Should the Social Security and Medicare Age be Raised

[g5000]

Is that adjusted for COVD?

I guess that is one way to fix Social Security. One pandemic after another...

 

[WorldWatcher]

In my experience, I see people living much longer

I remember as a kid, grandparents would die in their 60’s to early 70s
Now, they live well into their 80s

And as an adult I'm in my mid-60's and both my parents are still alive. For my grandparents (fathers side) one lived until late 80s, he was a widower whose wife died in a car accident when she was in her 60's. On my wife's side of the family her mom and dad are still with us, her grandfather died of a heart attack, and her grandmother lived until she was 97.

Reasons

Much better healthcare in dealing with heart attacks, cancer, preventing strokes and screening for other health issues

Smoking has been cut by more than half

Exactly my point, we are dealing with heart attacks, cancer, strokes, decreasing smoking, etc. - which all contribute to people getting TO RETIREMENT more often than in the past. Raising those "average life span" from a demographic standpoint, but that does not mean as a species we are "living significantly longer".

WW

 

[g5000]

We are on an unsustainable trend because of fiscal insanity by our political class (Ds and Rs). Just stop funding the enormous war machine and intelligence agencies will save billions. Shut down all the subsidies and special deals given big corporations. Then close all tax loopholes for the ultra wealthy and big corporations. Viola! Problem fixed.

Well, my number one priority for fixing the federal debt has always been to ban all tax expenditures.

 

[Wyatt earp]

Typical con fallacy. The poor already pay a higher percentage of their income in ALL taxes than the rich.

So one rich guy pays $5,000,000 in taxes and some poor guy pays $53 bucks

What's your point?

 

[rightwinger]

Both my grandparents lived to 90+. My great-grandparents did the same.

But my father had one brother live to retirement and 3 siblings die in either infancy or childhood.

Three of my grandparents died 59-72 one lived to 87
My dad died at 80 and my mom is in her 90s

Up until the 1950s, many children died in childbirth or from childhood diseases. With the development of Polio vaccine and measles/ smallpox eradication, children are surviving more. Mandatory car seats also help

 

[ScorpioRising007]

SS and MC were started in 1934 and 1965 respectfully. In 1934 job were much more physical and people’s bodies broke down starting in their 50s. Nowadays go to any company and you see people working well into their 70s… heck even construction are less strenuous on the person’s body. The trend is only going to increase. In addition, medicine is getting better and people are living longer. This reality should be recognized.

In addition it is much easier to take care of oneself and eat better and feel better at older ages.

Our safety nets need to reflect this new reality.

I actually think the age should be lowered to 60.

 

[g5000]

Only if we are stupid and forget how to do simple math.

Oh, this country is way beyond stupid.

"Gimme gimme gimme, and make that guy over there pay for it."

We get the politicians we deserve.

 

[WorldWatcher]

Three of my grandparents died 59-72 one lived to 87
My dad died at 80 and my mom is in her 90s

Up until the 1950s, many children died in childbirth or from childhood diseases. With the development of Polio vaccine and measles/ smallpox eradication, children are surviving more. Mandatory car seats also help

Exactly, increasing the "average life span". But not because people are living appreciably longer (as a species, not anecdotally), the bigger impact is because the average age of death of infants and young people is moving up - which mathematically impacts the "average life span" figure)

WW

 

[rightwinger]

Yes, we have cut down on the number of smokers, for sure. But the number of chemicals and inorganic substances we take in has skyrocketed.

I remember when a heart attack or cancer were death sentences.
Now, people last decades after first diagnosis.
Medical screening and medications are also better at detecting and treating heart disease, cancer, diabetes
Smoking was a major cause of early death

 

[g5000]

Do we really live longer than our ancestors?

The wonders of modern medicine and nutrition make it easy to believe we enjoy longer lives than at any time in human history, but we may not be that special after all.

www.bbc.com

I was thinking about this previously, and it is really an interesting question. That question being: has life span increased much or on average or more people making it to "the golden years".

As an example used on the article. If you have 2 people and 1 dies in the first year of life and one lives to 70, then the average life span for that population is 35 years.

In other words is the increase in average life span because we as a species are living longer (yes to a degree because of modern medicine), OR is the impact because of DECREASES in mortality of infants and the young, improved work place safety, improved medicine curing disease that in the past may have killed someone in their 20's.

Increasing average life span does not necessarily mean the species is living longer to a significant degree.

Interesting to ponder.

WW

As I showed above, 5.4 percent of the US population was over the age of 65 in the 1930s.

Today, we are nearing 17 percent who are over 65.

We have tripled the percentage of people drawing Social Security.

That. Is. Unsustainable.

 

[g5000]

And if the gov't had not "borrowed" from SS during the years there were huge surpluses, it would still be solvent.

Yes, absolutely. It was an accounting trick.

Thus, Al Gore going on and on about putting SS in a "locked box".

 

[iamwhatiseem]

I actually think the age should be lowered to 60.

And there is a point with that. A valid one.
If 3,000,000 people retired tomorrow... 3,000,000 full time jobs would be available the next day.
Our economy can easily afford to provide for the older population.

 

[bendog]

As I showed above, 5.4 percent of the US population was over the age of 65 in the 1930s.

Today, we are nearing 17 percent who are over 65.

We have tripled the percentage of people drawing Social Security.

That. Is. Unsustainable.

But what do we do for those folks who physically or mentally cannot continue working past current early retirement age?

 

[kaz]

SS and MC were started in 1934 and 1965 respectfully. In 1934 job were much more physical and people’s bodies broke down starting in their 50s. Nowadays go to any company and you see people working well into their 70s… heck even construction are less strenuous on the person’s body. The trend is only going to increase. In addition, medicine is getting better and people are living longer. This reality should be recognized.

In addition it is much easier to take care of oneself and eat better and feel better at older ages.

Our safety nets need to reflect this new reality.

Here's a simple test . What age are we saying that stealing is fine? At what age should it be legal for someone to just take your stuff? That should be the Social Security "retirement" age

 

[iamwhatiseem]

As I showed above, 5.4 percent of the US population was over the age of 65 in the 1930s.

Today, we are nearing 17 percent who are over 65.

We have tripled the percentage of people drawing Social Security.

That. Is. Unsustainable.

That is going to end.
You describe the baby boomers.
Many baby boomers are dying now.

 

[WinterBorn]

Three of my grandparents died 59-72 one lived to 87
My dad died at 80 and my mom is in her 90s

Up until the 1950s, many children died in childbirth or from childhood diseases. With the development of Polio vaccine and measles/ smallpox eradication, children are surviving more. Mandatory car seats also help

And that contributes greatly to the average age we are living to.

If you look at 9 life spans. People dying at 90, 85, 82, 82, 75,72, 70,70 and an infant dying at age 1. The average life span comes to just over 78 years.
If you look at the same list except the infant does not die at age 1, but instead dies at 60, the average life span becomes 85.

 

[rightwinger]

Exactly, increasing the "average life span". But not because people are living appreciably longer (as a species, not anecdotally), the bigger impact is because the average age of death of infants and young people is moving up - which mathematically impacts the "average life span" figure)

WW

You are wrong

There was a time when that first heart attack would kill you. Now people survive for decades
It was hard to survive 5 years after cancer. Now, people routinely survive and cancer screening is much better
Medical treatment from the time the ambulance shows up, to the emergency room to surgery make you much more survivable

 

[kaz]

But what do we do for those folks who physically or mentally cannot continue working past current early retirement age?

What a stupid solution to say that a tiny percent of people can't retire at that age so we're going to pump out trillions to everyone

 

[bendog]

Yes, absolutely. It was an accounting trick.

Thus, Al Gore going on and on about putting SS in a "locked box".

Well, yeah, but how do we essentially take money out of circulation. I think Gore had the better of the argument with W that we should have been allowed to place a small portion into individual, but select and govt approved funds.

 

[WinterBorn]

Here's a simple test . What age are we saying that stealing is fine? At what age should it be legal for someone to just take your stuff? That should be the Social Security "retirement" age

Absolutely wrong. I am not stealing anything. That claim is a blatant lie. I am simply expecting to get the money I paid in back, as was promised by my gov't.