If they raise the age for retirement to draw Social Security...?

[kentuck]

what will the old folks at age 68 or 69 do? What if no one wants to hire them? They cannot get a job and they cannot get Social Security. What do they do then? Do we just assume that these old folks will all be working when they are 68 or 69 years old? What if no one will hire them?

[Warpy]

1. Try finding work when you're over 50

To hell with over 65. They're all terrified some older person is going to drive up their insurance premiums, plus the 30somethings that do most of the hiring think you're all used up at 40.

Young folks always hated union seniority rules, but that's why they were there.

No unions, no jobs, no income, no luck.

[kentuck]

2. Exactly right....

People over 50 notice how hard it is to get a new job. Imagine if your were over 65? Employers would be falling all over themselves to hire you. Yeah, sure.

[PsN2Wind]

3. I was a roofer for 15 years

in that time I knew two guys that retired at 62 while still working in the trade. How many can make it to 68?

[autorank]

4. Ready for some good news? Lots of people won't retire by choice!

I'm in the health professions. I love my job. There is already a shortage or my specialty and it will get worse as time goes on. That means I can keep doing what I do until I drop, which is my plan. I'm happy about that. You name a profession and there is a shortage now or will be in the next 5-10 years. All those professionals (health, law, finance, education & others) can either retire at 65 and get about $2K a month or keep working at 50%-75% of their current work load and make much more. This means their benefits are taxed and go back into the system.

I fully understand how people in the building trades or any profession requiring manual labor need to retire at 65 or earlier. I used to drive a Penzoil route years ago. Back breaking work that I'd be unable to do now and I'm a decade away from social security retirement.

I don't think anybody has factored in the boomer professionals who have no desire to retire or no reason to financially since part time work will be there at much greater than the highest social security retirement.

For lots of people, retirement is not in their vocabulary. The boomers started out as the sloth generation. Around the 80's, we turned into the work-a-holic generation.

This is good for everybody. There will be people out there doing what they want for people in need of services; and these people will only touch a fraction of their benefits.

[DemBones DemBones]

5. You're lucky to feel so well at 55 and look forward to working

until you drop. A lot of people find their health and energy levels declining greatly in their fifties, even if they don't do manual labor. Mentally demanding work is also stressful. I'm a Boomer workaholic, never was into sloth even in my youth, but I haven't been able to work for the past ten years because I became disabled and I'm still years from retirement age. This has meant extra stress for my Boomer workaholic husband and I frankly wonder if both of us will make it to age 67. My older brother died at 62, which is pretty scary.

I do not see the majority of Boomers having the physical health to work into their eighties.

[autorank]

11. I hope things pick up.

You're right about mentally demanding jobs. I'm NOT in favor of messing with the 65 year age,not at all. I'm just hoping that there are enough people who do what I'm planning to ease the system. Of course, I could have a major problem any time, God forbid, and then have to use the "Utah model" mentioned on another thread...go to a homeless shelter and get church donations. Clearly, we need national health al la Kerry's plan and negotiated low drug costs through Medicare. Take care.

[Bridget Burke]

9. It's not so rosy for all.

I may well keep going until I drop, but part-time would not be an option at my current position. I've got many skills but no specific "profession."

Not all "boomers" are identical.

[autorank]

12. I agree. I want health care now for everybody & no changes to SS.

These changes proposed by * are an outrage. I'm just hoping that there are some unanticipated factors that will help the system we have. Good luck.

[LdyGuique]

6. I'm in that situation

I will be 61 in March -- I was terminated last March when Earthlink closed all of its callcenters and our jobs went to India and the Phillippines. I haven't been able to even get an interview. I've tried for jobs high and jobs low -- but even white collar jobs are insisting on being able to regularly lift 35 lbs and/or long hours of standing -- neither of which I can do.

I'm on foodstamps. I'm facing homelessness and there is no safety net whatsoever for me. It's looking pretty grim for me.

[Princess Turandot]

7. Another impact is that if people who would ordinarily retire..

at 60 or 65 postpone doing so in large numbers, it decreases the jobs/promotions available to younger workers in middle management white collar/office/service jobs as well as in union jobs which are based upon some agreed upon staffing level. The more specific the skill involved in a job, the more problemmatical a reduction in normal turnover can be, in terms of opportunities for incoming workers.(Look at poor Prince Charles..:evilgrin:) I wonder if some of the younger people who are enthusiatic about these changes or who think 'their money' is subsidizing some 'old person' realize that.

[LdyGuique]

8. On the same theme . . .

It IS true that most people become more conservative and rejective of new ways as they grow older. It can be minor and subtle or hidebound intransigent -- new ideas flow from the more youthful as they don't have a "full picture" and imagine "what ifs." This is critical to all of society -- the balance is necessary, but in an innovative marketplace, too many older people hanging onto positions as they wait for retirement can cause stultification of creativity.

[autorank]

14. This is a great question. I'd like to know the answer.

From what I've read, the decline in population after the boomers means there will be many shortages in the workforce, particularly jobs requiring advanced training or educaiton. If this is the case, there will be a financial incentive for the die-hards to hang in there in large numbers. What you say contradicts that and you may be right. I'm going to check this out.

[bread_and_roses]

10. Lower the retirement age, lower standard work week

Put more people to work, raise wages, raise the cap on SS tax, tax corporations fairly, tax the upper 5% income fairly, tax wealth.

It is ludicrous that there is even talk about raising the retirement age. We keep allowing our Corporate Masters and their political puppets to define the debate, we keep losing, workers keep losing even their health and lives.

We keep allowing them to frame the debate while any vestige of prospect for social, economic, racial, and environmental justice recedes.

[wishlist]

13. They will apply for Social Security disability instead of SS retirement

As long as Social Security disability benefits remain in place, people can draw full Social Security benefits regardless of their age if they are unable to work due to medical reasons. Social Security Administration turns down a lot of applicants though who are deemed to not be disabled enough to qualify but most of those with legitimate chronic health problems who are turned down get approved eventually upon appeals/hearings.