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I chose a healthcare career. I'm on my feet for 12-13 hours with few breaks (we're lucky to get an uninterrupted 30 minute lunch break), I'm dragging a heavy, balky computer-on-wheels around the whole hospital while I see my patients so I can do mandated charting at bedside, I'm helping reposition patients, moving them from beds to CT scan/MRI/xray tables, helping drag stubborn supposedly self-driving beds down long hallways, reaching up/down/over/around patients to plug in oxygen tubing or electrical cords in poorly designed rooms. My job doesn't always APPEAR to be physically demanding; if you met me in the emergency room, you'd probably wonder how difficult it could be to give nebulizer treatments. I've been doing this for 25 years, I love what I do, but yeah, my body has taken a beating. I'm 62 now and there's no way I could do this full time until I'm 70 or longer.
I certainly remember those days very well and not in a good way!! Fortunately I transitioned to a case management position 17 years ago which was after 22 years of physical clinical work at age 44. Honestly do not think I could have continued with full time physical clinical work into my 50s because my back took a beating after so many years of heavy lifting and I give you lots of credit for continuing this type of work because it is truly back breaking!!!
A more elegant solution is to raise the FICA Payroll Tax from 6.2% for employer and employee to 8.5%, add a 2% surcharge tax on income over the Income Cap, and lower the full-retirement age to 65 years for everyone, then make a one-time lump sum payment to those whose retirement age was 65+.
No, and you're going to have to actually get politically involved for the first time in your life, unless you want to get railroaded.
Maybe a little googling will tell you this won't make SS solvent. Even Simpson Bowles and the commission committee had studies this to death.
If their bodies are shot, maybe they could retire on disability. Maybe, while tightening the disability rules for younger people, loosen them for older people. Just enough to make sure old worn-out unemployable manual laborers don't fall through the cracks.
The rules already are tougher for younger SSDI applicants than for older ones. A young applicant will be denied if they can do 'any' work that they have the physical and mental capacity ability to do, doesn't matter if such a job exists. Older recipients qualify if they can no longer do the job that they have been trained to do, or any job hat where their job skills are transferable, it's explained here:
A bill was sent to the floor of the house (HR 6489) recently that would raise the Social Security retirement age to 69. It is common knowledge that being unemployed and over 50 is a nightmare and less known that suicide rates of people between 55 and 60 took a jump during the last recession.
Does Congress have any sense of reality when it comes to the SS retirement age and the reality of age discrimination?
You voted--
What will your representatives in Congress and Senate do in response to that Bill?
Have you called their offices to make YOUR position known?
I live in Republican state for the most part--Ted Cruz and John Cornyn are my Senators--
I am screwed...
Maybe a little googling will tell you this won't make SS solvent. Even Simpson Bowles and the commission committee had studies this to death.
This 2011 article by Scott Burns, a financial analyst/investment writer for over 40 yrs with numerous books to his credit and an MIT degree, covers some of the same points that people are arguing about today--
And his explanation still seems relevant after this time...
The known problem has existed for more than a decade and Congress has not taken any significant means to deal with it in a responsible manner---
SS and Medicare are 3rd rail programs--meaning any adverse action is likely to kill the elected officials proposing or putting it into play...which is why there has been no reform before now...
The Draconian reform that Johnson's bill presents hurts the very people who need SS the most--
Especially since there is going to be probably no effort to prevent SS benefits from being taxed in same way they are now under Trump's proposed tax plan...
No more sense than the delusional "progressives" have regarding the nation's ability to fund huge social programs in a de-industrializing economy.
If we're living longer, we're going to have to work later in life; it really is just that simple.
Did you really read my original post, or does the contradiction post too much of a challenge to your libertarian philosophy?
This is for anyone under 40. Being unemployed over 50 is a terrible challenge. Ageism is the one form of discrimination that is tolerated. Here is how the discrimination becomes real. A layoff is planned. So that the company is not sued, the number of people over 39 fired and under 40 fired are roughly equal. The discrimination happens when those over 50 try to find new employment.
Age discrimination shouldn't be such a difficult concept for people under 40 to grasp. Just switch on Turner Classic Movies sometime and look at the people who staff companies in the old time movies. Now switch to one of the night time soap operas. Our modern society makes someone who has gone grey the owner with all of the staff under 35 and physically attractive. Get my point?
No more sense than the delusional "progressives" have regarding the nation's ability to fund huge social programs in a de-industrializing economy.
If we're living longer, we're going to have to work later in life; it really is just that simple.
It's simple if your priorities follow the Republican agenda.
You do know that the Republicans are proposing huge increases in the military budget and decreases in the super rich folks taxes? Look at the estimated budget deficits their proposals will add!!
Social programs are just the bottom of their priority list. What happens to the people they'll throw off medical care? They'll end up bankrupting hospital emergency rooms.
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