More on my friend who lost her food stamps.

[TreasonousBastard]

29. I'm 66 and in better financial shape, but...

I can't help seeing that nightmare in my future when I can't work any more.

There are over 40 million of us over 65, and millions more getting there fast. But, although us baby boomers are becoming one of the largest demographics, we are being hustled.

Some of us are doing quite well, thanks to pensions, savings, and home values. Others, not so good. Most of us, however, are one catastrophe away from penury and living on the street.

The costs of an aging population are enormous, as Europe and Japan have found, and anyone who thinks about it will fall faint at the cost of the millions of us in nursing homes at $3-10,000 a month. The easy answer is to just cut whatever programs we have and hope for the best, letting the next generations in the legislatures handle it. Maybe they secretly hope we all just die off sooner and save everyone grief. After all, back when SS started, lifespans were shorter and not many collected for more than a couple of years.

But we are here now, and we are living longer, and senior discounts on the bus just don't cut it. A few bucks a year to join AARP for cheaper car insurance isn't helping either.

What do we do?

A new Gray Panthers?

On edit:

Wanna see something really scary:

http://johnsimonds.com/2005/10/19/more-on-maturing-workforce-of-the-population-over-60/

United States
Percent of population aged 60 and above in 1980: approx. 16.07%
Percent of population aged 60 and above in 2000: approx. 16.27%
Percent of population aged 60 and above in 2005: approx. 16.81%
Percent of population aged 60 and above in 2010: approx. 18.41%
Percent of population aged 60 and above in 2025: approx. 24.21%