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It's High Time America Did Away With Senior Discounts
Business Insider ^ | 5-29-2013 | Alex Mayyasi, Priceonomics Blog

Posted on 05/29/2013 8:08:27 AM PDT by blam

It's High Time America Did Away With Senior Discounts

Alex Mayyasi, Priceonomics Blog
May 29, 2013, 10:44 AM

You’ve seen them on the bus, in museums, and at movie theaters: senior discounts.

As a reward for being old, senior citizens pay a quarter less for bus fare, a small fortune less for movie tickets, and receive discounts generally all over the place.

If you’re a twentysomething, or part of what some journalists have colorfully called “the screwed generation,” you may be wondering: why not me?

The idea that seniors are a group in need of help and protection dates back to the thirties, when America’s senior citizens were disproportionately poor and affected by the Depression wiping out everyone's savings.

In 1935, President Roosevelt passed the Social Security Act, which gave federal assistance to the elderly. This became the norm. Aid to seniors increased over time, in particular with the creation of Medicare in 1965 and the passage of an amendment indexing social security to cost of living increases and creating an additional Supplemental Security Income for seniors in 1972.

As two poverty economists note, “One of the most striking trends in elderly well-being in the twentieth century was the dramatic decline in income poverty among the elderly.” This can be seen in the graph below.

The United States only began measuring poverty in the 1960s, so we lack standard figures dating farther back than that. But it’s recognized that the trend of decreasing poverty among seniors dates back to the thirties and forties. 2011 Census figures place poverty among Americans aged 65 and older at 8.7%, well below the national average of 15%.

(snip)

(Excerpt) Read more at priceonomics.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: agediscrimination; discounts; elderlyfreezers; gimmegeneraation; retirement; seniors; wealthiestsector
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To: memyselfandi59

Bump - saving that...for a friend ;-)


241 posted on 05/29/2013 3:10:52 PM PDT by rockrr (Everything is different now...)
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To: mmichaels1970
I guess your parents never taught you that life isn't fair. Quit whining that seniors get something that you don't. You will love obamacare where the rates for the young will be higher than for seniors.
242 posted on 05/29/2013 3:30:41 PM PDT by bfree (Biden '13)
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To: MestaMachine

YES...or helped put them thru college, or paid for something extra???? EXACTLY!


243 posted on 05/29/2013 3:54:28 PM PDT by goodnesswins (R.I.P. Doherty, Smith, Stevens, Woods.)
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To: UCANSEE2

HA...my Mother In Law tried to retrieve the “handicapped” permit for her deceased husband from us....my husband threw it away, and didn’t tell her!


244 posted on 05/29/2013 4:01:14 PM PDT by goodnesswins (R.I.P. Doherty, Smith, Stevens, Woods.)
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To: ncfool
Gee I enjoy my senior coffee at Mcdonald’s. What a deal.

You foul hypocrical conservative you!!
< /sarc >

245 posted on 05/29/2013 4:10:17 PM PDT by publius911 (Look for the Union label, then buy something else.)
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To: illiac
Most live on fixed income and still have to pay income tax on our Social Security payments.

As the article that spawned this thread pointed out, seniors are the richest age segment in the nation. And the children of those receiving their Social Security payments are being taxed to pay for those Social Security benefits - and many will never see a dime back from Social Security.
246 posted on 05/29/2013 6:14:56 PM PDT by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: catfish1957
Furthermore, our generation didn't piss away our money like you thankless little shits.

Thanks for the laughs. Not only did the Baby Boom generation piss away it's own money, it pissed away the money of it's children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and on and on. That astronomical national debt didn't just grow during the lifespan of the Baby Boom generation because of some mysterious coincidence.
247 posted on 05/29/2013 6:19:48 PM PDT by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: SampleMan

1968 was the first presidential election that picked up some of the first boomers.

In 1968 the democrats won 47% of the under 30 vote, in 1972 with the war raging and the draft on, and the voting age having been lowered to 18, the democrats won 46% of the under 30 vote.

The first presidential election that all boomers were old enough to vote in was in 1984, that year the democrats won 40% of the under 30 vote, there was no presidential election in 1982.


248 posted on 05/29/2013 6:28:24 PM PDT by ansel12 (Social liberalism/libertarianism, empowers, creates and imports, and breeds, economic liberals.)
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To: Squantos

Amazon has the Kindle version of Infantry Aces for free (temporarily), it can be read on your computer.

Infantry Aces: The German Soldier in Combat in WWII (Stackpole Military History Series) [Kindle Edition]

http://www.amazon.com/Infantry-Aces-Stackpole-Military-ebook/dp/B004BJ11E0


249 posted on 05/29/2013 6:31:35 PM PDT by ansel12 (Social liberalism/libertarianism, empowers, creates and imports, and breeds, economic liberals.)
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To: GOPJ
As far as city owned buses? Senior discounts should stop... most city bus services should stop too. But that's another story.

As much as we despise the rich seniors using discounts to ride urban buses when the limo is in the shop, epic bearded man would never have introduced Amber Lamps to the world without it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDD9FmdmUN4

250 posted on 05/29/2013 6:47:10 PM PDT by ansel12 (Social liberalism/libertarianism, empowers, creates and imports, and breeds, economic liberals.)
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To: SampleMan
I don't remember many discounts for seniors before the mid '90s.

Retailers ramp up 'senior discounts' By Laura Gunderson, The Oregonian on January 16, 2010
"Although no one can point to it in a history book, collective wisdom says senior discounts originated around 60 years ago, when the AARP began soliciting age-based discounts from insurance companies and hotels. Retailers were quick to sign on."

251 posted on 05/29/2013 6:54:56 PM PDT by ansel12 (Social liberalism/libertarianism, empowers, creates and imports, and breeds, economic liberals.)
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To: Colonel Kangaroo; circlecity

“Does the author even consider that perhaps senior discounts are not at attempt at charity but, rather, an attempt to secure the business of a demographic that otherwise would stay home?
You have perfectly described the heart of the matter. In the realm of managerial economics, the term is “price discrimination”, where a firm maximizes its revenues by charging a lower price to the demographic which otherwise would not purchase. It’s obvious the writer of the piece has a meager education in economics.”

Bears repeating.

Note the price differential also increases utility for the purchasers. With one price for all, some non-seniors get a price break that increases their utility a little bit. Some seniors pay more, decreasing their utility a bit more, and some seniors don’t get to purchase at all, decreasing their utility quite a bit.

The market finds a good equilibrium, and Alex thinks he can improve things. Why not open a store and test your theory, Alex?


252 posted on 05/29/2013 6:57:25 PM PDT by Tymesup
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To: bfree
I guess your parents never taught you that life isn't fair.

My parents taught me respect. Apparently yours didn't.

Quit whining that seniors get something that you don't.

Never whined once. I also never once said a senior shouldn't receive discounts. Tax expenditures are worth discussing without ridicule and emotional reactions.

It appears that any time you try to have a discussion about senior benefits, the long knives come out.

Take a breath. Every tax dollar spent is worth discussion at this point in time. Some should stay, some should go.

Belittling people who are interested in hearing both sides does nothing to strengthen your argument.
253 posted on 05/29/2013 10:04:01 PM PDT by mmichaels1970
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To: ansel12

Got it ...grateful. Friend.......

Looks like a great read ....

Stay safe !


254 posted on 05/29/2013 10:20:50 PM PDT by Squantos ( Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet ...)
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To: AnotherUnixGeek
Thanks for the laughs. Not only did the Baby Boom generation piss away it's own money,

I retired comfortably at age 55. Your point?????

255 posted on 05/30/2013 2:01:00 AM PDT by catfish1957 (My dream for hope and change is to see the punk POTUS in prison for treason)
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To: ansel12
As much as we despise the rich seniors using discounts to ride urban buses when the limo is in the shop, epic bearded man would never have introduced Amber Lamps to the world without it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDD9FmdmUN4

In my city the buses are run for the 'appearance' of having public transportation...

Grant money is involved, city jobs are involved, fiefdoms come into play - everything except thought that might make public transportation useful to citizens. My city has buses running that could hold (in a pinch) 80 citizens - large lumbering behemoths... with poorly thought out routes and maybe 6 people per bus.

For what the city is paying it would be cheaper to hire a fancy limo service to pick these people up at their doors and deliver them to their destinations. I'm not against throwing money away for the elderly and/or Amber Lamps - just wish we could throw it away and get a tad more service for these people.

(Ever notice how airport shuttles don't show up at your door with vehicles that will hold 80 people when there's only 6 going to the airport?)

256 posted on 05/30/2013 6:28:49 AM PDT by GOPJ (Swedes bring their cars..savages their flames..burning cars a metaphor. D. Greenfield)
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To: mmichaels1970

I’m breathing just fine, you seem to be the one all worked up over a very small matter.


257 posted on 05/30/2013 9:17:37 AM PDT by bfree (Biden '13)
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