Work ‘Til You Drop Dead — It’s Patriotic!
If you’re planning on retiring at the minimum Social Security retirement age, some would deem you as “selfish and unpatriotic.”
Personally, I plan to work into my 60s, 70s, 80s and if I’m around long enough, into my 90s because I am self employed and I like what I do, not because “the government tells me to” or because of some socialist agenda touted by the media. This is my choice; I am living the life that I want.
But I am not a construction worker whose shoulder cuff may be out by the time I’m 50. Or a laborer whose back feels like it’s in a vice. Or a school teacher stressed out to the max from classrooms half filled with attention deficit kids. Or working for an employer that I cannot stand. If I fell in those categories, I think I’d be looking forward to retiring as soon as possible.
According to the article, which cites various quotes from Andrew Yarrow, a vice president of the nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization Public Agenda:
Yarrow urges the nation’s 78 million baby boomers to forgo traditional or early retirement and work for a few more years, for their own sake and the good of the country.
If boomers all turn in their keys at age 55, 62 or 65 and head for the Tuscan hills, that great sucking sound you’ll hear is untold amounts of taxpayer dollars being leached from the economy. That is money heirs will have to replace or do without.
Tax Dollars “Leached” from the Economy
A healthy, vibrant economy is not based on tax dollars. Taxes are merely redistribution of wealth mandated by the government; they do nothing to enhance the economy but instead, promote increased government spending and interference. Where the real money comes from is the private sector — you know, the part that actually does something constructive instead of regulating what everyone else does. Likes a cancer, the government portion of the economic sector has been slowly taking over. Before 1930, only 12% of the economy consisted of the government. In 2007, it grew to 43%, and continues to grow. The government sector does nothing to enhance the economy; it relies on the private sector to fund it. Government’s huge proportion of our economy means America is turning socialist. In a socialist country then Yarrow is right — retiring early is unpatriotic. One of the best compilations of government spending, studies about social trends, and economic reports that I’ve ever seen were put together by a guy named Michael Hodges. His Grandfather Economic Report series is fascinating — and quite revealing.
It seems to me that the “great sucking sound” is bloated government spending, not people who’ve worked all their lives and have chosen freedom from jobs they may not enjoy. One of the more appalling examples of government irresponsibility is the missing $25 BILLION, which could not be accounted for in 2003 (Source: Heritage Foundation). The Heritage Foundation goes on to list additional examples of egregious waste that’ll make your blood boil.
If anyone is “unpatriotic” and “selfish” here, it’s those in government who are responsible for the waste and outrageous, unaccounted spending. As pointed out in one of my previous posts, Citizens Against Government Waste reported, “. . . [the] Cost of Government Day for 2008 is July 16. Americans now work more than half of the year — 197 days — to pay their share of the cost of government, with 84 of those days due to federal spending alone.” Working more than half the year to support government is almost criminal. Branding as “unpatriotic” and “selfish” the people who decide to retire is akin to rubbing salt on a wound.
If these things concern you, take a look at the Libertarian candidate, Bob Barr, who offers a refreshing change to the tax-and-spend-more-than-is-coming-in mentality of the traditional parties. It’s not just the president that’s responsible for this mess, however. It’s Congress. We need to seriously look at third party candidates for all levels of government, whether it’s local, state or federal if we want to see constructive change.
Understanding the Nature of the Beast
It’s Generated a Lot of Controversy
Be sure to check out MSN’s article, “Is Retiring Early Unpatriotic?.” There are over 400 comments on this heated topic already. Some are quite educational; others enlightening about the American state of mind.
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