor of raising the minimum age for receiving Social Security benefits to 70 years old, but only for people who are currently young and can prepare for their retirement accordingly, he said.

Both Landrieu and Maness were adamant people should not have to wait until 70 to receive their Social Security payments. "People cannot work until they're 70 and I think that is very bad policy," Landrieu said.

[trueblue2007]

1. no way could i have worked till 70

nerve damage in left hand.... i can no longer do work requiring 2 hands. i would be under a bridge if i didn't get my SS

[Shrike47]

2. I might have been able to work until 70 if they didn't mind me killing people occasionally.

The anxiety and stress was causing me real medical problems.

(I'm an attorney and I was representing a state agency. I frequently wanted to hit my head against a wall. It wasn't usually the individuals that made me crazy, although some times it was, it was the goddamned policies, which changed periodically. One week I'm arguing x for the client, and two weeks later I'm arguing anything but x. Arggh.

[newfie11]

3. Ok I think these people need to get off their cushioned butts

And check out what other jobs entail.
My job as an xray tech involved heavy lifting, moving a 600lb machine on and off a truck 2X a day. Working a minimum of 50 hours in 4 days traveling to 5 western states. No way I could do that now at age 67. I would love to see that ass do my schedule.
There are many jobs that are physically strenuous and older people generally are not physically able to do or their going to be injured.
But. These idiots sit at a desk and try to dictate what everyone else should do.

[madville]

4. Last time they raised the age it was

From 65 to 67. That is for the full benefit of course and most people don't wait that long. I recently read that 70% of people opt for the early reduced benefit available at age 62, that's what I will be doing since I have two other retirements that start at age 57 and 58.

The age increase that passed in 1983 had about 90% support in the House and Senate, some big Democratic names voted YEA, Kennedy, Leahy, Biden, Levin, etc. The changes didn't start taking affect until 20 years later though so they built a time delay in there at te time as well.

67 is fine from here on out, people currently have the option to wait until age 70 and receive an higher benefit payment, but there should always be the early option as well, currently at age 62.

[WinkyDink]

5. Only a man who sits in a chair for a living could opine this.

[hobbit709]

7. And has a cushy legislative pension that starts long before 70.

[deutsey]

6. The Uber-Wealthy and their GOP Goons

are just gleefully kicking and pummeling an already defenseless, beaten and broken working/middle class.

I'm really tired of this shit.

[brush]

8. Somebody needs to slap . . . er, ahhh . . . familiarize this fool with reality

Employers start looking for ways to get rid of workers once they turn 50, so for this a hole to sit up and advocate changing the retirement age to 70 he needs to get something of his kicked.

If you are able to work until 67, not to mention 70, you are one of the very lucky few.

He should get "let go" at 50 and see what kind of jobs out there are available.

From 50 to 70 is a lo-o-o-o-o-o-o-n-g time to wait for SS to kick in.

[woo me with science]

9. Well, maybe we can "compromise" at 69 and a half, then?

[Le Taz Hot]

10. Sounds like something

coming out of the Obama Administration.

[woo me with science]

12. The political con game in corporate-owned America.

Corporate Republicans must be batshit crazy, so that corporate Democrats can continue to move rightward.

[MisterP]

20. that's how the game's been played since, what, 1973?

and people like the OP keep insisting on excusing it--and that's what keeps on making it happen, then they wonder why their loyalty wasn't rewarded, and then figure they have to try twice as hard

[B Calm]

11. Studies show people who retire early live longer than those who don't. So Landrieu needs to tell

her voters if they want to live longer they need to vote democratic.

[Nay]

19. Interesting -- I did not know that. It certainly seems plausible. I retired at 61

because I had acquired Type 2 diabetes at age 60, and the next year was hit with breast cancer. I was off for 2 weeks after surgery, and then returned to work, working through my 16 days of radiation. I had originally really wanted to work until I was about 64, since mr nay would be retiring about that time.

But I had gotten my wakeup call that maybe, just maybe, I didn't have that much time left. Luckily we had saved enough money for me to stop working. It also helped that my corporation offers to continue health insurance until Medicare age at regular employee prices -- I wouldn't have been able to retire unless that happened.

Retiring early has been wonderful, and to know that I may live longer is a bonus. I do feel that the stress of most working environments today is killing a lot of people.

[Prophet 451]

13. Conservatives here are trying to do the same

The argument is that people are living longer. They never consider that most people aren't physically able to work until 70.

[B Calm]

14. Living longer is another lie republicans created. Old and desperate to work

for any amount or starve is very attractive to cheap labor conservative employers.

Infant mortality is higher creating this phoney mirage that we're living longer.

[Prophet 451]

15. Preaching to the choir, dude

I don't disagree with you in any way.

[B Calm]

16. I know that!

[MoonRiver]

17. Exactly. Living longer does not necessarily, or even usually, equate with living well.

Repuke bastard!

[eridani]

23. People with affluent sedentary jobs are living longer

People who do physical labor are not. Lower income women have life expectancies that are decreasing.

[hadrons]

18. Look at Jack Nicholson ....

he basically retired in 2007 (more or less) when he was 70 years old because the work of moving making was too much for him.

Here's a guy who highly skilled in his profession, in incredible demand and can basically set up his own working conditions and pick what projects he wants to work on ... all while making tremendous amounts of money & receiving tremendous fame - the dream scenario and yet he quietly walked away because at 70 year old he didn't feel up to it.

Imagine the 99.999999999999% who don't have it as good and who aren't in the work situation he's in ... for some reason, the clowns who propose this stuff think they'll 1) never get old and 2) are not expendable to any employers ... real morans.

[0rganism]

21. how to "save" Social Security

raise the cap on taxable income

Let's all have THAT conversation instead.

[NaturalHigh]

22. Work til you die peasants!