The Patriotic Retirement Plan

First Things ^ | May 8, 2009 | Russell E. Saltzman

[chase19]

The Patriotic Retirement Plan

By Russell E. Saltzman Friday, May 8, 2009, 12:53 PM

This is one person’s suggestion for fixing the economy. It appeared in a Florida newspaper that had asked readers to send along their best economic ideas:

Patriotic retirement:

There are about 40 million people over 50 in the work force. . . .

Pay them $1 million apiece severance for early retirement with the following stipulations:

They leave their jobs. Forty million job openings — unemployment fixed. They buy new American cars. Forty million cars ordered — auto industry fixed. They either buy a house or pay off their mortgage — housing crisis fixed. David Otterson, Largo http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/article973953.ece

[WKUHilltopper]

Gimme, gimme, gimme! That’s the new mantra of the day!

[wastoute]

Taking the money and run is what anyone with a brain did last Oct.

Μολὼν λάβε

[NTHockey]

Aw, but they’d make it taxable income. So we’re really only talking about 1 trillion by the time all the state, local, federal, estate, etc. taxes are taken out.

[sergeantdave]

No coffee in the pot. Plus, it’s too early for me to do math. What’s $1 million times 40 million people?

[databoss]

Don’t give Obama any stupid suggestions like ‘forced retirement’ he’s liable to take our existing jobs and 401k (can you say Chrysler creditors?) and force people into retirement on some kind of crappy dole out with rationed healthcare, housing and food. He would be more than happy to have us living in ‘60’s era Soviet style!

[Mister Da]

I'm gonna guess the author of this “brilliant” idea was a recent former resident of Zimbabwe, and an ardent supporter of Barack “Pot-a-Gold” Obama.

[Mister Da]

“What’s $1 million times 40 million people?”

Monopoly money! 40 Trillion or in Zimbabwean Dollars it is 40 followed by 1200 zeros, or there abouts. In miles, that is the distance the starship Enterprise can travel in about 3 seconds at warp 10. :)

[Plumres]

Actually, the more sound approach would have been to open up a program called Social Security-Plus...where you let a guy 55 retire and collect 150 percent of his anticipated age 65 social security money for ten years and then fall into regular social security. You limit the numbers....say 100,000 per month, until you reach 500,000 ‘new’ retirees. Plus you can further entice folks...offering a $2k tax credit per year for this group, until age 65.

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My company will not offer early retirement again. They said they lost too many good people. The company is right. Just think about the work ethic of the over 55 group and the work ethic of a gen X 20 something individuals. Scary thought isn't it!

[rigelkentaurus]

why is everyone so stingy? Why not give everyone $10M? And, while we are at it, let's raise the minimum wage to say, $100/hr? Presto, we are all wealthy now /sarc

What kind of moron thinks that creating money out of thin air, creating debt, and passing it out arbitrarily is an economic system? What's wrong with the idea of shrink the government by 80%, pass some constitutional amendments to keep it that way, and tell everyone, you are responsible for yourself, and yourself only - good luck.

[ballplayer]

I think has a more fiscally responsible plan and more Eco friendly as well. You set up disposal centers where those 50 and above report to. They are then fed a good meal ,shown their favorite movie as they are put to sleep and then planted to fertilize the earth.
Universal population care

[ballplayer]

I think has a more fiscally responsible plan and more Eco friendly as well. You set up disposal centers where those 50 and above report to. They are then fed a good meal ,shown their favorite movie as they are put to sleep and then planted to fertilize the earth.
Universal population care

[Theophilus]

Abbie Hoffman's credo of “don't trust anyone over 30” becomes a self fulfilling prophecy for the generation that believed it.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

...shrink the government by 80% and pass some constitutional amendments to keep it that way...

I'm with you 100% on that. Unfortunately the Founders drafted our Constitution to specifically limit the scope and breadth of our government and look where that's gotten us. Any amendments would have the same effect.

Here in California, we passed a statewide proposition 5 years ago to stop runaway government by strictly capping its size and budget. Today it is TWICE as big as then! I don't know how or if it is even possible to stop this runaway train until it runs off the rails and crashes headlong into the chasm.

[kittykat77]

I really am a parade-rainer-oner. I can’t help it, and there’s no cure. I sit around and calculate why $1 million is actually not that much money. I can barely restrain myself from standing in front of Toys-R-Us and telling little kids why their parents really can’t afford the toys they’re about to buy....