The Conservative Cave
Current Events => The DUmpster => Topic started by: Delmar on March 04, 2018, 03:33:01 PM
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Sun Mar 4, 2018, 03:50 PM
Demovictory9 (17 posts)
This Is What Life Without Retirement Savings Looks Like
Many seniors are stuck with lives of never-ending work—a fate that could befall millions in the coming decades.
CORONA, Calif.—Roberta Gordon never thought she’d still be alive at age 76. She definitely didn’t think she’d still be working. But every Saturday, she goes down to the local grocery store and hands out samples, earning $50 a day, because she needs the money.
“I’m a working woman again,” she told me, in the common room of the senior apartment complex where she now lives, here in California’s Inland Empire. Gordon has worked dozens of odd jobs throughout her life—as a house cleaner, a home health aide, a telemarketer, a librarian, a fundraiser—but at many times in her life, she didn’t have a steady job that paid into Social Security. She didn’t receive a pension. And she definitely wasn’t making enough to put aside money for retirement.
So now, at 76, she earns $915 a month through Social Security and through Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, a program for low-income seniors. Her rent, which she has had to cover solo since her roommate died in August, is $1,040 a month. She’s been taking on credit-card debt to cover the gap, and to pay for utilities, food, and other essentials. She often goes to a church food bank for supplies.
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These initiatives can make the difference between having a home—and some semblance of stability—and not. Roberta Gordon, in Corona, was barely scraping by when I talked to her. A few months later, she was much more stable. Why? She’d gotten off a wait list and been accepted into the housing-voucher program known as Section 8, which reduces the amount of income she has to put towards housing. She’s still working at 76, but she feels a little more secure now that she has more help. She knows, at least, that she’s one of the lucky ones—able, in her older years, to keep food on the table and a roof over her head.
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2018/02/pensions-safety-net-california/553970/
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210317682
Roberta is living in wretched poverty in her old age. Maybe she deserves it, but I feel sorry for her anyway.
Decent, civilized people read the story of Roberta's life of squalor and view it as a cautionary tale.
The primitives don't take away any lessons from Roberta's sad story.
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(https://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/posts/2018/02/deborah2/28eacc73c.jpg)
How could she be poor with all that White Privilege????
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https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210317682
Roberta is living in wretched poverty in her old age. Maybe she deserves it, but I feel sorry for her anyway.
Decent, civilized people read the story of Roberta's life of squalor and view it as a cautionary tale.
The primitives don't take away any lessons from Roberta's sad story.
She is a victim of believing the lie of liberals concerning the Social Security safety net. There is no such thing and never has been. When social security was created most people didn't live much longer than 65. In the case of blacks, life expectancy was less than 60. SSI was meant to help a select few who lived longer than expected. It was thought there would always be more coming in than going out. Modern medicine has changed all that. At any rate, it was never meant to be one's sole means of support. It was assumed some retirement income of a pension or what have you would round things off at a subsistence level income. Enough to get by on, but by no means a fortune.
I feel for her and the fact that she lives in California only makes it worse. The cost of living is just too high for the subsistence living elderly. If they alt-left manages to win out and get rid of all conservative voices then things can only get worse for Roberta.
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Response to Demovictory9 (Original post)
Sun Mar 4, 2018, 06:02 PM
Still In Wisconsin (2,768 posts)
19. My plan is to end my own life as soon as I can no longer work.
After putting three kids through school, paying off my wife's student loans, paying off my student loans, paying off the house, there's not going to be any money left for retirement. I wish it was otherwise, but this is my reality. I work for Scott Walker's "Right to Work" State of Wisconsin, and no way I'm being a burden to my girls. I know several others who have the same plan... days of comfortable retirements here are a thing of the past I'm afraid.
Response to airplaneman (Reply #22)
Sun Mar 4, 2018, 06:51 PM
Still In Wisconsin (2,768 posts)
30. Yep, it's called the "Smith and Wesson retirement plan," and it's for me!
It's not dependent on the markets, it works the same in every state, and all you need to have saved is enough to buy a gun and one round of ammunition. I already have both, so I'm all set to go (literally) when the time comes.
Response to Demovictory9 (Original post)
Sun Mar 4, 2018, 06:50 PM
NBachers (9,378 posts)
28. I am at work now. Earlier today I was visualizing an old guy I used to work with,
He worked into his early 80's, until he passed away. I imagined that someday I would see him come walking down the aisle, and he would take my hand and lift me up to my great reward. In other words, I visualized my own death at work. And we know why.
Party of death.
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Party of death.
must really suck to have nothing to look forward to after a lifetime of hard work.
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Response to Demovictory9 (Original post)
Sun Mar 4, 2018, 06:02 PM
Still In Wisconsin (2,768 posts)
19. My plan is to end my own life as soon as I can no longer work. Why wait? No time like the present!!
After putting three kids through school, paying off my wife's student loans, paying off my student loans, paying off the house, there's not going to be any money left for retirement. I wish it was otherwise, but this is my reality.
I work for Scott Walker's "Right to Work" State of Wisconsin, and no way I'm being a burden to my girls. I know several others who have the same plan... days of comfortable retirements here are a thing of the past I'm afraid. We conservative Badgers will be only too happy to watch you shuffle yourself off this mortal coil
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I am not going to criticize the subject of the DUmp op because I have no idea their entire back story.
Bottom line is that life is variable and not always kind.
People make bad decisions and poor choices as well.
There is no perfect answer but in this day and age where increasingly children have been socialized to economically abandon parents these situations will happen.
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CORONA, Calif.—Roberta Gordon never thought she’d still be alive at age 76. She definitely didn’t think she’d still be working. But every Saturday, she goes down to the local grocery store and hands out samples, earning $50 a day, because she needs the money.
“I’m a working woman again,” she told me, in the common room of the senior apartment complex where she now lives, here in California’s Inland Empire. Gordon has worked dozens of odd jobs throughout her life—as a house cleaner, a home health aide, a telemarketer, a librarian, a fundraiser—but at many times in her life, she didn’t have a steady job that paid into Social Security. She didn’t receive a pension. And she definitely wasn’t making enough to put aside money for retirement.
So now, at 76, she earns $915 a month through Social Security and through Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, a program for low-income seniors. Her rent, which she has had to cover solo since her roommate died in August, is $1,040 a month.
Foolish choices have consequences, choices like education, remunerative career paths and jobs. Choosing to believe that Social Security is sufficient for retirement is one such foolish choice; it was never intended to be. To be honest, looking at her list of jobs, I can't help wondering how many were cash-under-the-table, not-on-the-books jobs.
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Foolish choices have consequences, choices like education, remunerative career paths and jobs. Choosing to believe that Social Security is sufficient for retirement is one such foolish choice; it was never intended to be. To be honest, looking at her list of jobs, I can't help wondering how many were cash-under-the-table, not-on-the-books jobs.
If she has been married she could live off her husband's SSI instead of her own (assuming that the husband is no longer among the living). He might have contributed more and thus she would be able to receive more.
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If she has been married she could live off her husband's SSI instead of her own (assuming that the husband is no longer among the living). He might have contributed more and thus she would be able to receive more.
I didn't comment on it, but I noticed the absence of several words in what the DU OP quoted: "Husband", "Children", "Family". Nothing wrong with being single and childless lifelong. I had an Uncle who was both. But, using him as an example, he got a technical education and, with an interruption for WW2 service, he had a single-job career at a sugar production plant as plant engineer. His retirement was comfortable because of those and other related choices.
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Response to airplaneman (Reply #22)
Sun Mar 4, 2018, 06:51 PM
Still In Wisconsin (2,768 posts)
30. Yep, it's called the "Smith and Wesson retirement plan," and it's for me!
It's not dependent on the markets, it works the same in every state, and all you need to have saved is enough to buy a gun and one round of ammunition. I already have both, so I'm all set to go (literally) when the time comes.
We all pray "the time comes" soon. Does this Wednesday work for you?
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We all pray "the time comes" soon. Does this Wednesday work for you?
Do it on Skype, and let us know the link! :yahoo:
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Still In Wisconsin (2,768 posts)
19. My plan is to end my own life as soon as I can no longer work.
Why wait? do it now and save yourself a lot of years of labor. :lmao: :lmao: :loser:
It is sad to see aged Americans in that situation, maybe she should declare herself an illegal alien.
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Gordon has worked dozens of odd jobs throughout her life—as a house cleaner, a home health aide, a telemarketer, a librarian, a fundraiser—but at many times in her life, she didn’t have a steady job that paid into Social Security.
Kind of sounds like she never really bothered to earn a living and to take care of herself. Or am I missing something?
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I could hope to get $915 a month at retirement. My "needs only" budget is close to $700 at the mo.
I just have to survive for another 13 working years.
Not too optimistic about that. By his 67th birthday, my dad had been dead for 6.
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Still In Wisconsin (2,768 posts)
30. Yep, it's called the "Smith and Wesson retirement plan," and it's for me!
It's not dependent on the markets, it works the same in every state, and all you need to have saved is enough to buy a gun and one round of ammunition. I already have both, so I'm all set to go (literally) when the time comes.
Why wait! Opt for early retirement.
You got another 7 years of Trump as POTUS...