Why the Retirement Age Is Increasing

Reader Comments
Back to article

Seems to me the Gov. should consider the years paid in and not the age. How many years should a person be expected to BUST IT - and now be told to expect nothing? I've worked over 30 years of my life now and am expected to work 20-25 more. I am hurting now with many health issue's. Forget disability, the majority getting that don't really need it.

val of MN 12:15PM November 28, 2010

To take the time the look up the facts about who has been spending your money. It's pitiful how ignorant people like Mr. Cooper are, they listen to Republican regurgitated BS. Not once taking time to look at the FACTS. In truth the republican, including their Demigod Mr. Reagan has out spent the Dem by a enormous amounts.
That money didn't go to other people right? Tax cuts to the wealthy, fake wars, corporate welfare, remember trickle down economics, referred to by Mr Bush as Voodoo.
Republican never pay for anything they just add it to the deficit. Why? Because if they raised taxes. "Read my lips" people like Mr. Cooper would recognize that they are, and always has been nothing more then tricks.........
Mr. Cooper you're right it's simple math, but it get complicated when people you trust believe that their job one is to hide the facts from it's people.....
Yes let take our country back; CHECK THE FACTS

Freddie Rowland of OK 10:21PM November 27, 2010

The organisation I work for did a study a few years ago to find out how long people in our kind of work(Construction ) lived after retiring at 62. The average was 17 MONTHS. The Government (All) wants workers to work til they drop, that way they don't have to give them anything

Jim Canning 2:14PM November 24, 2010

SOCIAL SECURITY AND PENSIONS ARE CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN EMPLOYEES AND GOV. OR EMPLOYERS. EMPLOYEES GAVE UP PART OF THEIR WAGES TO CONTRIBUTE TO THEM THROUGHOUT THIER LIFETIMES. IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE GOV. USING YOUR TAXES TO TRY TO PROP UP THE PROGRAM (SOC. SEC.) OR PENSIONS MAYBE YOU SHOULD CONSIDER WHAT YOUR STAND WAS WHEN CONGRESS STARTED PASSING LAWS TO ALLOW THE GOV. AND COMPANIES TO START RAIDING S.S. AND PENSIONS. YOU PROBABLY THOUGHT THAT SINCE IT DIDN'T CONCERN YOU IT WAS OK. NOW THE GOV. HAS A MAJOR PROBLEM ON THIER HANDS (VOTES), THEY TRY TO MAKE THE ISSUE AS UNPOPULAR AS THEY CAN BY ASSOCIATING IT WITH PROGRAMS SUCH AS WELFARE AND FOOD STAMPS BY REFERRING TO IT AS "ENTITLEMENTS". THEY ARE NOT! THEY ARE CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS BEING BROKEN BY THE GOV. AND EMPLOYERS. PEOPLE MY AGE HAVE PAID INTO PENSIONS AND SOC. SEC. OUR WHOLE WORKING LIFE. WE HAVE PAID FOR THE BENEFITS WE ARE SUPPOSED TO RECEIVE. THOSE OF YOU THAT DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS ARE SWALLOWING THE GOV.'S PROPAGANDA HOOK, LINE AND SINKER AS WELL AS SHOWING YOUR SELFISH DISREGARD FOR YOUR FELLOW AMERICANS. INFORM YOURSELF BEFORE IT IS TO LATE.

SL of UT 4:30AM November 23, 2010

social security was set up wrong from the beginning. workers who never put a dime into it began receiving benefits thanks to democrats in congress.
Then along came SSI, disability, etc which has cost even more.
Dems keep taking my money and giving to other people.
No one should take any more out of SS than they put in.
simple math.

dbcooper of VA 8:58PM November 22, 2010

The only right thing to do at this point is vote out social security and demand it from Washington. Years ago the people believing in the government voted it in. After giving them plenty of time to disprove themselves worthy of controlling it, it is now time for the people to vote out social security and be allowed to manage their own savings. It is the only way to keep the hand of government out of the cookie jar, keeping in mind the younger taxed workers will never see a crumb.

Martha Mason of FL 3:03PM November 22, 2010

Social Security was never set up that way. Otherwise yhe money would have sat untouched for thirty years until the first payees were ready to retire. The idea from the beginning was the the current generation of workers would fund the retirement of the current retirees. At the beginning there were a lot more workers than retirees, so it was easy. It also created extra money that both sides continually raided to fund pet projects.
Now, nearly all companies except for unions and the gov't have got rid of pensions because we had social security. White collar workers got 401K plans, but pensions were never really geared towards them anyway. In addition, all of the baby boomers are getting ready to retire, but they didn't have enough kids to cover the costs of their social security payments. (That could fixed by giving illegal residents a legal status of some type)
Now the grand kids generation wants to say "It's not our fault you believed the gov't would pay you social security", "We don't want to pay for your retirement", "It's broken anyway", etc. etc. What they don't realize is that by fixing social security, they are also guaranteeing their own chance to retire, instead of guaranteeing that most of their generation won't be able to.
Having a college education won't save them. In case nobody has noticed it is the jobs that require education that are being transfered overseas now. Drafting, Engineering, computer programming, etc. How long will it be before my Asian doctor goes back to India and does all of diagnosis and writes prescriptions from there?
Getting rid of social security is a very short sighted solution, as well as political suicide for anyone in office who reccomends it. The boomers are still the largest group of voters out there and they think they deserve their social security. I happen to agree.

rltomkinson of WV 1:02PM November 22, 2010

Think about it.
There is nothing the government can do to tell you when you have to retire or not, unless you are dependent on social security. If you do a good job of planning for retirement, you ultimately have the power of deciding yourself when you would like to stop working. So we can sit here all day and complain that the government is raising some arbitrary number, or you can take control of your own retirement and do it yourself.
There are a number of great resources on the web that can point you in the right direction, and I have put together a site as well that should provide guidance at http://www.erollover.com
Check it out, as it should help.

Mike Rowan of GA 12:57PM November 22, 2010

Why does nobody seem to understand that Social Security has already failed? The program was set up for you to pay the government money that they would then then keep and grow for you and then give it back to you at retirement much like a pension plan. Today there is no money in the program, so they want your kids and grandchildren to directly fund your retirement with money out of their pay check. This is not how it was supposed to be set up. The government has raided and lost the money you put in your whole life and now retirees want their own kids and grandkids to directly pay their Social Security benefits. The most common argument I hear to keep Social Security from boomers and retirees is that they paid into it their whole life and now it's time to collect. Well, sorry, but your trusted government has already spent/lost your money. So, don't try to make me continue to pay taxes to fund your retirement knowing that there is no chance I will get anything back unless I go after my great grandchildren to directly pay me. Lets just take our losses and let the next generation have a chance. Once again our government has shown that they are completely unable to run businesses, save business, or even balance a budget. Imagine if you had kept all that money you paid into SS or your lifetime and used it to pay off your house early or invested it.

Jon of WA 11:36AM November 22, 2010

I THINK IT'S CRAZY THAT THE RETIREMENT AGE MAY BE GOING UP!!! IT SAD TO KNOW THAT MANY PEOPLE WOULD DEFINITELY HAVE TO WORK UNTIL THEY DIE! SOME HAVE WORKED FROM TIME THEY HAVE FINISH HIGH SCHOOL OR SOONER THEN THAT, THEREFORE THESE PEOPLE DESERVED SOME TIME WHERE THEY ARE NOT WORKING BUT ENJOYING THEIR LIVES!! HEAVEN, GOD HELP US!!

RITA of GA 11:34AM November 22, 2010