GOP Jobs Plan - Work At Low Pay Until You Are Disabled Or Die Or Both.

[TheMastersNemesis]

In the dark of night when you think about it. The new job market the GOP will implement if it got its way on deregulation and ending all labor laws, Social Security and Medicare leaves workers no way to retire or even live when they can no longer work. I do not care how young or healthy you are at some point in time YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO WORK OR GET A JOB. Whether it is age injury, sickness or some other economic condition EVERYONE will be unemployed someday if they live long enough. And even young people can become unable to work before they are old.

And with so many jobs that do not pay enough to live on let alone save $1 million or more for retirement after a lifetime of work, only a very small percentage of the population will have enough money to last their older years. The the question is what happens when you are essentially no longer productive or in the work force? And with no retirement system or health care system what happens to people?

Even though I was retired I was capable of working because I was in very good condition at 70 capable of walking 40 miles a week.. Then I lost my left foot to a staph infection. Now I am adjusting to a prosthesis. And I cannot imagine doing physical work at this point. Now I can only walk medium distances and can only stay on me feet briefly. I am still working on stamina. I could literally stand for 8 straight hours before with much rest.

So everyone really needs to think about what would you do when you reach the point you are not able to work or are off the market NOT by your own choice?. Also the GOP wants to eliminate most programs that help the disabled and sick and let the "free market" and churches handle the problem.

[Ilsa]

1. I have known so many disabled nurses

with bad backs or chronic illnesses, hoping to get by until they can get medicare and enough social security to live on since their IRAs kept getting wiped out.

I jeep telling myself that I need to avoid the marketing traps of junk we don't need. Why give hard-earned money to the corporatists?

[Dustlawyer]

5. Well Jeb says you should work a few years more to get your benefits.

What does Jeb know about work?

[Ilsa]

7. Apparently nothing!

I hope he or his family gets a bunch of old slow nurses next time someone is hospitalized.

[Enthusiast]

2. K&R! It is difficult for people to view life from a perspective other than their own.

When people past the usual retirement age want to work, and are capable of working, that is wonderful. But there are millions of people working past the usual retirement age only out of necessity, because they cannot make their rent, pharmaceutical bills and utility costs. This isn't happening in the Western European nations where the parameters of social welfare are not dictated by corporations and their paid political stooges.

The Democratic Party, as a party, must draw a clear line in the sand. Our party should not advocate a single cut to any "entitlement". There are real people with essential needs that will be devastated if we follow the dictates of Third Way and Pete Peterson.

Imagine, allowing a billionaire to dictate social welfare policy. Why would we do that?

[raouldukelives]

3. I hear ya MN. "There but for the grace of god go I."

Seems to be the battle cry. I so worry about future generations and my family members.

At some point my country turned into a nation of wolves out for blood, damn the consequences, and it appears those consequences will be pretty severe, for someone else, not them.
So its all cool.

Looking ahead with just what we know today. Increased global temperatures, ocean warming, ice melting, unpredictable jet streams and growing seasons, lack of fresh water and raging fires. Billions fleeing suffering, starvation, disease and death. Billions, almost assuredly. More assuredly with each day without meaningful action.
Fairly sobering thought.

Add to that what your talking about. Just imagine how those systems most likely will look and operate in 50 years when there is no effective operating budget? Its not too hard to do. Decreased funding, slashed safety nets, loss of access to fresh food and medicine, not a happy scene.

We have to figure out a way to care for people, to provide for the general welfare of present and most importantly, future generations, who we are leaving with the most horrible debt anyone could dare imagine. The loss of the ability to live as our species, as all species have, for millions and millions of years. Everyone seems so concerned about monetary debt and not even tangible money, fake digital debt. Yet I never hear any actuarial values for say, the Pacific Ocean. I wonder what that is worth to future generations? Maybe they might prefer having that over a balanced budget.

I am often reminded of Player Piano by Vonnegut and the future depicted of machinery replacing labor but with everyone still getting an income, still being able to live a safe, semi-predictable life. In my mind, that book is starting to look optimistic.

We have to figure out a way to provide a decent standard of living, while at the same time, decreasing economic growth. Tall order, certainly, but not insane. Only if we don't try. That is the insanity that will ring until the end of our recorded, and soon to be lost to the dustbin of time, history.

Sorry for the long and vaguely related rant. I guess I'm saying, be thankful for what you have today! And it is a wonderful day!
Hope you get back to your old standing self soon!

[JanMichael]

4. Jack London wrote an essay about this called How I Became a Socialist

Basically when young and strong he fekt invincible. Then time took away his belief that he was a strong blond beast.

he fought socialism because he was Kipling master of all or at least could be.

The oppressed were invisible to his individualistic healthy youthfulness.

It is a great essay that talk about the early 1900s job plans which are being pushed again by both parties.

[SamKnause]

6. I place the blame squarely on the

backs of the right wing extremists.

They are uninformed, misinformed, and under educated

when it comes to politics.

They vote these evil people into office.

The CEO's and corporations have only one vote.

The right wing extremists have many votes.

The majority of these extremists make matters

worse by hiding under the cloak of 'religion'.

Their number 1 source for information is 'FOX News'

and FOX pundits.