We’ve heard or seen it a hundred times every day: “Joe Biden is too old to run for office.” NO, HE IS NOT TOO OLD TO RUN FOR OFFICE! As TV Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary, AKA “Mr. Wonderful,” would say in jest, “Stop the madness!” Joe is old, but his chronological number (age) does not control his mental or physical ability. Maybe the constant chanting about being too old is not madness but deliberate stupidity.
Yes, the relentless “he’s too old” message is intentional for political purposes. It’s a political ploy to achieve a desired end. The uninformed “voter in the street” who has no clue about politics hears it repeatedly; if the man in the street votes, he will remember that Joe is too old and will not vote for him. Mission accomplished.
The reality is that Joe’s mental capacity is long gone. He is not competent to run the government, so he is not running the government. It’s not too far-fetched to assume that Obama is Joe’s “stand-in.” Obama (or his lackeys) is pulling the strings, writing Biden’s speeches and note cards, and making policy that is dragging the U.S. into a global dictatorship and effectively stripping the U.S. of independence.
I recall the speech in which Obama promised to “transform America,” which drew cheers and applause from a young brain-dead audience. He never mentioned what he wanted to transform America into, and nobody thought to ask what he meant. Now, with Biden (the “useful idiot”) supposedly in charge, we are getting the picture.
The constant recitation of “He’s too old to run for office” serves another purpose. It solidifies that ALL older people are too incompetent to run their lives. They need help! All kinds of help (especially from the government that wastes taxpayer money to get votes). The “help ” of government programs often exacerbates the decline induced by living the leisure-oriented lifestyle most seniors are accustomed to.
But that’s okay. You earned your retirement, and a government promise of “We are going to help you enjoy it” is music to the ears of most retirees. Between government handouts and big business, not taking responsibility for your life is a siren song that leads to more incompetence.
Big business loves old people. Retirees provide profits for companies large and small. Corporate America always has something old people need or want or think they need or want. Money from retirees is money in the bank for businesses. (Think of Del Webb and his retirement communities.) Before the enactment of Social Security in the 1930s, government-sponsored retirement didn’t exist. Families, more extensive than they are today and as poor as they were in the 1930s, took care of each other.
Mom and Pop were not a burden. It’s different today. Grown children live their own lives, often miles away from aging parents. Something or somebody has to take up the slack. Business to the rescue. A corporate chain of home visitors, nursing homes or assisted living facilities profit from the sick and weak, often housing old people who rarely see a relative.
Part of the problem, and it’s a big one, is the Social Security system that pays out fixed meager funds each month. More often than not, it results in retirement years in near poverty. More than a few retirees exist solely on a Social Security check each month and nothing else. That’s tragic. Also part of the problem is that many new retirees don’t want to think beyond their noses. While actively working as a pharmacist, I met more than a few retirees who ALWAYS complained about the amount of their insurance co-pay. It was frustrating because a pharmacy has no control over that. One regular “complainer” was a retired engineer who would clip coupons while waiting for his prescription.
He had minor health issues that might have improved if he had something constructive to do, so I asked him if he had ever considered a part-time job. He flew into a rage and informed me he was retired and never wanted to work again. Sadly, more than a few retirees feel that being retired is something special, and to suggest that they work is an insult.
After forty or more years in the workplace, many people are not only ready to retire but eager to retire. They know they will be living on a fixed income but put it on the back burner, thinking, “I won’t need as much money anymore.” They refuse to believe they will need more money than they thought they would need. Unfortunately, refusing to look and work ahead, they will be ” retirement victims,” always looking for discounts, freebies, and handouts, crying, “I’m on a fixed income.” Their retirement poverty makes money scams attractive to them. Several Dr. Phil shows attest to that unfortunate situation.
Retirees are often tapped to fill non-paying volunteer jobs. That’s great if that’s what you want to do, but I don’t recommend it if a lack of personal funds prevents you from living a decent life. I have an 80-year-old friend who sits behind a desk in an office. Her job is to answer the phone three mornings a week and answer questions.
Not only does she appreciate having social interaction, but a small paycheck also allows her to eat better. She enjoys her status as “the answer person” and feels alive again. I recall Pastor Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, telling (then) presidential candidate John McCain, now deceased, that “We are made for work.” Disagree if you will, but everyone needs to to have a purpose in their life. Staying productive in some capacity makes life worth living.
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