It's INSANE To Require Americans To Work Longer When No One Wants To Hire Them!

While I'm on the subject of social security reform (ck previous blog), the insanity of moving out the retirement age without another key reform needs to be addressed.

It is a FACT that age discrimination in hiring and firing is RAMPANT in our country, more in some professions than others. No one wants to talk about it for lots of reasons. Be resonable for a second. The social security retirement age is already well beyond the age when most companies are willing to hire older Americans. Moving the retirement age from 67 to 69 will do what exactly? Two things:

1. It will help keep social security from going bankrupt and
2. It WILL plunge many, many elderly Americans into poverty, some of it desperate poverty.

How many people do you know over the age of 65? How many of them do you think are having difficulty staying employed until social security's new retirement age of 67? How many people you know who will have to work until age 69 will be able to find work? What do you think is the real truth?

Note that I am NOT lobbying for keeping the retirement age at 67. 'All' I want to see is for a level playing field in employment for all Americans over the age of 50, most especially for those over 65.

Social Security reform MUST INCLUDE an EFFECTIVE resolution to rampant employment age discrimination. We must not require elderly Americans to work longer while ignoring the fact that few people/companies will hire them. In fact, something must be done about age discrimination if we do NOT move out the retirement age. Ignoring the fact(!) of age discrimination is irrational, uncivil, uncompassionate, irresponsible, and fundamentally immoral.