Retire at age 70?

gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
edited July 2010 in A Moving Train
John Boehner recently said we should raise the retirement age to 70, meaning that workers will not be eligible for social security until age 70. so instead of raising payroll taxes to pay for it we should make everyone work an extra 5 years before being eligible to receive benefits?? IMO this will lead to a whole host of problems.

1. most 70 year olds are not physically capable to work labor and difficult jobs. deskwork and jobs where they use their minds, yes, but how many 65 year old laborers do you see? it is proven fact that your body starts to break down and things like decreased strength and osteoarthritis begin to take their toll on the body. i see 70 year old patients every day and i just think to myself "there is no way this guy can continue to work".

2. with the younger generations of workers not able to find work, why make those age 65 continue to work and take up those jobs?

3. life expectancy is about 75 years old, so the longer that people work the less time they are on social security. if this is the rationale for extending retirement age, i completely disagree with it. we all pay into SS so that we can benefit from it.

i have a few other thoughts on this but lack the time to type them right now.

what are your thoughts on extending the retirement age?
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
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Comments

  • ShawshankShawshank Posts: 1,018
    what are your thoughts on extending the retirement age?

    At the rate we're going, they may as well make it 115. I'm not trying to be a smartass, but that is the reality of the situation in which we are quickly finding ourselves.
  • We cant afford to start paying out Social Security at regular retirement ages anymore. People could still retire whenever they wanted to, they just wouldn't be able to live on the government dime. US Life expectancy is 78-79 years.

    Having people in the workforce longer would allow more income tax revenue to be taken in by the government allowing us to (assuming we cut spending as well) decrease our deficit.

    As the market recovers (and it is recovering) more jobs will appear and any worry about old people taking up young peoples jobs will disappear.

    In my opinion we should do away with social security altogether and just let people do what they want with their money. Whether they want to put some away for retirement or not is, I believe, their decision.
  • sensisensi Posts: 73
    My parents are 69 and 68 and both retired 10 years ago...they have small pensions each and SSP (State Retirement Pension)...they have no mortgage and just the bills to pay (they receive £200 a year heating allowance in the Winter to help with fuel costs) that is the same for a lot of pensioners in England...my uncle (dad's brother) was made redundant just before his 60th birthday and now qualifies for Pension Credit (state benefit)...he has his rent paid and his council tax.

    If people prepare for their old age in this country they pay for it further down the line...making people work until they are 70 isn't right...would you feel safe on seeing a 70 year old fireman arriving at the window of your burning house to carry you down his ladder?
    It makes much more sense to live in the present tense
  • namecidnamecid Posts: 24
    I don't think I will live to see retirement. Not trying to be a downer but just being real. If you look at why SS was formed and how we use it today, it is seriously being abused. Too much money going out and not enough coming in. I can see them raising the retirement age even higher than 72. Its not right but there are too many flaws in the system.
    Namecid
  • mickeyratmickeyrat Posts: 40,371
    retirement at 70 for FULL SS benefits. Still can retire at 62 for partial, but who can live on that? For that matter who can live on full SS. In my opinion those that are set financially , have been blessed with good higher paying jobs and good sound investments should be ineligible to to receive these benefits. Whole host of things wrong with Gov sponsered or paid retirements.
    My brother, for example, retired from the Air Force at 20 years, is now working for The DoD (Fire Chief at an AF base) collects 50% of ending pay from AF(could be more as its a scale based payout depending on length of service) for retirement and earns his regular pay as a Fire Chief(civilian). This double dipping is rampant throught many fields.
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  • mickeyratmickeyrat Posts: 40,371
    sensi wrote:
    My parents are 69 and 68 and both retired 10 years ago...they have small pensions each and SSP (State Retirement Pension)...they have no mortgage and just the bills to pay (they receive £200 a year heating allowance in the Winter to help with fuel costs) that is the same for a lot of pensioners in England...my uncle (dad's brother) was made redundant just before his 60th birthday and now qualifies for Pension Credit (state benefit)...he has his rent paid and his council tax.

    If people prepare for their old age in this country they pay for it further down the line...making people work until they are 70 isn't right...would you feel safe on seeing a 70 year old fireman arriving at the window of your burning house to carry you down his ladder?
    your example of the firefighter is false. Most civil service jobs have mandatory retirement ages for fields such as this.
    _____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________

    Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
    you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
    memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
  • mikepegg44mikepegg44 Posts: 3,353
    John Boehner recently said we should raise the retirement age to 70, meaning that workers will not be eligible for social security until age 70. so instead of raising payroll taxes to pay for it we should make everyone work an extra 5 years before being eligible to receive benefits?? IMO this will lead to a whole host of problems.

    1. most 70 year olds are not physically capable to work labor and difficult jobs. deskwork and jobs where they use their minds, yes, but how many 65 year old laborers do you see? it is proven fact that your body starts to break down and things like decreased strength and osteoarthritis begin to take their toll on the body. i see 70 year old patients every day and i just think to myself "there is no way this guy can continue to work".

    2. with the younger generations of workers not able to find work, why make those age 65 continue to work and take up those jobs?

    3. life expectancy is about 75 years old, so the longer that people work the less time they are on social security. if this is the rationale for extending retirement age, i completely disagree with it. we all pay into SS so that we can benefit from it.

    i have a few other thoughts on this but lack the time to type them right now.

    what are your thoughts on extending the retirement age?

    people are going to continue to live longer. If we want to keep social security as an option we will need to up the age among other things. Paying more into it will not solve the problem only delay it.
    that’s right! Can’t we all just get together and focus on our real enemies: monogamous gays and stem cells… - Ned Flanders
    It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
    - Joe Rogan
  • mikepegg44mikepegg44 Posts: 3,353
    edited July 2010
    mickeyrat wrote:
    retirement at 70 for FULL SS benefits. Still can retire at 62 for partial, but who can live on that? For that matter who can live on full SS. In my opinion those that are set financially , have been blessed with good higher paying jobs and good sound investments should be ineligible to to receive these benefits.

    people who are smart with their money have paid just as much into social security as anyone else and should be entitled to their benefits. By the way, Blessed is a bad word choice. people with good jobs for the most part have worked hard to get there. Why should they be punished because they were smart with their money? They may not "need" it in your eyes, but it is their money, they paid it in, so they should get it out
    Post edited by mikepegg44 on
    that’s right! Can’t we all just get together and focus on our real enemies: monogamous gays and stem cells… - Ned Flanders
    It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
    - Joe Rogan
  • Godfather.Godfather. Posts: 12,504
    I'm 50 and have been paying into SS since I was 16 and paper rout before that, I have paid my fair share into SS like everybody else...well most everybody else :roll: ,then the government wants to change the rules and make me work another 5+ years and then spend my money on bullshit like these illegal immigrants that want drivers lic. welfare etc...and some people wonder why so many other people are pissed off over crap like this retirement age deal and the way our money is spent. :x :x

    Godfather.
  • Godfather.Godfather. Posts: 12,504
    here is a perfect example of wasted money.
    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07 ... y-tuesday/

    Godfather.
  • mickeyratmickeyrat Posts: 40,371
    mikepegg44 wrote:
    mickeyrat wrote:
    retirement at 70 for FULL SS benefits. Still can retire at 62 for partial, but who can live on that? For that matter who can live on full SS. In my opinion those that are set financially , have been blessed with good higher paying jobs and good sound investments should be ineligible to to receive these benefits.


    people who are smart with their money have paid just as much into social security as anyone else and should be entitled to their benefits. By the way, Blessed is a bad word choice. people with good jobs for the most part have worked hard to get there. Why should they be punished because they were smart with their money? They may not "need" it in your eyes, but it is their money, they paid it in, so they should get it out
    there in lies the problem. SS was intially set up as a need based thing.In fact most forms of gov handouts(for lack of a better term) are in fact need based. To apply for this when it's not needed to get by every month smacks of greed and selfishness.

    Personally I've thought for a long time(20+ years) now that I will never see this benefit. What I pay in now is going to my mother and before her my grandmother.So I've resigned myself to the fact that I will work til I croak.
    _____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________

    Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
    you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
    memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
  • dasvidanadasvidana Grand Junction CO Posts: 1,349
    Isn't 70 the new 60?
    It's nice to be nice to the nice.
  • know1know1 Posts: 6,794
    What is "retirement age"? I don't understand the concept.

    I'm assuming it has something to do with social security, but if anyone on this board is counting on social security to fund their retirement, they are going to find themselves in a world of hurt.

    I'm saving for my own retirement and will retire when I think I can pull that off. It might be 50, 55, 60, 65.....who knows?

    The other thing is, I doubt I will ever stop working/being productive entirely. I like the idea of having a reason to get up in the morning and being beneficial to someone or something.
    The only people we should try to get even with...
    ...are those who've helped us.

    Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
  • unlost dogsunlost dogs Greater Boston Posts: 12,553
    mickeyrat wrote:
    sensi wrote:
    My parents are 69 and 68 and both retired 10 years ago...they have small pensions each and SSP (State Retirement Pension)...they have no mortgage and just the bills to pay (they receive £200 a year heating allowance in the Winter to help with fuel costs) that is the same for a lot of pensioners in England...my uncle (dad's brother) was made redundant just before his 60th birthday and now qualifies for Pension Credit (state benefit)...he has his rent paid and his council tax.

    If people prepare for their old age in this country they pay for it further down the line...making people work until they are 70 isn't right...would you feel safe on seeing a 70 year old fireman arriving at the window of your burning house to carry you down his ladder?
    your example of the firefighter is false. Most civil service jobs have mandatory retirement ages for fields such as this.

    That's true and I think it's determined by either state law or in the absence of that, municipal contract. My husband is a firefighter and will have to retire at 65. Same goes for police officers in my community. The mandatory retirement age for state troopers in Massachusetts was age 50 for a long time, I'm not sure if that changed after they merged with the Metropolitan District Commission police force several years ago.
    15 years of sharks 06/30/08 (MA), 05/17/10 (Boston), 09/03/11 (Alpine Valley), 09/04/11 (Alpine Valley), 09/30/12 (Missoula), 07/19/13 (Wrigley), 10/15/13 (Worcester), 10/16/13 (Worcester), 10/25/13 (Hartford), 12/4/13 (Vancouver), 12/6/13 (Seattle), 6/26/14 (Berlin), 6/28/14 (Stockholm), 10/16/14 (Detroit)
  • inmytreeinmytree Posts: 4,741
    This thread is funny...it's amazing to me how many will argue against their own interest...

    I guess lots of folks want to work until they are 70...

    Personally, I think they should lower the retirement age to 60...
  • inmytreeinmytree Posts: 4,741
    We cant afford to start paying out Social Security at regular retirement ages anymore. People could still retire whenever they wanted to, they just wouldn't be able to live on the government dime. US Life expectancy is 78-79 years.

    Having people in the workforce longer would allow more income tax revenue to be taken in by the government allowing us to (assuming we cut spending as well) decrease our deficit.

    As the market recovers (and it is recovering) more jobs will appear and any worry about old people taking up young peoples jobs will disappear.

    In my opinion we should do away with social security altogether and just let people do what they want with their money. Whether they want to put some away for retirement or not is, I believe, their decision.

    Government Dime...?

    anyway...having folks in the workforce longer will mean there will be less jobs for those entering the workforce...

    anyway, yeah, let's do away with SS altogether...to hell with those who've paid into it...screw anyone over age 50...those f-ers should have been saving...
  • haffajappahaffajappa British Columbia Posts: 5,955
    there's a guy who works a graveyard shift stocking shelves at the local 24 hour drug star...
    he couldnt be younger than 70-something.

    my heart always breaks for him........
    live pearl jam is best pearl jam
  • mikepegg44mikepegg44 Posts: 3,353
    mickeyrat wrote:
    people who are smart with their money have paid just as much into social security as anyone else and should be entitled to their benefits. By the way, Blessed is a bad word choice. people with good jobs for the most part have worked hard to get there. Why should they be punished because they were smart with their money? They may not "need" it in your eyes, but it is their money, they paid it in, so they should get it out
    [/quote]
    there in lies the problem. SS was intially set up as a need based thing.In fact most forms of gov handouts(for lack of a better term) are in fact need based. To apply for this when it's not needed to get by every month smacks of greed and selfishness.

    Personally I've thought for a long time(20+ years) now that I will never see this benefit. What I pay in now is going to my mother and before her my grandmother.So I've resigned myself to the fact that I will work til I croak.[/quote]

    how on earth is it greed? It is a program that all americans are entitled too based on age specifications and other issue, like mental and physical disabilities.
    I would much prefer that we don't pay any into social security anymore. Or if they are going to force it on us, we should only get out what we put in
    that’s right! Can’t we all just get together and focus on our real enemies: monogamous gays and stem cells… - Ned Flanders
    It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
    - Joe Rogan
  • OutOfBreathOutOfBreath Posts: 1,804
    mikepegg44 wrote:
    people are going to continue to live longer. If we want to keep social security as an option we will need to up the age among other things. Paying more into it will not solve the problem only delay it.

    I am tempted to here insert the famous Keynes quote "In the long run we are all dead". :)
    "Delaying" isn't necessarily bad. You might say that everything we do just delay the inevitable... ;)

    In your case, I don't think the legal retirement age needs to go so much up. It's the real retirement age that matters, on other words, on average how old are people when they retire? I'm betting a lot lower than 65. So introducing incentives for 60+ people to stay working might be a way to go. That's what Norway is doing now, experimenting with having people being able to get their pension AND make money on the side. But we have a shortage of labour now that is only going to get worse in the future, so we really need everyone to stay in as long as possible, even if it looks costly on the budget. Socio-economically it may still be a gain in the big picture.

    Peace
    Dan
    "YOU [humans] NEED TO BELIEVE IN THINGS THAT AREN'T TRUE. HOW ELSE CAN THEY BECOME?" - Death

    "Every judgment teeters on the brink of error. To claim absolute knowledge is to become monstrous. Knowledge is an unending adventure at the edge of uncertainty." - Frank Herbert, Dune, 1965
  • Godfather.Godfather. Posts: 12,504
    edited July 2010
    inmytree wrote:
    This thread is funny...it's amazing to me how many will argue against their own interest...

    I guess lots of folks want to work until they are 70...

    Personally, I think they should lower the retirement age to 60...
    :thumbup: :clap::clap: :thumbup: 10 more years baby !!....that would be cool.

    Godfather.
    Post edited by Godfather. on
  • Godfather.Godfather. Posts: 12,504
    inmytree wrote:
    This thread is funny...it's amazing to me how many will argue against their own interest...

    I guess lots of folks want to work until they are 70...

    Personally, I think they should lower the retirement age to 60...

    in unions and larger companies as most of you probably know retirement is based on credits or years of service
    so if you don't work you don't get a retirement check,SS seems to make the rules up as they go along.

    Godfather.
  • SmellymanSmellyman Asia Posts: 4,524
    Godfather. wrote:
    I'm 50 and have been paying into SS since I was 16 and paper rout before that, I have paid my fair share into SS like everybody else...well most everybody else :roll: ,then the government wants to change the rules and make me work another 5+ years and then spend my money on bullshit like these illegal immigrants that want drivers lic. welfare etc...and some people wonder why so many other people are pissed off over crap like this retirement age deal and the way our money is spent. :x :x

    Godfather.

    haha. It's the Mexicans fault!
  • CosmoCosmo Posts: 12,225
    dasvidana wrote:
    Isn't 70 the new 60?
    ...
    Except when it comes to driving.
    Allen Fieldhouse, home of the 2008 NCAA men's Basketball Champions! Go Jayhawks!
    Hail, Hail!!!
  • Godfather.Godfather. Posts: 12,504
    Smellyman wrote:
    Godfather. wrote:
    I'm 50 and have been paying into SS since I was 16 and paper rout before that, I have paid my fair share into SS like everybody else...well most everybody else :roll: ,then the government wants to change the rules and make me work another 5+ years and then spend my money on bullshit like these illegal immigrants that want drivers lic. welfare etc...and some people wonder why so many other people are pissed off over crap like this retirement age deal and the way our money is spent. :x :x

    Godfather.

    haha. It's the Mexicans fault!

    actually I wonder where NObama keeps getting the money to spend since he's bullshitted his way into office. :lol:

    Godfather.
  • he still standshe still stands Posts: 2,835
    To take a more abstract view on this whole subject, let's consider how the elderly have been treated over the centuries in different civilizations.

    The most basic and primitive tribes treated their elderly with respect and valued their wisdom. The tribe took care of their elderly, provided food and water and shelter, and the elderly had the most decision-making power for the tribes. Once you couldn't hunt any longer/take care of children/cook/etc... you were taken care of by the younger tribesmen and women.

    Today, our elderly are working into their 60s/70s and sometimes longer, they are neglected, they are put into old person asylums and never visited, and they rot away in a bed with noone who cares for them except a nurse tech who changes their bed pan and feeds them a meal.

    This disgusting situation is obviously regressive. We have lost our way as a society if we can put chunks of metal into space every day but forget to take care of our elderly and provide for them as a "tribe."
    Everything not forbidden is compulsory and eveything not compulsory is forbidden. You are free... free to do what the government says you can do.
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    To take a more abstract view on this whole subject, let's consider how the elderly have been treated over the centuries in different civilizations.

    The most basic and primitive tribes treated their elderly with respect and valued their wisdom. The tribe took care of their elderly, provided food and water and shelter, and the elderly had the most decision-making power for the tribes. Once you couldn't hunt any longer/take care of children/cook/etc... you were taken care of by the younger tribesmen and women.

    Today, our elderly are working into their 60s/70s and sometimes longer, they are neglected, they are put into old person asylums and never visited, and they rot away in a bed with noone who cares for them except a nurse tech who changes their bed pan and feeds them a meal.

    This disgusting situation is obviously regressive. We have lost our way as a society if we can put chunks of metal into space every day but forget to take care of our elderly and provide for them as a "tribe."
    well stated. i agree with you. someone stated the average life expectancy earlier in the thread, but that is wrong. african americans have a life expectancy of like 3-5 years less than that. so essentially in today's world people will be working until the day they die. i think we need to raise taxes rather than make people wait until age 70 to be eligible for medicare and social security. better yet, the money is out there, so cut the damn near 1 billion dollar pentagon budget, stop propping up the military industrial complex, stop dumping millions per month into the desert of iraq and the corporations like KBR and halliburton, stop giving our tax dollars to israel, and stop bailing out the too big to fail corporations and banksters.

    so if the retirement age goes to 70, where do you cut people off from the age 65 eligibility? i'm 35 and i am planning on working another 26-30 years. if someone told me i would have to wait til 70 for medicare and SS i would be extremely pissed because i have been paying in since age 16. do we say people born after 1990 have to wait until 70? do we make it later than that or sooner than that? those born in 1990 are 20 now and may have been paying intot he system for 3-4 years. it would not be fair to them to make them work longer for the same benefits the rest of us are entitled to.

    it is a convenient argument to state that "people should be saving more"....as if people choose not to save money for retirement...has anyone noticed that cost of living is going up and that wages for those of us lucky enough to have a job are stagnant yet again? home values are down and people have more debt now. people in their 50s, 60s and 70s used to be guaranteed pensions, now the younger workers are forced into 401ks, 403 bs, whatever, and are losing their ass without employer matching and most saving accounts yield only 2-4% interest, so any money that is actually saved accrues at a VERY slow pace. our seniors have been taken advantage of, reverse mortgages, etc..if you work your whole life and pay into social security it should be of paramount importance to get out of it what you have paid into it.
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • OutOfBreathOutOfBreath Posts: 1,804
    Well, you could stop underfunding SS instead, and start paying more into it to keep it going as before. But that would probably piss off people that think people should pay into their own private plans rather than have a public alternative...

    Peace
    Dan
    "YOU [humans] NEED TO BELIEVE IN THINGS THAT AREN'T TRUE. HOW ELSE CAN THEY BECOME?" - Death

    "Every judgment teeters on the brink of error. To claim absolute knowledge is to become monstrous. Knowledge is an unending adventure at the edge of uncertainty." - Frank Herbert, Dune, 1965
  • gimmesometruth27gimmesometruth27 St. Fuckin Louis Posts: 23,303
    Well, you could stop underfunding SS instead, and start paying more into it to keep it going as before. But that would probably piss off people that think people should pay into their own private plans rather than have a public alternative...

    Peace
    Dan
    do you think that paying for those things i stated in my above post are necessary?
    "You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry."  - Lincoln

    "Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
  • unsungunsung I stopped by on March 7 2024. First time in many years, had to update payment info. Hope all is well. Politicians suck. Bye. Posts: 9,487
    I'd rather have a private plan, although the feds would find a way to get their hands on that too. Take what I have contributed and give me my own 401k. I don't expect SS to be there when I get to that age, which will be 87 by the time I'm eligible.

    You need to set up your own accounts and not depend on the government to help. Because if you do rely upon them you may be working forever.
  • OutOfBreathOutOfBreath Posts: 1,804
    Well, you could stop underfunding SS instead, and start paying more into it to keep it going as before. But that would probably piss off people that think people should pay into their own private plans rather than have a public alternative...

    Peace
    Dan
    do you think that paying for those things i stated in my above post are necessary?
    I didn't say anything about the otherwise budget. Surely, you could cut military spending and increase SS payments so the tax effect to the individual would be 0 if you wanted. Just highlighting that the problem is underfunding and a certain unwillingness to allocate the funds needed to maintain it. It's just a political choice. As is the question whether you'll save in other parts of the budget to make it happen.

    Peace
    Dan
    "YOU [humans] NEED TO BELIEVE IN THINGS THAT AREN'T TRUE. HOW ELSE CAN THEY BECOME?" - Death

    "Every judgment teeters on the brink of error. To claim absolute knowledge is to become monstrous. Knowledge is an unending adventure at the edge of uncertainty." - Frank Herbert, Dune, 1965
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