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What are you afraid of? (and please post your age)

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SoCalDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 02:56 AM
Original message
Poll question: What are you afraid of? (and please post your age)
Every day we are told by media that we should be afraid..be very afraid, but with so many things to fear, here's a list that could crystallize the most feared. All of these are valid fears, but going through life being afraid all the time is no way to live, so I'm pretty sure most of us pick different ones at different times, unless we festoon hats with teabags and march around with illiterate signage.
"Those" people have managed the art of total-fearfullness 24/7:)
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Xicano Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 03:04 AM
Response to Original message
1. "the inability to have an affordable retirement"
I'll be 44 in a few weeks and I would have to say its close between the "inability to afford the basics of life..food, shelter, transportation" and an affordable retirement. I chose the retirement answer because I believe as things go on we keep getting into worse shape economically and of course I believe as we get older it gets harder to compensate for economic problems.





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Xenotime Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 09:56 AM
Response to Reply #1
52. After Bush destroying the economy..
I fear not only will people like me have a retirement much less a place to live. I'm 55.
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roguevalley Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 10:24 PM
Response to Reply #1
85. climate change because nothing else matters if we pee in our bed
I am over ... uh, 50---ishly up there, uh ... old enough to know better than to answer this question. ;)
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immoderate Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 10:31 PM
Response to Reply #1
86. They are close to the same thing. Afford retirement -- afford the basics.
That shouldn't even be a choice.

--imm
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truedelphi Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 03:15 AM
Response to Original message
2. I am always afraid that
Someone will ask my age!
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LAGC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 03:28 AM
Response to Original message
3. Inability to afford the basics.
I'm 32, making only minimum wage part-time, barely scraping by as it is in this economy.

Should something happen to this job, or really any future job before Social Security kicks in (assuming its even around when I reach 70) where we live paycheck to paycheck, where its hard to find a new job, we are so very close to homelessness, its always on my mind...
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Make7 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 03:38 AM
Response to Original message
4. I'm afraid the people in this country will never be sufficiently informed or organized enough...
... to effectively govern themselves.
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CaliforniaPeggy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 04:23 AM
Response to Original message
5. I'm 66, and my husband is a bit older...
I fear losing him to death as I fear little else. He is my rock, and my lover, my partner, and I rely on him for so much.

I don't dwell on this, but enjoy our lives as much as possible.

But it's there.

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AnArmyVeteran Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 09:30 AM
Original message
I wish you and your husband well...
I answered the same as you. Loved ones are the only true treasures we have in this world. I'm glad you have your treasure...
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old mark Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 04:27 AM
Response to Original message
6. My wife has had a chronic illness for decades, was not supposed to live
past 2005...I know every day is "extra", but it makes no difference - I am very afraid or her death.

She is 54, I'm 63.

mark
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AnArmyVeteran Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 09:31 AM
Response to Reply #6
47. All the best to you and your wife Mark.
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Scuba Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 04:37 AM
Response to Original message
7. I'm 61 and fear the moneyed interests of the far-right will destroy...
...America, the rest of the plantet and the future that waits for us.
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anniebelle Donating Member (701 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 05:00 AM
Response to Original message
8. Climate Change
If we don't do something about the impending doom of no clean air or water, all else is for naught.
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SmileyRose Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 05:15 AM
Response to Original message
9. my mother
everything else in life I've managed to either find someone to help or have the ability myself to get through the worst. But with her, she has a talent for bloodying a person's soul when they are at their lowest. She has 6 kids and none of us speak to her.
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northernlights Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 09:19 AM
Response to Reply #9
42. I'm so sorry SmileyRose...
:hug: :hug: :hug:

I lived my entire life in fear of my mother's abuse and rage. She died 2 years ago. I learned about it by googling her name and obituaries, which I did periodically. I felt a deep wave of relief wash through me physically as well as emotionally. Several times I called up the obit to feel that relief, until it became irrelevent. I still watch for my well-off father's death, although I won't feel relief on that until some time has passed and no major financial calamity has befallen me (he once used my SSN to collect 1099 income in my name and stuck me with the tax bill for it, along with a threat of jail from the IRS.)

Remember, she too shall pass and then you will feel that deep wave of relief.
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SmileyRose Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 06:32 PM
Response to Reply #42
69. Oh it's more subtle with my Mom
she has this way of emotionally ripping your insides out in front of everyone and no one knows but you and her. As we got older we started cluing in on what she was doing and started stepping up for each other - did no good.

I wish her no ill. She gave me life and kept me breathing. I'm over 50 and financially contribute to her care. I just don't subject myself to the evil anymore.
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slackmaster Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 09:30 AM
Response to Reply #9
46. That's terrible. Did she have strong feelings about wire coat hangers?
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Madam Mossfern Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 05:23 AM
Response to Original message
10. I'm 62 years old
and I still am employed (thank God!) but I worry that may end before my 4 years until social security in full kicks in. I do have a small pension and and small outside retirement fund, but I fear that will not be enough eventually as my property taxes as close to $20,000 per year.

I am afraid that I will have to sell the family home. I am afraid for my children who may not be able to make enough to remain independent. It is scary when my husband and I sit figuring how we would be able to fit our kids and their spouses if times don't get much better. Our plans and hopes for the future seem futile now, yet we feel more fortunate than most.

I fear that I will not be able to afford long term health care and end up in one of those 'homes' that abuse the elderly. Wow, this is depressing.

OK - I am going to go out and organize a community garden and stop all this fretting. This is a bummer thread.
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Vinca Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 05:28 AM
Response to Original message
11. Definitely health care. I worry every day whether my hip will hold out
until February of 2014 when I can get Medicare. We gave up on retirement long ago, but the good news is we aren't the "retirement" type anyway. My worst nightmare would be a house on a golf course or living in a retirement village. I'll continue working, even if I end up hopping around on one leg until I hit 65 and I'll probably amp up what I do once my hip is taken care of.
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mwb970 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 05:36 AM
Response to Original message
12. The onset and growth of right-wing corporate fascism.
Age 60.
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JustAnotherGen Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 05:54 AM
Response to Original message
13. 37
I fear the death of one of my parents.
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Altoid_Cyclist Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 05:58 AM
Response to Original message
14. Tough decision, but I went with death of a loved one (my wife).
With my health problems, I probably won't have to worry about long term expenses, but not being able to afford everyday necessities was a real close second.

I'm 53 (I'll be 54 this Friday though) and already retired on disability since I couldn't locate a job. The SS Judge who granted me the Disability ruling even cited the economy as one of the main reasons that I would not be able to find a job even though I could technically work at a sedentary job!

What a country we've become.
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raccoon Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 06:06 AM
Response to Original message
15. Late 50's, inability to afford basics I voted for, but also afraid of not being able to retire. nt
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leftofcool Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 06:12 AM
Response to Original message
16. June bugs and grasshoppers
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Obamanaut Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 06:16 AM
Response to Original message
17. bees and spiders nt
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dipsydoodle Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 06:26 AM
Response to Original message
18. Wasps
Edited on Mon Aug-09-10 06:26 AM by dipsydoodle
Proper ones that buzz - not white anglos like myself. 67 later this year.
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rucky Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 06:30 AM
Response to Original message
19. 1-3 are already covered. Which leads me to fear of losing food, shelter, etc
and a stable retirement. I'm 39. I've been laid off from 3 jobs in the past 4 years. I should be at the peak of my career that I've spent the past 20+ years building skills and experience for. Now I've pretty much accepted the fact that I will struggle financially for the rest of my life.
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sendero Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 06:38 AM
Response to Original message
20. A complete economic collapse..
Edited on Mon Aug-09-10 06:39 AM by sendero
... so comprehensive that it basically destroys society.

Ten years ago such a thing was highly unlikely. 2 years ago it became a possibility. Today, since absolutely nothing of substance has been done, it is something that could easily happen.

I am in my 50s.
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cliffordu Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 07:08 AM
Response to Original message
21. I'm worried about being homeless (again)
Edited on Mon Aug-09-10 07:23 AM by cliffordu
At my age I can't compete.....

I'm 58
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era veteran Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 07:10 AM
Response to Original message
22. Wizard of Oz Flying Monkeys
Edited on Mon Aug-09-10 07:11 AM by era veteran
Other than that a comfortable retirement and security for my wife after I pass on. On edit, 56
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JoePhilly Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 07:12 AM
Response to Original message
23. I can't believe that no one has said "Clowns", yet.
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a la izquierda Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 07:15 AM
Response to Original message
24. I didn't vote.
I'm only 33, but I've gotten over most of my serious fears. I can't fear the death of a loved one, because it's a reality. I've managed to get through 8 years of grad school on a pittance and with the help of my husband. As long as we had each other, we could live in a tent. We've had zero dollars in our bank account at multiple times this summer. We managed...sort of (and I admit it stressed me out and I got by with the help of good friends at times). I don't worry about terrorists (if I did, I couldn't do my research, which is in Mexico).

I am, however, petrified of spiders and I'm not really fond of flying. Those are completely stupid fears.
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Confusious Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 07:16 AM
Response to Original message
25. We never get our shit together and the Human race comes to an end. nt
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RC Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 07:20 AM
Response to Original message
26. 2 and 10
Age 66
And how old is SoCalDem?
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SoCalDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 03:27 PM
Response to Reply #26
66. oops.. I am 61 yrs & 7 months..I am counting down the months until
that magical age 62, when I can get my early SS

and oddly enough, my greatest raw fear is of going to the dentist.. Just the thought of them touching my teeth with that metal probe-y pick makes my skin crawl..

I once told a dentist-friend that I would undergo a 4th C-section if I had a choice between that, and a dental procedure.. He said "You're kidding, right"?..and I replied..."well at least with a C section you get shiny new baby..and after the dentist, you end up with nicked up gums, sensitive teeth and a temporary inability to drink without drooling all over yourself"..:rofl:

my serious fear is of course losing my husband or a child
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DailyGrind51 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 07:22 AM
Response to Original message
27. Becoming disabled with no ability to support myself.
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AnArmyVeteran Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 09:54 AM
Response to Reply #27
51. Don't worry, republican churches will take care of everyone in need
:sarcasm:
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seabeyond Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 07:25 AM
Response to Original message
28. healthcare. as i get older and saving for kids college and our retirement
it can all be gone, because of the health care situation
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Bitwit1234 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 08:34 AM
Response to Original message
29. I am 77 years old and everyone should read this
My retirement isn't so hot, but I get by, not like a lot of Americans.
My health is not good, I am recovering from breast cancer, but unlike a lot of Americans I have good health care.

Now what was there and what I fear most in the ruining of America. I want my grandchildren and their children to grow up in an America that gives them the opportunity to sauced in what ever path they choose.

I would love for them to be homeowners, if that is what they wish. For them to have good job with good benefits. I would love for them to see a country free from discrimination be is from the color or their skin, the right to choose a life partner to marry or any other difference.

But right now what freedom from those worries we had is slowing disappearing. And most of the reason is the mind set of the republicans and the so called cable news show, like Fox and CNN. And the radio right wing nut hate spewers like Rush and others.

We in American sat on our butt and let this happen. We didn't screen the politicians good enough. We stayed home. We didn't vote. We didn't protest with Bush invaded neutral countries. We didn't protest when our government gave and still gives trillions for WAR and nothing for the good of the people. We let organizations like the stupid tea bags set the standard for protest and we do not really protest.

UNTIL WE GET OFF OUR BUTT, START SHOWING CONGRESS THAT WE THE PEOPLE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE IN CHARGE, UNTIL WE VOTE THE CROOKS AND MISCREANTS OUT OF OFFICE WE WILL NEVER GET "OUR COUNTRY" BACK like the republicans try to say. So fellow Americans when are we the real citizens of this country going to take our country back from the corporations and the rich. Damn it this is America let's show em we mean business.
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Bitwit1234 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 08:35 AM
Response to Reply #29
30. That should be succeed not sauced. Sorry missed it.
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HughBeaumont Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 08:53 AM
Response to Reply #29
36. "We didn't protest with Bush invaded neutral countries. "?
Um, YES, WE did. You just never heard about it because the media never reported it. They learned from their mistakes of the 60s - kind of hard for a protest to sway public opinion if it's not broadcast.
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AnArmyVeteran Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 09:51 AM
Response to Reply #29
50. It all starts with strict campaign finance reform.
The Reform Party was the only party pushing strict campaign finance reform in the 1990s. Had people stopped voting like lemmings for the two major parties we might have campaign finance reform. That would have allowed competent and honest candidates to run for office who weren't owned by special interests and corporations. But as long as we have the current system where it takes millions to even run for office we will ALWAYS have a government of whores controlled by their corporate pimps.

We had the best chance in a generation to take back our country in the 90s, but people gave up that chance by voting for the two major parties which always know they will get peoples' votes just because they are the major parties. The ignorant many always overcome the intelligent few. Because of their ignorance our country is dying.

The solution is easy. But people need to vote intelligently and not blindly as 90% of the people do. No one and no party owns my vote. Until those in power realize they can no longer automatically have the votes of party loyalists in their pockets then, and only then, will you see a change in government.



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lpbk2713 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 08:38 AM
Response to Original message
31. My grandchildrens' future ... I'm 66.



We have crapped in our bed big time.


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Brickbat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 08:40 AM
Response to Original message
32. Job loss; I'm 39.
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uncommon Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 08:41 AM
Response to Original message
33. 29 tomorrow and I worry most about repairing my credit so that eventually
I can buy a house. It took me years after college to start making a decent living and I have some old debt following me around (just student loans and a couple of unpaid utility bills) that are keeping me from having good credit.

It's a vicious cycle.
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Xicano Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 10:28 AM
Response to Reply #33
59. Happy Birthday Uncommon!
:party: :toast:
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kctim Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 08:42 AM
Response to Original message
34. Continuation of losing our rights
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Fleshdancer Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 08:48 AM
Response to Original message
35. 33 yrs old. I voted "death of a loved one"
The love I receive from my family and close friends keep me from fearing financial ruin. If, for any reason, I can't afford the bare necessities (food and shelter) I have many people in my life would help me get back on my feet. In return, I would do the same for them. More importantly though, I love them deeply. I wouldn't be who I am without them.

My biggest fear has always been surviving everyone I care about. I'm not so sure that living a long life is worth it if it means you have to endure so much loss.
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sinkingfeeling Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 08:59 AM
Response to Original message
37. I'm 62 and looked for 'other'. Since it wasn't there, I voted on the toxic environment. Because my
fears are about our 'toxic' nation in terms of hate and violence. It grows worse every day. People are fighting each other instead of the corporations that are destroying this country.
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Hosnon Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 09:00 AM
Response to Original message
38. 28 - "Death of a Loved One"
Anything else seems manageable in comparison.
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BlueIris Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 09:01 AM
Response to Original message
39. Age 31. I put "toxins in the environment," but want to put climate change also.
Those are two things no amount of money/success can protect me from.
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Barack2theFuture Donating Member (353 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 09:04 AM
Response to Original message
40. tough one
the environmental ones could well kill us all

I think immediate, personal fears predominate though.

I'm in my 50's and fear the inability to provide the necessities of life for my loved ones who depend on me.
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anarch Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 09:18 AM
Response to Original message
41. inability to afford basics - 39 y.o.
I've long since given up any notion of "retirement" and expect to toil away until I die.

What I'm really afraid of is dying without providing some means of sustenance for my dependents.

But then again, that's not really so much a fear as a concern, and would be there regardless of the lousy economy unless I was rich or managed to outlive my dependents, so whatever.

In the meantime, it's more of a frustration at frequently having to go without things that I used to consider basics...but I know I'm very lucky compared to many. It's very frustrating to think that this is the new status quo, especially given the potential that the U.S. used to have. I feel like I've watched the nation degenerate over the years, all thanks to greed, hatred, and delusion.
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northernlights Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 09:23 AM
Response to Original message
43. this is a tough one...
I'm 57. Through frugal living, hard work and a dose of good luck, I had saved a nice little bundle for retirement. Then came W and it's mostly been stolen and lost to unemployment.

So I'm afraid I'll never get off the treadmill and get to rest and maybe enjoy for a change.

I am, of course, afraid of runaway climate change. I've done what I can to alleviate that -- moved north to an area that my spirit guides whispered would have water (and we do, in spades), and am learning to produce much of my own food and reduce my footprint.

So I try not to live in fear, but to do what I can to provide for myself and my fur and feather family and continue to prepare for an unknowable future...

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Bradical79 Donating Member (32 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 09:27 AM
Response to Original message
44. Multiple debt related things (30yo)
I chose personal debt, though it's a result of increased cost of living, increased medical expenses, increased tuition (I'm going back to school) and a pay cut.
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slackmaster Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 09:28 AM
Response to Original message
45. 52 - Traffic accidents, and "affordable retirement" specifically because of health care costs, taxes
Edited on Mon Aug-09-10 09:30 AM by slackmaster
:hi:
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snooper2 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 09:36 AM
Response to Original message
48. I'm afraid of those Quiznos cats, the things are fucking scary!
I think they call them singimals

:rofl:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD3y6DAeK_A



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notadmblnd Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 09:41 AM
Response to Original message
49. None of the above
I'm 51 and have a 17 year old son. My fear is for his future (not having one). Not being afforded the opportunities that so many of us were afforded. Things like a good job and being able to be independent from me if he chooses. Things like his ability to provide for a family (if he brings children into this world) I don't want him to have a difficult life and struggle the way we have the past several years. He has a lot to offer this world, I just fear the world has nothing left to offer him.
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blondeatlast Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 10:02 AM
Response to Original message
53. I'm 45, insulin-dependent diabetic my entire life, and I'm afraid of having no
or poor health care.

I have a group plan and still I pay a small fortune out-of-pocket every year.
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blonndee Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 10:07 AM
Response to Original message
54. affording the basics of life...I'm 35
To me, internet is a basic of life due to my job and status as a Ph.D. student. It got pretty slim this summer, paying a little here, a little there, and practically begging my creditors (doctors, electric company, student loan people, etc.) not to report me to the credit bureau and/or shut off my service. I cashed in all my mutual funds and a little bit of retirement I had from a previous job (at 30% tax hit) to make it through the summer. But it could all come crashing down any day, any minute...I've got ongoing health problems and I'm about to lose my insurance benefits. I know others have it worse, but I find living this way very, very scary. Debt and bills are scary. I can't even think about ever being able to retire or being out of debt.
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Vickers Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 10:08 AM
Response to Original message
55. Affordable retirement...I'm 45. n/t
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supernova Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 10:11 AM
Response to Original message
56. I would lump health care in with retirement
but I'm 48.

I think of health care and all the basics to live a comfortable, though not wealthy old age. That scares me. And not being able to afford long term medical care if I need it, such as being incapacitated after a stroke or living with congestive heart failure. I worry more about that than anything.
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BOG PERSON Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 10:16 AM
Response to Original message
57. police and ecological collapse
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Arkansas Granny Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 10:24 AM
Response to Original message
58. 63 and I chose "toxins in the environment". It was a close toss-up between that and climate change.
I have children, grandchildren and great grandchildren who are going to have to deal with all the poisons that we've left in their soil, water and air. Between pollution and climate change, I don't think that future generations on this earth will enjoy the same quality of life that I have, which both alarms me and saddens me.
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Turborama Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 04:03 PM
Response to Reply #58
68. 41 and I had the same difficulty with the choice but went for climate change
Everything else (apart from loss of loved ones) will pale into insignificance if the predictions come true.
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Bluenorthwest Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 10:36 AM
Response to Original message
60. Fear itself
There is nothing else to fear.
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CLANG Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 10:36 AM
Response to Original message
61. 55 yo: affordable retirement
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TriMera Donating Member (885 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 10:38 AM
Response to Original message
62. I'm 44 and had a hard time choosing.
I chose the inability to afford the basics of life..food, shelter, transportation. However, the inability to afford health care was right up there. Of course, to me, health care is a "basic" need and should be included with food and shelter. I guess it's the Socialist in me.
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InvisibleTouch Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 10:46 AM
Response to Original message
63. From this list, environmental toxins.
Everything else I can somewhat do something about or avoid/mitigate within my own life, at least potentially. But I have no control over the toxins that big industry is dumping into the air, water, and soil, and no way even to know exactly what has been dumped near my home, or what's leaking toward it. Then there are dangerous additives and GMOs in our food, not all of which are listed on the label. Even if you grow your own crops, they can get contaminated by GMO pollen. I can fight back by trying to live as healthy as possible in every other way, to build up some resistance - but to me environmental contamination is the most insidious danger.
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Javaman Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 02:13 PM
Response to Original message
64. the last one in the list...
I will die at my desk.

Many people will say, "well, hey at least you have a job!"

While that is true, let me tell you what having a desk job entails in this day in age, at least where I work.

I haven't had a raise in over 4 years, my health care costs keep going up and up, they continue to give me more work which forces me to work more hours, I could speak up, but then again, I'm in my late 40's, and in our era of "none age discrimination", I keep my mouth shut for fear of losing my job. My health care insurance costs keep going up, but my salary when reflected against the cost of living keeps going down.

So, yes, I'm very thankful that I have a job, don't get me wrong, but having a job with a corporation that gives all sorts of excuses as to why they can't do this and or that, but at the same time the board gives themselves raises, is down right depressing.

So as each and every additional thing is piled on my desk, I smile broadly and say, "give me more!", because if I told them what I was thinking, "are you fucking kidding me???", I would have a pink slip handed to me. Me, the good worker bee. I see people left and right of me being laid off. I keep accepting more work, being more "flexible", bending over further and more often, taking more guff from those in power who enjoy being dicks because they can, all so I can pay my bills, keep myself healthy and provide.

Oh, just to clarify, do you think I'm rich? That I'm making 6 figures? Or upper 5 figures? LOL I laugh loud and long at that. Last year I cleared, after taxes, under 27k.

We save everything we can to prepare for our retirement, my wife and I, but each and every year that passes, it seems as we lose a little bit more.

We as a nation are dying a slow death.

10% unemployment, probably another 15 to 20% grossly under employed, and another 30% that live on just enough to get by without anything more at the end of each month.

Just as I described my existence at my job in order to keep it, the American public is experiencing much the same on a grander scale. Putting up with more and more, given the excuse time and time again that help is on the way.

Yeah yeah, it's been only been just over 2 years since Obama got in office, but you know what? When will that excuse run it's course? After 3 years? after his first? (and maybe only term?) or never?

We lambasted george w. moron* for being a total jackass on 9/11 for sitting for exactly 7 long minutes and doing nothing while the nation was under attack. He was not quite in office 9 months, but yet we give a pass to Obama. WTF?

Yeah, I'm ranting, yeah, I'm pissed, but this nation is in serious fucking shape and my hopes for the future dim a little bit more each and every day that goes by.
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SoCalDem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 03:32 PM
Response to Reply #64
67. You are not alone.
:hug:

our middle son watched as his company "downsized"..He worked extra, stayed late, came early..whatever they wanted, and in the end he too got laid off..later..but still got cut.

Whenever we work FOR someone, we are always expendable.

I once worked as a travel consultant, and was the most "productive" one in the office.. I never got raises, but as the :new kid on the block< I was out to prove myself.. well after 7 years on the job, when my husband got a job transfer & we had to move..they hired THREE people to replace me.. what a chump I was:(
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Rosie1223 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 02:49 PM
Response to Original message
65. I'm afraid of posting my age.
:)
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Atticus Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 06:47 PM
Response to Original message
70. "Other"---Ignorance. nt
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DireStrike Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 07:12 PM
Response to Original message
71. Age 25. Of these choices, being unable to afford the basics.
Edited on Mon Aug-09-10 07:12 PM by DireStrike
Let's go line by line.

job loss (8 votes, 7%) Vote

My job is utter crap. I am underpaid and overworked. I could not afford to live on my own with this job. I don't really need the job, since I DON'T live alone, but it does make my life a little better. The job I took is utterly essential to my business, and hard to fill, and I am one of the best workers/most liked by the bosses. I am very unlikely to lose my job, but I also would not mind if I lost it.

inability to afford health care (11 votes, 9%) Vote

This used to be a huge problem. I absolutely NEED my depression meds. Yes, I've tried going without them for a long period of time. It wasn't pretty. Used to be you had to attend therapy, see a doctor and THEN be prescribed the extremely-expensive pills. Now I've changed meds to something a lot cheaper, that has generics available. It is very easy to buy (certain) meds on the cheap online, with or without a prescription. It would be an added expense for me, and I'd miss therapy which DOES help, but I'd live.

personal debt (5 votes, 4%) Vote

I've made a few minor mistakes with this, but I have it under control. I don't charge anything unless I have the cash to pay for it. Even if I had to take out loans to finish school, I could pay them back in a few years at a menial job like I currently have.

death of a loved one (26 votes, 21%) Vote

This is not a governance issue. If government somehow CAUSED the death of a loved one, I would be enraged.

being killed by a terrorist (1 votes, 1%) Vote

Not gonna happen. I live in NY. I was not ten blocks away on September 11th. I walked away without a scratch, but my school was closed for several months. Even if Manhattan is nuked, there's an excellent chance I won't be close enough at the time. Statistically I'm far, far more likely to be killed by any number of more routine things. It just isn't a legitimate concern.

workplace violence (0 votes, 0%) Vote

I'm glad nobody has voted for this yet.

inability to afford the basics of life..food, shelter, transportation (25 votes, 21%) Vote

If the economy gets bad enough that I can't find work, I will probably be in severe trouble, along with about 350 million other Americans.

climate change (5 votes, 4%) Vote

I don't fear this. I am just sad about it. It most likely won't kill me or even destroy anything of mine. It's hard to understand the kind of damage that will be done, and what will be lost. Maybe this is why people don't really seem to care. Every species that goes extinct, and every inch of lost coastline is a tragedy in its own right.

toxins in the environment (6 votes, 5%) Vote

These aren't bad enough to cause immediate harm in most cases. Just higher rates of cancer and the like.

the inability to have an affordable retirement (34 votes, 28%) Vote

I assume I won't be able to retire. I would like to have a happy home by then, so at least I have something to come home to at night that will make the aches in my bones and joints worth it.



Out of everything, my biggest fears are not listed. That would be the inability to find a decent position at any time. To be stuck in a dead end, barely above minimum wage job for the rest of my life. There are people who seem to be living on these wages somehow. I don't know how. I guess it could be done if you had almost nothing. I fear that before I finish college the economy will collapse permanantly. I fear there will be nowhere to go on the entire globe. I fear that the rich who caused these problems will remain unknown; they'll fly off to a hidden paradise and live the rest of their lives in luxury, unpunished, while the rest of us toil until we're too exhausted and malnourished to do anything about it. I fear a police state, staffed by workers-cum-thugs, people given extra crumbs in exchange for relentlessly beating down the rest of the populace.
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Sebastian Doyle Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 07:14 PM
Response to Original message
72. Pretty much all but 5 & 6
I don't buy the "conventional (corporate media/Government spin)wisdom" on terraism. And workplace violence ain't such an issue when you don't have a workplace.
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ThomWV Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 07:28 PM
Response to Original message
73. 63 - Cancer
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Marr Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 07:34 PM
Response to Original message
74. I don't see zombies on your list.
So I'll say it. Zombies. The kind that can run.
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Vickers Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 07:55 PM
Response to Reply #74
79. Only movie zombies run!!!!!!

:P
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Marr Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 08:01 PM
Response to Reply #79
80. True, but...
You never know when something new may be uncovered. You do not want to be a case study in an updated printing of this:

http://www.amazon.com/Zombie-Survival-Guide-Complete-Protection/dp/1400049628

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Vickers Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 09:45 PM
Response to Reply #80
81. Hey, have you read "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter" ???
Off-topic, but DAMN that is a good book.

:thumbsup:
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Marr Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 10:44 PM
Response to Reply #81
89. I have not, but I will now. Have you read "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies"?
Edited on Mon Aug-09-10 10:44 PM by Marr
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Vickers Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 10:49 PM
Response to Reply #89
90. It's on hold at the library, tee-hee!

:headbang:
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Kaleva Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 07:39 PM
Response to Original message
75. nothing-age 51
I feel that the best years are ahead of me and am looking forward to them.
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MilesColtrane Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 07:46 PM
Response to Original message
76. Healthcare (47)
Edited on Mon Aug-09-10 07:47 PM by MilesColtrane
Rates will rise to eat any government subsidies that are coming down the pike with the HCR bill.

I'm still uninsured to date.
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ZM90 Donating Member (56 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 07:48 PM
Response to Original message
77. Age:20 Poll Choice: Death of A Loved One
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mrs_p Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 07:52 PM
Response to Original message
78. miscarriage
seriously... i have 4 weeks until i'm out of my first trimester. i'll be 36 on friday.
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NeoGreen Donating Member (299 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 09:46 PM
Response to Original message
82. The Road is a documentary of my children's...
Edited on Mon Aug-09-10 09:47 PM by NeoGreen
future.

I'm 45.
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Radical Activist Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 09:51 PM
Response to Original message
83. climate change.
Whatever else happens in my personal economic life, I'll still be able to obtain food and shelter. That won't be the case after increasingly severe climate disasters break down society's infrastructure. That's a greater threat to my personal well being.
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Luminous Animal Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 09:55 PM
Response to Original message
84. "the inability to have an affordable retirement" I'm 52.
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sea four Donating Member (96 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 10:33 PM
Response to Original message
87. I choose
"inability to afford the basics of life..food, shelter, transportation"

But climate change is also frightening to me. I'm 22 years old.
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marmar Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 10:36 PM
Response to Original message
88. Job loss......38 yr old aging GenXer here.
nt
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rury Donating Member (629 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 11:17 PM
Response to Reply #88
91. I'm 59 and I fear being poverty-stricken
in my old age.
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Odin2005 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-09-10 11:32 PM
Response to Original message
92. I'm 24; Inability to afford the basics of life.
Edited on Mon Aug-09-10 11:35 PM by Odin2005
Which is what would happen if the Wing-Nuts cut funding for the Disabled.

Also, rapid, involuntary change in my living situation (autistics HATE change), and violent climate change.
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Touchdown Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Tue Aug-10-10 12:12 AM
Response to Original message
93. Job loss. I'm turning 45 next month. The age where I'm too old to hire anymore.
But still way too young to stop working.
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