DEAR EDITOR:
I was reading over the Republican Party's agenda for the November elections and a phrase popped in my head, "work 'til you die," because if the CRTs (Conservative, Republican, Tea Party) win out in the general election that is what will happen to a lot of people under the age of 55 in this country. They will have to work until they die.
There is a prelude to the above paragraph. For the last 30 years, our middle class and working poor's wages have stagnated and benefits have been reduced or eliminated. Jobs are being lost and shipped overseas. Now comes the CRT's proposal for fixing Social Security and Medicare. In essence the CRTs are going to push more of the financial burden of Medicare onto the patient, us, the individual. With Social Security the CRTs want to increase the age limit to reduce spending. Really? There are a whole heck of a lot of people who can't physically or mentally work until they are 70 or beyond, including me, because of the demanding nature of the job.
Along with the struggles we middle class and working poor have had to endure the last 30 years, now the CRTs want us to "share some of the sacrifice" to reduce our country's financial deficit. Geez, I thought we have been sacrificing for the last 30 years in the name of corporate profits and greed. Where are we to find the extra finances to save for our increased burden on Social Security and Medicare if we are struggling to get to retirement now?
Think about this. If minimum retirement with Social Security and Medicare is 70 - remember minimum age - and you start working out of high school and are lucky enough to remain employed the whole time, you will have worked 52 years, with a college education 48 years, unless you are able to save enough to retire early. Ok, who out there falls into the "work 'til you die" category? Just curious.
James Fell
Warren