I was recently reading an article, that was telling me 40-50 year olds were losing their
jobs, their homes, their retirement funds and dreams. Retired, what is that. The ladies
that work at the grocery store must be in their 80s. Seriously, I am not kidding.
I had a discussion with one of these fine women. She explained that Ronald Reagan didn't
want you to collect more than one pension from one place. Even though she worked for
the USPS for 30 years, she was not allowed to enjoy the total retirement benefit. Something
about adding the Social Security and the USPS together to not exceed a certain amount.
And she pointed out the Ronald Reagan enjoyed at least the benefit of 3 different pensions.
So she was working at the local grocery until it went out of business last month.
Now I read article after article, news stories, blogs, it's all about the shrinking retirement
benefits. It looks like they will go the way of the dinosaur. It wouldn't be so bad, except
they cleverly convinced many to stuff their retirement in the stock market. I think you
might of done better in Las Vegas, at least you know the odds.
So now the people in their 50s, who were planning on working another 10 or so
years, can plan to work until they drop. Retirement will mean lower wages, crappier
jobs, or no job at all. And finally poverty,
If you worked hard, we're poor when you were young, I guess we have that to
look forward to now. I see the 40-50s crowd are losing their jobs, the ones they
have been at for some 30 years. Along with that, the 30 year investment of your
life, the pay scale you will never see again.
Because now you are a liability. To the employer, and to the government. Oh, dear! What
to do with these older folks, not old enough for Social Security, and not young enough
for beginning hires.
I know one fellow who lied about his college education, and high paying job, he
just left it off the application. No resume provided. He got the job. It was
construction. That's what a former accountant has to do with their time.
But instead of working the end of a pencil, he is working the end of a hammer.
But not everyone is lucky enough or healthy enough to make a choice to pick
up a trade at 50. Or maybe you can sit down and write that novel you have been
thinking about for the last 30 years. Why not, everyone else is/has written a book.
Or you can grow your own garden, even in your front yard. Provided you own your
home and don't have a mortgage that you now can't afford.
And the final insult, or is it ? Moving home with mom, even though you are 50 and she
is 88. Or even better, moving in with your kids, maybe you can help with the grand kids.
Even if you have to sleep on the couch.
Two people walk into an office for the same job. One is a 30 something with plenty
of experience. One is a 50 something with even more experience. which do you
think is going to get hired? I didn't even figure in all the recent college grads, or
the 20 somethings who lost their jobs too. But then they are competing with the teenagers
for all the other jobs out there. That is, if there were jobs to be had, or have.
It's all just getting a little tight, a little weird, a little scary, hell major scary, like
a non-ending economic horror flick, rolling around in your head.
I just call it HISTORY, and we are living it right now.