There is a huge amount of age discrimination in some areas of employment, but as with most forms of discrimination, it’s hard to prove unless it’s blatant or practiced on a large scale.

Margaret Currey, March 14 at 5:45 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

My Irish neighbors used the expression “Going to the poor house”.
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Let me see—when you could have had surgery and kept your job you quit instead.

Asians who came to America and APPRECIATE the opportunity here are somehow “bad” because they “work and work”—they keep their mouths shut and do their jobs.

Both India (more so) and Mexico (less so) are both growing middle classes.  India is RAPIDLY growing one and in places, like major cities, housing prices can rival the US—I work with many Indians and Indian-Americans and I’ve learned a lot of surprising things about India.

I have NEVER understood quitting a job without having another job in hand.  Jobs don’t just fall into your lap.

If you were told to “look younger” by dying your hair, you were a victim of an actionable violation. If you were told they want younger people, you were a victim of an actionable violation.  Why didn’t you file a complaint with the regulating agency?

Why not expand the OLD federal retirement system as a means of providing a decent retirement (vs. the new one with its 401-K—analogous features). Federal workers contributed 7% of their salaries(.15% less than the Social Security contribution) and got half pay, based on a final five year average wage, with cost of living adjustments. Unlike Social Security, the fund has never been in any financial trouble. The newer retirement plan was not a reflection of the older fund’s performance, but was part of an effort to make them pay Social Security contributions (along with other formerly exempt workers), part of the ongoing Ponzi scheme to find fresh pay-as-you-go monies for the system, without having to face up to the raids on the trust fund (much as 401-K’s brought fresh money into the stock market—now that people are beginning to use it for retirement, the market may need a new source—never mind the CURRENT economic crisis).

Re Marie Cocco: “we need to confront an elemental truth: No Wall Street rally can obscure the scary historical prospect that most Americans now working can expect to have less income security in retirement than their parents had. Lawmakers have known about all of this for years.”

You’re right, Marie. Our lawmakers have been ignoring too many critical domestic issues. I’m beginning to think the voters in this country also need to confront an “elemental truth” - we have either incompetent or disinterested lawmakers.

Perhaps, we could incorporate some kind of official “to do list system” into our electoral process.  Then, if an elected “lawmaker” hasn’t made sufficient progress on his/her domestic “to do” list in a reasonable amount of time, he/she is fired and the job automatically goes to the candidate next in line.

If the second candidate fails to make progress, he/she is fired and the job of “lawmaker” goes to the third candidate in line etc. I suspect this system would encourage a lot more people to run for office, and I’m sure we would eventually “elect” the right person - the one capable of getting the job done.

I somewhat disagree with the thesis, “No Wall Street rally can obscure the scary historical prospect that most Americans now working can expect to have less income security in retirement than their parents had.”

On a practical level, risk is risk, and it is ever-present no matter one’s age. However, financial risk of the present age—this generation—is, no doubt, elevated and historic. Yet I can confidently say simply recognizing this fact puts one in better position to react accordingly.

Looking at the present moment, then, let’s see. The uptick rule was abolished in July 2007 and disaster followed. Now, there’s talk of reinstating the uptick rule. So, what do you think might likely come of it?

When you find a $20 bill on the ground do you not pick it up? So, is it “Rally, schmally?” Or better, “Look what I found!”

On the larger social level much comes down to resuscitating the nation’s capacity to generate real, lasting, productivity-enhancing wealth, physically turning nothing into something, deposing finance from its present role as master to its rightful position as slave. Although the President’s policies might fall short of the task, at least he possesses the strength of character and intellect to recognize the fundamental issue at hand. I am rather impressed by this and fret only at the risk of there being a very narrow window of opportunity to right many wrongs.

BobZ:
Good points about the decline of the middle class whose high water mark in income was the mid 70’s. Since then Reaganism and trickle down have eroded middle class incomes….

There is much more going on than that.  The United States has become much poorer than it was, as have all the other modern contenders for empire and world dominion.  The middle and working class is poorer because the system itself is poorer.  The situation was masked by borrowing, but that trick had to run out, and it has.  Most of the fabulous wealth of the rich is just that, fabulous—that is, fictional.  If we were rational, we’d be reorganizing our economy on the basis of that reality, instead of looking back to a time that is gone forever.

Good points about the decline of the middle class whose high water mark in income was the mid 70’s. Since then Reaganism and trickle down have eroded middle class incomes, and it has been accelerated in the George W. Bush years. This erosion in incomes has been masked by the increase in households with dual incomes, and by the use of credit cards and equity lines of credit. Now the party is over and reality has set in. Our country is in serious trouble because of deficits incurred starting with Reagan and carried forward that have made it difficult to borrow when we really are in a bind. It was stupid to cut taxes when we should have been running surpluses in order to create a “rainy day” fund. All we accomplished was to make the rich richer, while not even doing the deferred maintenance on our roads and bridges and the rest of our national infrastructure. It was the worst form of governance by politicians who totally abdicated their responsibilities to the nation. Finally we have adult supervision back in the White House and not a moment too soon!

I service a house on a monthly basis in the summer. This SMALL 1100sq.ft. 3 bedroom home houses 5-6 unrelated old people (70-80+ years old) most work and they pump outside air into an ancient windowless basement so someone can use the space. This is the trend of our future. The “Golden” Years !!!

Barbara Kennelly, of National Comm. to Save Social Security and Medicare said (paraphrase): she’d never say Social Security is enough. (What is that group? How many groups have good sounding names and are regressive?)  Well, MAKE SOCIAL SECURITY ENOUGH to live on.  That’s all many of us senior citizens have, if we have coverage.  If not, it’s SSI, a variation on welfare.  Remember John Hess, the great journalist?  His blog is online (he died): http://www.johnlhess.blogspot.com.  John fought for truth about Social Security for years, waging war against the liars, that Social Security was fine, not in any danger.  And a lovely, witty man, “Getting old is not for sissies.”.  There’s nothing wrong with the Social Security System.  Raise the income level and tax those making above $90,000plus.  Big Question: Will Obama do what a Republican couldn’t and privatize social security?  It shouldn’t even “be on the table” as the President suggested.

Who thought they’d have a dream of money in old age?  Not me.  My mom died a few years ago, in her 90s.  She was a young adult in the Great Depression and saved and saved “for her old age”.  It was comfortable as a result of low rent in the 1940s, and being untrafrugal after growing up poor. She was a widow of a WWII vet, whose death let me go to college on the G I Bill.  My generation got used to buying books, in addition to using the library, eating out, travel. My mother took years to get used to me buying her books.  She used the local library until her death. Some of us were not good money savers, but it didn’t matter as so many people lose everything due to illness.  Wages and pensions didn’t keep pace.  My mom was a clerk with a state gov’t, a high school grad who couldn’t afford college.  She had great health coverage in retirement(retired in mid1970s).  Much of what she had in coverage does not exist for state employees (or city) in many states now.  As Michael Parenti said on Democracy Now http://www.democracynow.org this morning, Republicans/capitalism want to make this country into Indonesia, not Denmark (meaning, nothing:no medical, no pensions,etc.),not a social democracy and when asked, he said the Dems. are not doing enough.  I agree.  Sadly.

Repugs and their Corp Overlords would prefer we ship the no longer viable Workers out on the remaining Iceburgs, Or encourage them to walk out into the desert. They are done with them, so no need to keep feeding them, right?
As for US born after the ‘Have it all boomers’, We’ll be enjoying a 2 for the price of One Event- our retirment party and funeral all on the same day- Surprise!
Hate to destroy yur delusions, but those of US in our 40’s & 50’s have Never had the potential for a real retirement. The Size of the Boomer alone, and the dwindling numbers of the generations behind US means we were always doomed to work until we dropped dead. And to that now the loss of those retirment accounts. You realize those quarterly statemnts are worth the paper they’re printed on don’t you? Your invetment firms lose that $1 they are in debt the other $39.But that’s only half of the reason they are shoveling money back into the system, so the Chinese don’t come and break our knees for the other $39,Because the Insurance Corps (AIG) who insured those Bets has also gone broke. Kinda like if the FDIC couldn’t cover your $250,000 bank deposit.
Hasn’t any one wondered why in this time of foreclosures and bankruptcies no annuities, pensions or 401K’s have opened up our accounts to access? Notice how the same Corps credit card divisions are able to jack up interest rates- they are trying to replenish the coffers by hook or crook.There isn’t anything there.They not only lost it all, they left US holding the ‘markers’.
My retirement Dream was to open my own Mare and foal breeding operation…Now my Headstone will Read ‘Finally bought the Farm’.
The Greatest Generation, straight through their Boomer Kids they’ve managed to destroy or Pilfer everything the previous generations built. By creating a Feudalistic Caste System through the Red coats Trickle down, deregualtion, unfair labor practices and inequity in international trade, they have destroyed the ‘Great Experiment’ and left US all Paupers.Heckova Job!

This is not news. We have been warned about this for years. Just another case of the wage slaves gettimg screwed. SSDD.