During the industrial revolution; "old" was 40 years old. We fought hard for the 8 hour working day and holidays and a living wage. It seems the neoliberals want to take us full circle to pre industrial revolution times, the Dark Ages where we all worked til we die. Neoliberalism is a death cult. No universal healthcare, no living wage, no breaking up of monopolies and the Democrats just voted to NOT end the war in Afghanistan. There is ZERO difference between the "two" party duopoly. Biden has boasted of trying to gut social security, boasted of jailing hundreds of thousands of African Americans and boasted he "has no empathy ( give me a break )" for the massive debt students are saddled with. He boasted he'd veto universal healthcare EVEN IF the American mandate it through elections.
A few years ago I made the decision to keep working until after this election because I thought a lot of things might change at that point, assuming a Biden win. He's said that he supports repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision of SSI. (He's also said that his plan is to give people impacted by that an additional $75-150 a month to their existing payment--uhh, thanks?) Getting the full amount by which my benefit is impacted by this would be a game-changer for me. I'm the most relentless planner I know, but I have no data for this.
I have retirement health insurance is part of the deferred compensation I've been working towards for the last twenty years. If private insurance goes away, will there be alternate compensation? I am able to have a once-yearly chat with a financial planner through my workplace. He sits alone at his assigned table much of the time, so I pick his brain quite a bit. He's very sharp, and a big-picture thinker, but even he had no solid advice to offer on these questions.
All these questions, no answers, but I am gambling that those of us still employed will be marginally less likely to be screwed over than those who have already taken retirement. Much uncertainty now.
I agree that a modern state like the US could and should care for its elders. However, considering that until the modern period few people in most places lived past 40, and that it was a common pattern in many societies to depend mainly on daughters-in-law for eldercare, I don’t feel so sanguine about how it was in the ancient world.
(I am so old myself that I practically speak from experience about the ancient world 🙂.)
Thanks - my first thought was I hope this stupid article spawns a GoFundMe. Just contributed. If you search Jackie Tedoe at GFM two campaigns come up. I couldn’t get the link to take me there.
Sad. What happened to working 30 years and retiring to a comfortable life of peace and spending your remaining years not toiling? We are wealthy enough, by far, if we didn’t hoard our wealth to the top 1%, to allow everyone to do just that. Why the billionaires of this country don’t see that is sad. I started working at 13. Washing dishes in a cafe to get spending money. I have held a job every year since. That was 33 years ago. I’m hoping to retire at 62, 16 years from now. I will have worked 49 years.
We all need a kick in the shorts story these days so let me introduce to you 99 year old Jeffy McCurdles. Jeffy just got hired by Amazon to lift 100# boxes in their warehouse until he collapses and dies (but since he’s part time -no healthy insurance too bad Jeffy!) We catch up with Jeffy in the middle of an angina attack to chat about how much he loves eating dog food to save a few bucks.
My father worked the same job at a bank programming bank code for 35 years and retired the minute he could at age 55. He saved all his life to be able to do that, and to put enough money away for my mom to live comfortably without working in old age. He died last year, age 77. She’s 72 and, if careful, should be ok not working again. She worked many years at Kroger and as a librarian. But he wanted her to be able to retire when he was gone. He was so proud of that. He put her first.
During the industrial revolution; "old" was 40 years old. We fought hard for the 8 hour working day and holidays and a living wage. It seems the neoliberals want to take us full circle to pre industrial revolution times, the Dark Ages where we all worked til we die. Neoliberalism is a death cult. No universal healthcare, no living wage, no breaking up of monopolies and the Democrats just voted to NOT end the war in Afghanistan. There is ZERO difference between the "two" party duopoly. Biden has boasted of trying to gut social security, boasted of jailing hundreds of thousands of African Americans and boasted he "has no empathy ( give me a break )" for the massive debt students are saddled with. He boasted he'd veto universal healthcare EVEN IF the American mandate it through elections.
There would be something right with a society that produced Bezos and Musk, but treated people decently... but, wait...that would be social something.
It's Maine...tells you everything.
SOZSHILIZM
Stop that.
Retiring in 5 years, dead in ten with any luck.
Which may cause you to rethink every Sunday dinner from here hence.
Daily!?! We upped them to weekly, and OMG. Daily meetings may provide you with sufficient motivation to expire, right there.
I hope some are still shining for you.
A few years ago I made the decision to keep working until after this election because I thought a lot of things might change at that point, assuming a Biden win. He's said that he supports repeal of the Windfall Elimination Provision of SSI. (He's also said that his plan is to give people impacted by that an additional $75-150 a month to their existing payment--uhh, thanks?) Getting the full amount by which my benefit is impacted by this would be a game-changer for me. I'm the most relentless planner I know, but I have no data for this.
I have retirement health insurance is part of the deferred compensation I've been working towards for the last twenty years. If private insurance goes away, will there be alternate compensation? I am able to have a once-yearly chat with a financial planner through my workplace. He sits alone at his assigned table much of the time, so I pick his brain quite a bit. He's very sharp, and a big-picture thinker, but even he had no solid advice to offer on these questions.
All these questions, no answers, but I am gambling that those of us still employed will be marginally less likely to be screwed over than those who have already taken retirement. Much uncertainty now.
I agree that a modern state like the US could and should care for its elders. However, considering that until the modern period few people in most places lived past 40, and that it was a common pattern in many societies to depend mainly on daughters-in-law for eldercare, I don’t feel so sanguine about how it was in the ancient world.
(I am so old myself that I practically speak from experience about the ancient world 🙂.)
Thanks - my first thought was I hope this stupid article spawns a GoFundMe. Just contributed. If you search Jackie Tedoe at GFM two campaigns come up. I couldn’t get the link to take me there.
Sad. What happened to working 30 years and retiring to a comfortable life of peace and spending your remaining years not toiling? We are wealthy enough, by far, if we didn’t hoard our wealth to the top 1%, to allow everyone to do just that. Why the billionaires of this country don’t see that is sad. I started working at 13. Washing dishes in a cafe to get spending money. I have held a job every year since. That was 33 years ago. I’m hoping to retire at 62, 16 years from now. I will have worked 49 years.
Oops meant Jackie Hart although it comes up using Tedoe as well.
We all need a kick in the shorts story these days so let me introduce to you 99 year old Jeffy McCurdles. Jeffy just got hired by Amazon to lift 100# boxes in their warehouse until he collapses and dies (but since he’s part time -no healthy insurance too bad Jeffy!) We catch up with Jeffy in the middle of an angina attack to chat about how much he loves eating dog food to save a few bucks.
Well we could always take them out to a nice quiet forest somewheres and abandon them to the elements.
My father worked the same job at a bank programming bank code for 35 years and retired the minute he could at age 55. He saved all his life to be able to do that, and to put enough money away for my mom to live comfortably without working in old age. He died last year, age 77. She’s 72 and, if careful, should be ok not working again. She worked many years at Kroger and as a librarian. But he wanted her to be able to retire when he was gone. He was so proud of that. He put her first.