Ryan’s budget asks nothing of the elderly

[Jaga]

What do you think? There are also some interesting comments under the article. I know that majority of you are already retired and you deserve it. I just wonder how younger generation would deal with difficult issues - not only in the US but also in Europe....

below is the article

Ryan’s budget asks nothing of the elderly — unfortunately

Judging by the political reaction, you’d think that Paul Ryan’s budget takes a meat ax to Medicare and threatens economic havoc for the elderly. Just the opposite is true: The Ryan budget spares older people from almost any change or sacrifice — and that’s the problem. We have (and, to be fair, this is mainly the doing of Democrats and their intellectual apologists) made those 65 and over into a politically protected class, of which nothing is expected and everything is given.

It is impossible to have an honest debate about the budget — and government’s size and role — unless this changes, because aiding the elderly is now the main thing the federal government does. If you remove that, fearing a backlash from the 50 million or so Social Security and Medicare recipients, you condemn yourself to bad choices: (a) you can’t deal with deficits, which may crowd out productive investment and risk a financial crisis; (b) you must dramatically squeeze the rest of government, including the social safety net, defense and research; or (c) you must raise taxes sharply, which may further slow the economy.

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www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/robert-samuelson-ryans-budget-asks-nothing-of-the-elderly--unfortunately/2012/08/15/ed2c6c2c-e6fb-11e1-8f62-58260e3940a0_story.html?hpid=z3

[kaima]

Ahhh ... well, as one of he resident retirees, I will conduct myself as a bull in a china shop and discuss this delicate manner.

Sadly the politicians are scared of the seniors / retirees and their tendency to vote regularly. They like their political careers and the benefits and the feeling of power that comes along with it, so they pander to the seniors.

The mis=named "greatest generation" glorifies in that name, but they insist on all of the special rights and subsidies and powers that they have gathered over the years and refuse to consider joining in the sacrifices that it will take to get this nation back on a level financial basis. This is extreme selfishness, but quite typical of this generation. (that is not to say that we in following generations have not learned well from them and are following down the same path with enthusiasm).

This "greatest generation" (WW II generation who went through the 1930's depression as well) were the second generation to benefit from Social Security (SS) established by Roosevelt. The first generation to enjoy these benefits was their parents, who arguably needed the subsidized Social Security to survive on a subsistence basis. By they time the "greatest generation" started to collect SS, the benefits had expanded and there was no program to start weaning the program off of the fully subsidized (with minimal payments) to a self supporting program. By the time the program reached my generation, it should have been largely self-supporting based on the contributions made by the individuals. Instead we have a generous payout system that gives the worker much more than they ever paid into the system at the same time we expanded the fully subsidized portions of the program, for example, to widows, children and handicapped and disabled.

In personal contact I find the older generations perfectly sociable and reasonable until you touch upon the possibility of them sharing in reduced benefits to spread the pain of correcting our financial house. They want the younger generations to fully pay for the subsidies they set themselves up with; they refuse to accept any portion of responsibility.

[Jaga]

Kai, I agree! I wish there was more intergenerational understanding. Many elderly are worried about their kids and grandkids, still it seems that they accused younger for not being able to go farther in life.

The generation of my parents in Poland has low retirements and poor healthcare, still, they were able to retire relatively early.

I hope that the easy mass media communication is a hope for young people all around the world. This new generation (my nieces and nephews) are global. They want to work, travel and feel responsible for their children and their future. They also know that they may not have benefits like their parents have.