Jerry Eichenberger wrote on 08/19/13 at 07:46:11:

Jerry when I was able to work I had to pick up over 10,000 lbs a day. Most of the people that retire from my company are crippled with all kinds of medical problems. You worked hard for what you have and I've always will admire you for what you've done but the human body will only take so much physical labor. Not many people can pick up 10,000 lbs a day at 66. You were griping about school teachers and I agree, their job is not physical. It depends on the job. My wife got burnt out being a cop and she retired after 20 years. She works part time in law enforcement now but that's all she can take. Eveyones circumstances are not the same. That's my point.

Jerry, all excellent posts:

My mother ( and I and my wife for that matter) are all insured by BC/BS of MS... pretty normal ins. As far as I can tell, mom has rather normal medical ( monthly) costs for someone her age. Some medicines are simply not covered by ins.. and some are covered but at a reduced rate, for various reasons.. the same pain we all deal with. I do know one of the "big costs" was hitting the "donut hole" each year. It amounts to being uninsured for about two months.

http://healthinsurance.about.com/od/medicare/a/understanding_part_d.htm

The donut hole amounts to $1710 ( per the URL above). She usually hits it about April of each year.

So between the $9600/yr BC?BS premium, the $1710 donut, plus all the drug costs and doctor costs and testing costs (doctors have her tested yearly regardless of condition), I suspect greater than 80% of her retirement just goes to such.

As to raising the retirement age. 1, 2 or even 3 or 4 years.. no biggie. But suspect, that is not the plan .. again.. my distrust. The plan is to raise it... then raise it... then raise it... kinda like postage stamps. As to "living longer" ... there is a caveat to that and figuring the right age.

The "average" age that American's reach has been going, and to be sure has gone a lot since 1950. But that average includes (it always does) infant mortality. So the truth is we aren't really living all that much longer... just those that died at birth/infancy/child age.. has gone down dramatically. This has the effect of raising the average life expectancy. Other things do as well, decreased smoking has helped.

My mother is the youngest of NINE children. Of the five brothers, all are dead. None made it past 70. Its the curse of the "Elmore" heart. Bad tickers.. I suspect I will die before age 70 as well. The girls last a bit longer. My mom, barely eats... and what she eats.... blech: oatmeal, prunes, brown rice, tuna, black beans, whey, some fresh fruit and veggie... never any red meat.. or pork, chicken on holidays.. if we come visit.  

I do want the system to continue, and the numbers have it as broken, mostly NOT because are living longer, but because it is at its root a pyramid scheme that is crashing. The money I have paid in all my live was never meant for me .. it was use by those needing it now. My money is to come from those that follow me... The problem is .. as a  boomer.. theres a whole lot of us and very few after.  So while my mothers parents had nine kids paying into the system to support them..each of those 9 only had at most 3 paying in to support them, and generally just the 2. Multiply by the entire country. Scheme is upside down.  

Pine wrote on 08/19/13 at 10:59:07:


And the 30 million plus illegals on track for amnesty are not going to earn anywhere near enough to cover the difference with taxes, especially when they are near 100% net consumers of services, in that the taxes they pay no where near cover what they take.

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 08/19/13 at 14:51:26:


That is part 1.1, step 1 is amnesty, step 1.1 is full benefits.

Dane Allen wrote on 08/19/13 at 14:56:34:


Well, right now its NO Benefits ( federal) for like 13 years.. Actually, for them, its a blessing, dodge Bamicare.,Lose a few options, but avoid a bullet..

Assimilate or go home. One set of great grandparents were Irish born, one set German born, another great grandmother was English born. The rest were USA born. The foreign born ones assimilated and became fairly successful, as well as could be expected in the early 20th century. It still is not that difficult to become an American, if you are willing to work at it, learn English, and follow the rules.

Jerry Eichenberger wrote on 08/19/13 at 15:09:10:


Oh and I completely forgot to acknowledge and applaud you for your honest caring for these people beyond what you can get back from them in cheap labor and such. That should have been the first thing I said before going into anything else.

I shudder to think what would happen were they no longer found to have any substantive value beyond cheap labor and liberal votes.