Posted on 05/29/2013 8:08:27 AM PDT by blam
It's High Time America Did Away With Senior Discounts
Alex Mayyasi, Priceonomics Blog
May 29, 2013, 10:44 AM
You’ve seen them on the bus, in museums, and at movie theaters: senior discounts.
As a reward for being old, senior citizens pay a quarter less for bus fare, a small fortune less for movie tickets, and receive discounts generally all over the place.
If you’re a twentysomething, or part of what some journalists have colorfully called “the screwed generation,” you may be wondering: why not me?
The idea that seniors are a group in need of help and protection dates back to the thirties, when America’s senior citizens were disproportionately poor and affected by the Depression wiping out everyone's savings.
In 1935, President Roosevelt passed the Social Security Act, which gave federal assistance to the elderly. This became the norm. Aid to seniors increased over time, in particular with the creation of Medicare in 1965 and the passage of an amendment indexing social security to cost of living increases and creating an additional Supplemental Security Income for seniors in 1972.
As two poverty economists note, “One of the most striking trends in elderly well-being in the twentieth century was the dramatic decline in income poverty among the elderly.” This can be seen in the graph below.
The United States only began measuring poverty in the 1960s, so we lack standard figures dating farther back than that. But it’s recognized that the trend of decreasing poverty among seniors dates back to the thirties and forties. 2011 Census figures place poverty among Americans aged 65 and older at 8.7%, well below the national average of 15%.
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at priceonomics.com ...
Well, Alex, whether a business gives a senior discount or not is none of YOUR business.
That woman reminds me of Squaw Warren.
A troubling resemblance.....
Senior discounts on public transportation are also a great idea because they mean fewer drivers.
The politics of Denver ride roughshod over Colorado. The majority of Colorado had not been demoRat but corruption in denveR has put rats in power. Chickenpooper would not even listen to the state Sheriffs but held Obama and Byden is high esteem over the people.
Let me guess...
You have every season of “The Golden Girls” on DVD...
Yep, it made me check the pic properties for the file name....
Well of course that is true. The article was penned by an intellectual midget with lots of ink and no sense. My best customers are seniors. You bet I offer a discount.
Alexander Mayanasi.
Ghostwriter & Co-Author
Self-employed
2011 – Present (2 years)
Writing Egytian activist Ahmed Salah’s account of the Egyptian Revolution.
Literally.
The author is obviously not a marketeer or a successful businessman. Senior discounts are not offered out of charity, they’re offered to attract purchasers who (1) are on a fixed income, (2) have very predictable buying habits, and (3) have a very high rate of return business. It’s all about the business, kid. TANSTAAFL.
Alex Mayyasi
Alex Mayyasi, a graduate of Stanford University's International Relations program, class of 2011, living in Cairo, Egypt. Alex interned with the Development and Institutionalization Support Center during Egypt's 2011-2012 parliamentary elections
Dude can’t keep a job it seems...
********
Formerly an aspiring diplomat working with activists in Cairo, Egypt. Now in the San Francisco Bay Area working in tech. Looking forward to how all the dots may connect one day.
Experience
Priceonomics Inc
Writer
Priceonomics Inc
February 2013 – Present (4 months)|San Francisco Bay Area
Ghostwriter & Co-Author
Self-employed
2011 – Present (2 years)
Writing Egytian activist Ahmed Salah’s account of the Egyptian Revolution.
Intern
Development and Institutionalization Support Center
October 2011 – January 2012 (4 months)|Cairo, Egypt
DISC is an Egyptian NGO working at the intersection of civil society and technology.
Stanford Alumni Association
Photographer at Stanford Sierra Camp
Stanford Alumni Association
June 2011 – September 2011 (4 months)
Stanford University
Research Assistant
Stanford University
October 2010 – June 2011 (9 months)
Worked with Canadian diplomat and Visiting Scholar Ben Rowswell on a research project on Afghanistan and statebuilding. Also assisted the launch of Cloud to Street, a project linking Egyptian activists with Silicon Valley to produce liberation technologies.
Stanford University
Research Assistant
Stanford University
June 2009 – August 2009 (3 months)
Worked with Steve Krasner, Stanford Professor of International Relations and former Director of Policy Planning at the US State Department. Researched foreign aid’s relation to state development.
Media Intern
The Boston Review
April 2009 – June 2009 (3 months)
I can’t get in on any of the Govt freebies so don’t take away my discounts ..if I ever manage to reach that age.
Yeah, or maybe that mechanic actually worked two jobs to pay for one of his children's medical treatments and the Mercedes owner inherited his money. Please. I'm in my late 50's and I qualify for senior discounts in many cases. I don't need them and I don't ask for them. Just because I happen to surpass a certain age doesn't create entitlement. That's the thinking of a liberal.
What next, is Bloomberg going to outlaw Early Bird Specials?
When this guy gets old enough, he can just pay full price. No one is forcing any senior to receive a discount. Our grocery store, Harris Teeter has senior discounts available for 60+ yo. I have to touch a button to receive it.
I don't know where she goes to the movies, but the senior discount at my local theater is $0.25.
Alex himself, in living color
Alex Mayyasi @amayyasi
Writer @priceonomics. Also writing a book on the Egyptian Revolution & working w/ democracy activists
“or part of what some journalists have colorfully called “the screwed generation,”
What journalist ever has said this? Where?
This person makes crap up. The “Screwed UP” generation is more like it.
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