ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, November 11, 1996 TAG: 9611120006
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-9 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: READERS' FORUM
Young don't pay elderly's pensions
ABSOLUTELY not. If you lived through the Great Depression, you know better.
I went to work in 1945 at age 16, and began paying Social Security out of every check I earned. My husband-to-be also started work in 1945. I worked and put myself through my last two years of high school and three years of professional school.
I've had young adults today tell me they are paying my Social Security income. Well, I was paying into it before most of them were born. If they want to draw Social Security benefits when they retire, they had better figure out some way to stop the federal government from spending it on general government expenses.
BETTIE ARTHUR
GOODVIEW
Young receive priority treatment
IS THIS a trick question? If not, it's a big joke.
In no way does America favor the elderly. Quite the opposite. Everything is youth-oriented.
Business goes after the young. All advertisements, television programs, health programs, etc., are geared to the under-45 age group. Doctors look at you and say, ``Well, it's your age - you are getting older.'' And do you ever hear we need more education for the elderly?
Salespeople aren't friendly and are sometimes rude to the elderly. If two people have the same education and all other qualifications for a job, and the only difference is age, guess who gets hired? This happens all the time.
I think America would like your life to end by the age of 65.
JANE ROBERTSON
ROANOKE
Maybe the young need a lobbyist
HISTORY SHOWS that this has always been the case. Today, for instance, the American Association for Retired People, which includes anyone over 50 years old who joins whether retired or not, spreads political-action committee money to candidates and incumbents. And its members vote in greater numbers than do the young. The AARP is one of the most powerful lobby groups in America.
Unfortunately, the ``young'' usually are lumped together and suffer the criticism of their elders unjustly. I don't see any feasible way of changing this. Perhaps an American Association for Young People?
JACK E. BYRD
HARDY
Not all elderly need entitlements
I BELIEVE the elderly deserve benefits in their old age since they paid taxes all their lives, but I do not think government should take from the young to provide these. In a sense, I believe this is what has happened in society.
The government rewards every individual the right to Social Security along with other benefits, but I don't think all elderly people need the benefits - yet they still take them.
It's estimated that if something doesn't change in the near future, there will be no Social Security for anyone by the year 2008. This isn't a long time off, when one thinks about it. We, as a society, must strive to change this situation and work together to make the nation better for future generations.
AMANDA JANE MOORE
RADFORD
It shouldn't be one or the other
ON THE TOPIC of America's spending on the elderly at the expense of the young, I find myself caught in the middle. Taking care of the elderly is very important, and so is taking care of the young.
How can taking care of our people be at anyone's expense? Elderly or young, we should be able to take care of Americans. Look at all of the money our government spends elsewhere. This money should be kept here in America. We keep helping other countries while we suffer.
Many of our own children aren't immunized. This is a disgrace for a world power. Children should receive any and all medical care they need. Yet, I don't believe that to do this, funds for the elderly should be cut. Most of the elderly have given their share of work and money into this country.
I believe that many times we spend money on life support and other devices that may not be needed. Yet, there are a lot of treatments out there that can help and are beneficial. We should focus on these and the help they can provide.
APRIL CLARK
RADFORD
Entitlements promote age bias
ABSOLUTELY, America does favor the elderly at the expense of the very young - and everyone else, too.
I am a senior citizen and am sickened by the way senior citizens and others held their noses and voted for Bill Clinton. The issue he had, and the only emotional one, was that he had protected entitlement programs for seniors. Never mind that Social Security and Medicare are in trouble. And with a Republican Congress and Clinton at the helm, chances of the programs being adjusted or slowed are slim and none since "Slick Willie" will veto any attempts to save the programs by doing what needs to be done: slow the growth of these programs.
Social Security was never meant to be the sole means of support; Medicare was never intended to pay for all medical expenses. My greatest argument against these programs is that they tend to favor one segment of the population over another, i.e., age bias.
Seniors at a certain age also get their property taxes frozen, when many young people struggle daily to get by. I know of young children today who have no medical insurance. They don't go to a dentist and seldom to a doctor. Their parents don't have the money.
Before someone thinks I am against the elderly, I am not. I just think it's wrong to continue to manipulate the voters by making the country think of our elderly as being poor, sick, etc. I would imagine that most elderly are financially well-off, considering they have had a lifetime to prepare for old age. It's a shame that the very young have no one pushing for them, but then they don't have the right to vote.
PATRICIA P. HAMMOND
ROANOKE
Medical costs are a major concern
YES, AMERICA does favor the elderly at the expense of the young. Instead of trying to prolong the life of the elderly (especially if they probably will die in another two years anyway), we should make them as comfortable as possible with their friends and family around them. We don't need to keep them in a hospital away from their families, only to cost them and us (taxpayers) more money.
We need to shift more from treatment-based care to preventive care, and not just for the elderly.
ALISON MITCHELL
RADFORD
Young can make their voices count
I DO feel that America favors the elderly at the expense of the young in many aspects. However, the young will someday be the elderly.
It seems the United States is constantly in battles regarding health care for the elderly, but seldom is there such debate over the problems the younger generation experiences.
Politicians will discuss and spend more time with issues that deal with the older generation because that is where they feel the majority of the voting population is.
The younger generation must take heed of events that are going on around them, and start making their own voices heard.
JAMIE GRIFFIN
RADFORD
Elderly endorse supporting young
DESPITE the media's determined efforts to foment a generational war, none exists.
There are indeed concerns about the proper use of public funds. But America's emphasis is, and must be, on its young. If you doubt this, take a walk through the quality schools provided for the poorest of children, and then look at the nursing-home facilities provided for the poorest of the elderly, the Medicaid recipients.
The very wealthy don't need either, but public schools are available to the wealthy or poor. Medicaid is available only to the very poor, except for those who exploit the loopholes.
Many of us seniors use our retirement time to volunteer for a variety of worthy projects, the value of which is substantially more than the Social Security payments we receive. We aren't freeloaders, nor are we viewed as such by the majority of our children.
Certainly, there are abuses in every area of human endeavor. But we Americans do not trash an entire class because of the greed of a few. We love our kids, and hope the media's effort to create a breach between us fails.
ROBERT FRANK ADAMS
ROANOKE
Many elderly need reduced prices
I AM NOT sure that I believe young people are being taken advantage of, though the elderly may be receiving Social Security benefits that young people will never see.
The elderly often pay less for various services rendered. But do the companies overcharge everyone else to make up for it? If so, this is one way the elderly are being favored. Then again, a lot of them cannot afford to pay the same prices others pay because they are not working.
JAMIE FOUTZ
BLACKSBURG
An obligation exists to help the elderly
I DO NOT think that America neglects its young to provide for its elderly. If the elderly were productive citizens in their prime, we have an obligation to care for them somewhat. They shouldn't totally depend on us, but should find a happy medium.
RICHARD C. CARR
RADFORD
Seniors' longevity hurts the young
IN RESPONSE to the question about senior citizens and the youth of America:
I would have to reply yes, simply because our senior citizens are living longer due to the fact that they are taking better care of their physical and mental well-being.
The government is thus responsible for providing more services, such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid for older generations, so there is less money that can be spent on our youth. As long as the old are living longer, youth will receive nothing but neglect.
STACEY K. SHELOR
RADFORD
Young generation owes a debt
I FEEL that today's youth do not suffer because it's our responsibility to take care of our older people. If it weren't for the elderly, we wouldn't exist. This is the ethical and moral obligation of our generation.
JAMES TALLMADGE
RADFORD
LENGTH: Long : 202 linesby CNB