Encore: Work that matters in the second half of life.

George Will apparently does not seem to understand that Social Security is a Government run supplemental retirement insurance plan. Most working people in this country, including myself, have paid into this account for all their working lives with the expectation for a secure retirement. To equate this to a welfare program is preposterous. Since its conception SS has been running a surplus which has been illegally siphoned off by Congress to pay down the federal debt. Thus, Mr. Will suggests that in order to have more of this surplus available for paying down the deficit aging workers ought to work till they drop. Mr. Andrew Yarrow of ‘Public Agenda’ has recently offered a similar point of view. He even made the claim that the current fiscal dilemma was brought on by rising SS and Medicare costs, a claim that is totally false. What is puzzling is that these people know better, so why do they  willfully pass  this misinformation?

The main reason for the massive deficit is the shortfall in revenues brought on by the Bush tax cut in the midst of an expensive war. But a reversal of this tax cut might spread the pain of sacrifice to the wealthiest in this country. And this would be unacceptable to Mr. Wills ideological convictions. Thus, the SS trust fund seems like a convenient cash cow.

As a career counseling professional, I’m offended by Will’s notion that "retiring" Americans "possess an entitlement mentality fostered by a metastasizing welfare state." First of all, Americans are either the hardest working or second hardest working people worldwide. Secondly, millions of Americans have lost their jobs – their livelihood! – because corporations are sending jobs to other countries to take advantage of cheap labor. George Will has not sat in my seat during the last 30 years to hear the stories of people having to reinvent themselves again and again. And they often lose ground financially with these imposed transitions.

If there are people who can afford to retire, they’ve earned it. The Social Security payments they receive will hardly make a dent in their cost of living. Let’s not forget that they paid into that system – that’s hardly welfare.

I can validate the observation that older workers want work that is meaningful, that makes a difference in people’s lives and makes our society and/or the world a better place. Many will have to do that through paid employment rather than volunteerism. Either way, it is all to the greater good. As is grandparents raising grandchildren.

I really didn’t want to waste my time
responding to yet another piece of tabloid trash ( it certainly isn’t
what I would call journalism) to increase what must or should be a
falling readership, but I must. It always troubles me when someone
starts quoting macro-economic statistics to generalize to life in the
real world. It’s usual use is the other way around, to assist
policy makers, not as an excuse to denigrate people. But, oh well …
such is the state of our corporate media.

Before I get accused of hypocrisy, here
are some statistics to consider: Income Distribution – of 27
countries the US ranks 24th followed by Poland, Turkey
and Mexico respectively having the most unequal income
distribution, with Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, and Austria having
the most equal distribution of income. Long Term Unemployment (
unemployed for 12 months or more) – the US had about 10% of the
workforce in this category compared to those lazy Japanese at more
than 30%, or those lazy Germans at 58%. Interestingly enough, those
lazy Mexicans had less than 3% in that category. One last statistic, Percent of Life Spent in the Workforce for men – US 62.2, only
exceeded by New Zealand at 62.9, Iceland at 66, and again those lazy
Mexicans at 72.7 . The statistics for women are similarly distributed
with only Iceland and Mexico exceeding the US. (Source: Organization
for Cooperation and Economic Development, OECD Fact Book 2008)

So what can I conclude from just these
numbers? Let’s see … although US workers spend more time in the
workforce than most other countries, and has one of the smallest
percent of long term unemployed excepting for those lazy Mexicans,
yet has the worst income inequality of developed countries (Turkey,
Poland and Mexico are considered by many as developing). So am I to
conclude the reason people want to leave the workforce is because
after working longer than most, the productive benefits of their long
labor hours are given to someone else. So, what is the incentive to
keep working? Maybe that’s the reason so many leave the workforce as
soon as they can! Yet, my conclusions are drawn from
associations only. I have not given any causal evidence, and being
responsible, I would have to caution the reader that my conclusions
are conjecture.

Ah … but would a person like George
Will come to that kind of conclusion? Not likely. Because he, and so
many like him are both intellectually lazy and irresponsible, cherry-picking the statistics that support their ideology. They are
in control though, because after all, the corporations (and only a
few) own the media. But please, don’t let them control your thoughts.
Whenever you read spin like his article, recognize the source and
discount it as intellectual laziness.

It’s funny that George Will of all people is decrying the "idleness" of retired workers. Georgy boy has done squat for the better of part of three decades unless you define  writing 500 word rants for the right-wing as work. Patriotism? Peer into the April issue of Popular Science and see the $300 billion dollar rip-off, the F-35B jet fighter. That’s where our tax dollars are going and why social security is in trouble.The military industrial complex is worried that the downturn of the economy and the deserved retirement of Baby Boomers is going to cut into their waistful projects. Mr. Wills dutifully types out copy for these monsters of the Dark Side. To my fellow boomers: do your patriotic duty and retire if you want to. You earned it.