I could not have said it better myself; except to say that if it is tough for the "over 50s", then it is insurmountably tougher for the "over 60s" (of course, the over 60s are a subset of the "over 50s, aren't they??).
Absolutely superb comments tho.
And....IMHO....unemployment benefits should be extended until the private sector jobs lost (and continuing to be lost) during this depression are safely recovered.
And as far as age discrimination goes...those elitist politicians that want to raise the social security age to 70 need to get a grip on reality. Not everyone will be able to work until that age, whether due to health issues or just age-related lack of energy, even assuming that they ARE able to find a job past the age of 65. And unless politicians address the problem and enact penalties against age discrimination, it will continue and only get worse.
I’ve seen Republicans propose that idiotic idea and I cringe every time I see or hear it, even though it would not effect me. I feel for someone like my mom, for instance, who would have been struggling to work at the age of 64 due to her health. So far, I have been blessed with good health (hope I didn’t just jinx myself) and should have no problem working to the age of 70, assuming (big assumption) that I could find a job up to that age.
And yes, the GOP has more than its’ share of out-of-touch elitists. The latest one I went off on was Sharon Angle. I wish it were not so, but the GOP has changed drastically since the Reagan (God bless him) years.
We can be fiscally responsible without being coldly utilitarian and downright uncompassionate. After all, we’re the party of “Christian charity”...not the DemocRats. It seems to me that ‘some’ here need a reminder of that....or maybe a refresher course on how to be a caring conservative.