fair vs possible
in some comments on right side of lowell, (don't forget to click on "show original post" for the full picture), a commenter put forward the argument that his life of long and hard work ought to earn him a retirement unfettered by obligation to pay for future generations' schooling. (i'm guessing he'd say healthcare too).
i'm struck by the fairness of his point. i even agree with it.
but i'm also struck by his bitter refusal to deal with the reality that the shrinking number of productive workers left to pay for the inadequately funded reserves for social security and medicare mean that fairness will likely have nothing to do with the eventual reality. he may not like it, but that's the math when there aren't resources left to do what's fair or right--you can't squeeze blood from a stone, and you can't keep social security and medicare afloat at the current rate. it's not a question of fairness, it's a question of reality.
myself, i don't expect to enjoy a solvent social security system, or medicare coverage for that matter, and i'm discouraged that others cannot see the sad truth of this while they are railing about the unfairness of having been cheated out of a lifetime of taxes to pay for other people's ease. yup, it's unfair. and, the sad fact is that we, this retiring generation, have been alive while the whole thing was cocked up (possibly) beyond repair.
it's too late to complain about it. the big question is how we're going to fix it, and, yes, i fully expect a lot of people who shouldn't have to, will have to. (pay for it, that is).
cuz if we don't, the whole fabric of our country is ripped beyond repair.
i happen to be enough of a patriot to love it too much to stand behind a question of "fair" when something else must be done.
i'm struck by the fairness of his point. i even agree with it.
but i'm also struck by his bitter refusal to deal with the reality that the shrinking number of productive workers left to pay for the inadequately funded reserves for social security and medicare mean that fairness will likely have nothing to do with the eventual reality. he may not like it, but that's the math when there aren't resources left to do what's fair or right--you can't squeeze blood from a stone, and you can't keep social security and medicare afloat at the current rate. it's not a question of fairness, it's a question of reality.
myself, i don't expect to enjoy a solvent social security system, or medicare coverage for that matter, and i'm discouraged that others cannot see the sad truth of this while they are railing about the unfairness of having been cheated out of a lifetime of taxes to pay for other people's ease. yup, it's unfair. and, the sad fact is that we, this retiring generation, have been alive while the whole thing was cocked up (possibly) beyond repair.
it's too late to complain about it. the big question is how we're going to fix it, and, yes, i fully expect a lot of people who shouldn't have to, will have to. (pay for it, that is).
cuz if we don't, the whole fabric of our country is ripped beyond repair.
i happen to be enough of a patriot to love it too much to stand behind a question of "fair" when something else must be done.
Labels: politics
posted by kad barma at 11:33 AM
2 Comments:
I'm not sure I agree with his point.
Wait, no, I'm sure I don't agree with his point.
Did he not benefit from somebody else paying for his schooling? So that he was in a position to work not just hard but work hard for someone willing to hire him?
Plenty of people work a hell of a lot harder than I do, but they make a hell of a lot less. If I didn't get a great education at a great public MA school, I'm sure I wouldn't be so fortunate.
So, now, I pay for other people's children to get a good education. Seems fair to me, and this leaves out the many indirect benefits of a well-educated populace.
In point of fact, no, he did not benefit from somebody else paying for his schooling, or at least his secondary education. (Though I take your point about K-12).
Clearly every generation produces people who work a hell of a lot harder than the rest of us, and enjoying a leisurely retirement, resting on the fruits of that labor would certainly be fair.
But, either way, I'm struck by how, as my father would always say, "life's not supposed to be fair". And, clearly, it isn't.
My biggest objection to his attitude is that, somehow, even if there isn't enough to go around, that he's entitled to as much as he feels he's "earned", and he further feels that he's the one to decide how much that is.
My ex once said, in taking well more than 50% of the marital assets and 2/3's of my income for alimony and child support, (and I'm not complaining, mind you, because my kids are with her, and I won't feel badly about taking care of my kids no matter what), "what if it isn't enough"?
What if it isn't? We're all going to have to learn how to deal with a future in which there simply isn't enough.
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