The Crippling Of The Elderly

Are the elderly, the ones who made this country great, being treated with respect by our government?  I would be the first to say that the government can’t do everything.   But, they do have a  moral responsibility to do  some things and protect the weak and less advantaged.

I have worked in a service industry (real estate sales) in a county that is more than 50% populated by seniors.  Not only have I seen neglect of real needs of seniors,  I also see some alarming trends of the government preying on their vulnerability.   For example, here in Florida, the state has cut benefits to the disabled, many of whom are senior citizens.  During the same time, state taxes have been used to buy swamp land in the name of ecology and purchase large sports stadiums.

Many of the very oldest of our seniors are living on $300 per month in Social Security benefits.   And the IRS has the gall to tax their meager proceeds.  How does a person pay for housing, eat, buy clothes, see a doctor, and go to the dentist?   Sadly,  I have seen many end up homeless.  Talk to any Florida based organization that helps the homeless and ask how many senior citizens are on the street.   You’ll be amazed at what you hear.  Better yet, volunteer to help a homeless feeding program and you will see for yourself  many seniors living on the streets -  it will break your heart.  In the City of Tampa, FL alone, there are upwards of 8,000 homeless.   Sadly, many are older Americans.   Sadder still, is that many are veterans who fought to keep us free.

A factor that has been widely overlooked is the hidden and unhidden inflation in our economy.  The meager income paid to seniors is shrinking due to inflation.   Many are predicting hyper-inflation in the next few years.

Then, there is the marriage penalty that pressures seniors who would have married, to live together.  Many do so with great feelings of guilt and shame.  Seniors who live together draw more Social Security than couples who marry.  This is wrong.  Many a politician has campaigned on the promise to change it, but we’re still waiting.

One of the greatest tavesties of justice is the disappearance of retirement funds.  There has to be regulation put in place to keep retirement money safe.  When people work and save for an entire lifetime some money for their golden years, that money should be held sacred by our laws.  Those who would plunder those funds should do a life sentence.

The high gasoline prices have severely hurt many senior programs such as Meals On Wheels.  The slow economy has limited job opportunities for seniors who need extra income.  I see my own mother considering moving across the country to get lower rent.   It seems the deck is stacked against our senior population and with the exception of election years,  no one seems to be souding the alarm.   Growing tax pressures,  indifference from the state and federal governments,  a suffering economy and shrinking job market, all these things are making the golden years much less golden.

We owe a great debt to our seniors.   They fought our wars,  built our industries, raised up our institutions, and for the most part paid their own way.    We send billions across the sea to people who despise us.   We can do better than this for our own.