General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Question: how would you feel if they raised the minimum age of Social Security or Medicare? [View all]magical thyme
(14,881 posts)There's lies, damn lies and then there's statistics. The statistics about life expectancy are out of date. By that I mean that the *current* age expectancy is based on people who lived healthier lives than our society currently fosters. Just off the top of my head:
Increased infant and early childhood due to prenatal care and vaccinations survival skews the statistics toward longer expectancy.
The obesity epidemic we always read about is going to hit life expectancy big-time when all those obese and already diabetic people hit old age. The front of that tidal wave is already midlife or older.
People who were irradiated and poisoned by numerous toxins in the air, water, soil, and food in utero and in early childhood, during their developmental years, are only just now reaching their older years when the cumulative debilitating effects are likely to start showing up.
Increasing antibiotic resistance and potential epidemics of emerging "superbugs" sooner or later will start taking a toll.
Personal, I expect to see the beginnings of a decline in expectancy with my generation.
In the meantime, I've paid in over 35 years, including all that extra FICA that was supposed to pay for my generation in advance, and not only seen my "full" retirement age get pushed back 1 year, but my once projected "full" retirement estimate get pushed back 5 years. I can *barely* make it through a full work day now. No way I can work until I'm 70.
Finally, EVEN IF ANY NEW CHANGES DON'T HURT ME DIRECTLY, I DO NOT WANT YOUNG PEOPLE COMING BEHIND TO WATCH ANY GENERATION GET SCREWED, IF ONLY BECAUSE THEY COULD RIGHTLY LOSE FAITH AND DECIDE TO BLOW THE WHOLE SYSTEM APART.