Retirement is a week filled with Saturdays and Sundays interrupted only occasionally by a holiday.

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Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Baby Boomer Lament

Just a quick post as I'm off in a few minutes to take my mom to the Aquatics class at the YMCA. I was reading the newspaper this morning and came across a program note in the TV section that made me cringe. Our local PBS station is broadcasting "The Boomer Century: 1946-2046" this evening and this description caught my eye:
The two-hour PBS documentary examines how the roughly 78 million baby boomers in the U.S. will affect social security and healthcare.

I'm guessing that the answer to that will be "not very well" so why would I want to watch something that will only make me more nervous about the future? Sigh...

8 comments:

jaded said...

I've always theorized that social security and medicare would be repaired if Congress were dependent it for their sole retirement package, but nooooo they had to go and vote themselves a *special* retirement. I've also noticed that there isn't a very big incentive to save for your own retirement either...the tax breaks for ira's are menial, and they like to burn you with capital gains...meh.

Pam said...

Just plug your ears, close your eyes, and go, "la la la la la!" It won't help, but it can't hurt.

Renee Nefe said...

I've always been taught that SS won't be there for my generation...so I'm taking care of my retirement myself. I'm not worried about the taxes on it.

meno said...

like renee, i am operating under the assumption that SS will not be in my future, even though i have paid BUNCHES of $ into it.

I heard a story on the radio this morning about the same show. The story focused on the strain on the health care industry when we all get old at the same time. Depressing.

Joan said...

Patches: What a good idea...make members of Congress use Social Security and Medicare as their retirement plan. Too bad they managed to finagle their own benefits package and I'm guessing it's a doozy.

Pam: I do the "la la la la" thing watching most television programs.
;~)

Renee: Actually, Hubby and I retired as public employees so we have municipal retirement plans to rely on...thank goodness!

Meno: Although I'm short several Social Security quarters since most of my employment was with a public agency (which didn't pay SS taxes), I can't help be miffed that all the money from the quarters I did earn will be lost to me. :~(

Pam said...

Hey, I just noticed you put my blog in your blog list -- thanks!
:-)

Lynn said...

I have paid into social security for more quarters than I need to and guess what????? I will never see one dime of the money, because I belong to a retirement system that has a social security offset. Which means for every dollar I would get in s.s., I would lose one dollar from my retirement. Which makes no sense to me since I paid money into both systems! bah humbug!

Patti said...

the whole subject depresses me.

I don't plan to retire...I will be writing every day, I hope.