I like what you’ve wrote and I agree with almost everything. I don’t know a whole lot about the social security issue but I’ve read it will last as long as something like 40years without changes and after that they will have to pay reduced benefits. That is of course based on no changes.

Besides that Social Security really wasn’t ever meant to be a retirement plan, it was meant to be an insurance. I don’t think that is the general population’s perception however and far too many people will DEPEND on it.

Corporations/gov do not like individuals to be empowered. It is my thinking that corporations have influenced this whole system to benefit them. Schools, governments, media, etc to keep people buying and working indefinitely.

Welcome to the Matrix.

I totally agree with you that trying to find a sense of self, health and involvement in the community, family and friends is a much better way to live than by some artificial standard that exists only to taunt and make these industries billions. I think people should feel good about themselves, feel fashionable and current and not a social outcast, but the beauty industry takes those human insecurities and manipulates them for their gain taking it way too far to an unattainable standard that even the youngest, thinnest model cannot achieve without their help and technology.

Thank you for mentioning the 80% income needed in retirement. That’s a great explaination. I could never figure why I’d need 80%.

When I ask people about saving and retirement, I get a big glazed look and no real response. To the thinking people I know, I have asked why do I get this glazed look? They say it is too overwhelming for people to ‘wrap their minds’ around the concept. This in itself scares me. What else scares me (and I try to remain logical, not emotional) is that I am confident that Soc Security will not exist in the future, and since no one is saving, how will local, federal taxes, mortgages, healthcare costs, etc be paid. It’s a much larger issue that we’ll experience in the next 10(?) years by my estimate. So all this collapses around the few that have thought, saved, and are responsible. And this thought then brings me to deduce…I think some people have already figured this collapse will happen, so why not live now! They spend and figure they will worry about the future later. (Sort of like the investment banks, and we saw what happened there). Some of this may be human nature?

I’d love to hear others thoughts on this. Really I would. Please show me I am wrong.

Also we must remember, corporations want cheap, uncomplaining, and an unthinking workforce. Therefore, to keep the population on edge, feeling unstable financially and by keeping 401k, pensions, retirement monies out of reach, it fulfills this goal.

Wil