My Take: Farewell trusty three-legged stool plan
Rest in peace, fair three-legged stool. The three-legged stool we retirees were educated about as we worked to support ourselves and our families from our early 20s to our “golden” years.
Leg number one was that pension. The pension that for most today is nothing more than a pipe dream. Having retired from education during its golden years in the state, I have one. Most others I know who didn’t make my career choice DO NOT! Sad, that.
Investments. We have been blessed to have had enough money throughout our working years to put some away for that proverbial “rainy day” or our golden years of sitting in the rocker and waving to passersby. Not everyone (see above) has been that fortunate. Not everyone enjoys investing. Whilst most guys my age follow the Lions or Wolverines almost fanatically, I love reading about Warren Buffet or Mohammed El Arian. My heroes. Batting averages and win/loss stats take a back seat to financial data like the Dow or LIBOR.
Social Security. The vaunted third leg of aforementioned stool. The “third rail” that no politician would EVER threaten, as we old folks vote and they know it. Apparently McCarthy and the right wing nut jobs he had to court to achieve his position have decided the sawzall comes out and takes aim at Social Security. Wow. Wish I could say I did not see this coming, but I did. Have been indications of this for a while. We all just get caught up in other trivia that we brush it aside. A stat I read recently said that 40% of retirees rely on Social Security as their primary source of income. Scary, no?
Sacrifices they say. We all have to sacrifice to balance the budget. Apparently we, their bosses, are the ones to make the sacrifices. The old, the infirm, those who have put into the pot with their paychecks looking forward to a comfortable retirement with fewer worries. An insurance policy helping us avoid the vagaries of a health care “system” that is totally out of control and can land anyone in bankruptcy court.
We have a Supreme Court that has robbed women of their right to choose how to govern their bodies. The new justices basically lied. Now we have this with Medicare and Social Security. Please, fellow voters, wake up and smell the Arabica or robusto coffee. The current iteration of the GOP is not your friend, unless you believe in a reverse Robin Hood effect. They seem more interested in guns than public health or the welfare of the common man/woman.
Nancy Reagan’s great three-word quote again comes to mind: "Just say no" to a party taken over by fringe groups and extremists that do not represent you or the nation’s well-being. Your, our, votes count!
— Jeff Raywood is a resident of Holland.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: My Take: Farewell trusty three-legged stool plan
