Let’s Hope One Day You Can Reach Retirement…at 80!

The tragic myth of the old cat lady, living in a hobble, feasting with twenty feral felines and sharing their food is a stark reality in this country. The lack of reform for Social Security has employers shifting from the good old days of well-executed retirement plans to the current 401(k)s. Senators are starting to realize that the rising age (once was 65 now climbing to 67) to collect Social Security is causing major issues for the elderly.

It has been noted that the life expectancy has risen and today people are living longer. But the truth is that life expectancy is high for well-educated, affluent members of society. The poor, uneducated people of this country suffer greatly from the rise in retirement age, because usually their life expectancy rounds out to about 65. That means any dependents they have left behind do not get to collect on their lifetime of taxed earnings!

The need for Social Security expansion would mean rising tax dollars. Contrarians to Social Security reform argue the elderly are doing just fine and tax dollars should go to the cringing deficit. But what are they going to do? Keep rising the retirement age well into the 80’s to make sure the elderly never get a break? At the rate this country is going Generation X will all be cave dwellers, living off of Spam, chopping wood for warmth and mediating on the laws of attraction to keep them alive so they can collect that measly lump sum at the end of each month. Want to read more about how America needs to get a clue? Visit The Seattle Times.

Kenneth G. Marks has been practicing personal injury law since he was admitted to the California Bar in 1981. www.KmarksLaw.com