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Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

graphics.latimes.com

11–20 of 154 posts

Re: Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

#11
post #2

This and the "retail apocalypse" piece are quite sobering. There are going to be a lot of homeless elderly in the future.

Only if nothing is done by society to fix the problem.

Nothing will be done to improve it. That requires decent people. Our civilization is on a hyperbolic trajectory out of decency, disregarding all accumulated wisdom of civilization builders, exchanging it for short-term profit.

Re: Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

#12
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only if nothing is done by society to fix the problem.

Or if, you know, we had social values where it’s OK to have your children take care of you.

And when your children can't really afford to take care of themselves?

The problem runs way deeper than Oh But The Degeneracy Of The Family can address it.

Re: Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

#14
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only if nothing is done by society to fix the problem.

Or if, you know, we had social values where it’s OK to have your children take care of you.

Mind if I expound on this?

My mother died in July at 59 from a brain hemorrhage. I took her in 2 years ago, and I paid ~$1000/month for her prescriptions before the ACA kicked in. After it kicked in, her prescription costs dropped (thankfully, as I was going to Canada to get non-controlled prescriptions) but her provider costs increased.

Only because I’m a tech professional in a top earning tier was I able to do this while supporting my wife and daughter. What is the solution for the rest of Americans?

Side note: After her death, I received ~$48k in medical bills that weren’t covered by her health insurance. Bad news for those providers.

Re: Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

#15
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only if nothing is done by society to fix the problem.

Nothing will be done to improve it. That requires decent people. Our civilization is on a hyperbolic trajectory out of decency, disregarding all accumulated wisdom of civilization builders, exchanging it for short-term profit.

Could you be more specific about what "decent wisdom of civilization builders" we've disregarded...?

Re: Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

#17
post #8
post #2

This and the "retail apocalypse" piece are quite sobering. There are going to be a lot of homeless elderly in the future.

Hum. Potential opportunity: Turn dead malls into senior centers with housing for the elderly.

Not trolling, I think this is really a great idea! Plenty of Malls are dying every year, fueled by the rise of FREE SHIPPING & Prime Amazon and the likes.

Re: Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

#19
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only if nothing is done by society to fix the problem.

Or if, you know, we had social values where it’s OK to have your children take care of you.

And those, like the woman in the story, who don't have children?

Re: Too poor to retire, too young to die (2016)

#20
> But there is little money to see the sights. She earns too much to receive food stamps, and a lot of it goes to groceries. She tries to eat organic food, with her low blood sugar. That rules out cheap but filling Big Macs — as well as the food kitchens whose mass-produced meals, she decided, are unhealthful.

Why do newspapers use as examples people who seem to have done everything wrong? Is it because formerly middle class people are somehow more relatable to the readers of the LA Times than people who never had much of a chance to begin with? What about the poor elderly who never went to business school or were born in an area with few opportunities?

This lady gets almost $17,000 a year in pension and social security, which puts her just outside the bottom 1/5 of the income distribution. She’s presumably eligible for Medicare. In a rural town it would be enough for a decent living.

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