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No one is saying it is Gw's fault or the GOP's. What Ann is saying that politically ignoring the "working classes" concerns may have negative political ramifications. Put down the glass of Kool-aid for a second and just consider who Reagan connected with when he was elected. That was the point I believe Ann was making.

As for $60K being enough? Ya, you can buy all the electronic doodads in the world with that kind of money, but if you have 3 kids or never sat down with a financial planner your in for sticker shock.

My wife and I are total homebodies with a very conservative standard of living and the CFP informed us that besides our home being paid off we would need $1.5M in liquid assets to assure the payment of our health care needs into our retirement years. We are both 45 now.

Why don't you all sit down and do a budget for a family of four. Dad has to earn approx. $80K to even tread water here 20 miles east of Cleveland. Taxes play a significant role making that number so high. Not just federal taxes, but state, property and city all pile up to make things miserable for what I call the financially responsible.

What crippled me financially (from where I used to be, which was doing okay), was, one, caring for elderly parents, and, two, raising a handicapped child. Having a parent live a long time with Alzheimer's Disease and needing skilled care much of that time, which wiped out all of my parent's life savings plus a good portion of my own, and then caring for your own child, well, it kind of dashes the best laid plans of mice and CFPs. In this day and age, this kind of outcome is not all that uncommon. The last thing you need is some FR ubercapitalist social Darwinist coming along and telling you the reason you are having a financial squeeze is because you're lazy or don't try hard enough or that it's your own fault.

" ... the CFP informed us that besides our home being paid off we would need $1.5M in liquid assets to assure the payment of our health care needs into our retirement years."

Do you or your wife have a pre-existing health care issue which will not be covered by Medicare?

$1.5M invested in a 25 year annuity at 1.5% (assumed 4.5% risk-free interest rate minus 3.0% annual inflation, gives a reasonable estimate of inflation-adjusted dollars) would produce an annual payment of $71,325, about 19% more than what you are earning today.

$71,300/year would cover a Medicare Supplemental Policy and a lifetime Long Term Care Insurance Policy with probably more than $50,000/year left over assuming you are both healthy.

Your CFP sounds like he is quoting generic numbers.