Boy are you uniformed. People are not living that much longer past the original SS retirement age than they did in the past. The much greater increase in life expectancy since the inception of SS is from the elimination of early childhood deaths due to preventable illnesses. Furthermore, the lions share of the increases in life expectancy past the original SS retirement age has been experienced by the well off.

Most people reach their peak earining ability in their mid 50′s. Dropping out of the work force means not getting those high income years factored into their benefit.

That’s not the issue. No one would be dumb enough to quit a well-paying job that was necessary for their economic security unless they got a major inheritance or won the lottery. The question is one of eligibility – not a mandatory retirement age (you do understand the difference don’t you?).

The problem is people who have been forced out of their jobs and can’t get new ones. It’s been documented that workers in older age groups experience much longer periods of unemployment when they lose their jobs and a not insignificant number are finding that they may never work again. Those people should be eligible for Social Security and Medicare even though they haven’t reached some “magic age” determined by rich, elitist pricks who will never have to worry about such problems.

Are you for fucking real?

The so-called “protections” and “legal recourse” you speak of are worthless and you would know so if you had ever spoken to a lawyer about filing a claim. Unless the employer is dumb enough to specifically tell you out loud in front of witnesses (who are willing to testify against the employer and thus put their jobs in jeopardy) it’s almost impossible to prove age discrimination even when you have obviously been treated differently than your younger peers. And if I’m not mistaken the Supreme Court raised the standard of proof required to prove an age discrimination claim even to an even higher level a few years back.

If you are part of an effective union or are there is some kind of publically administered exam required for your job then you may be able to meet the standards of proof required if you are part of a large group that has suffered a differential rate of layoffs or lack of hiring. But as an individual in most jobs – forget it. And I am speaking from experience so you can stuff your uninformed opinions up your ass.

And by the way, the fact that older workers may have a higher rate of employment (which I, frankly, find to be a dubious claim – I’d really need to see the data on that one) doesn’t mean shit in terms of whether age discrimination exists or not. In our current environment it most likely only means that the employment rate for younger workers is so bad that event he shitty deal corporate America gives to older workers looks good by comparison. And it says nothing about the quality of jobs that older workers may be in or forced to take when they are dumped from their well-paying careers.

Age discrimination is pervasive in the US and anyone over 50 (or maybe even younger in some fields) knows it.

You’re still making a specious generalization about the health of a large group of people. Yes, there is an obesity problem but it’s not limited to cubicle workers or older workers and it’s more due to poor food choices and bad eating habits than having a sedentary occupation.

The far more compelling reason to lower the retirement age is the age discrimination practiced against older workers in most, if not all, all occupations

I average over 4000 miles per year on my bike (and know plenty of people my age and older who do even more) so I’m a bit offended by your specious generalization about the health of my age group. But, yes – cubicle sitting is not the greatest thing for your health.

I do agree with you though about lowering the retirement age and age of Medicaid eligibility.

Once again I have to remind folks that the this is not just about physical labor. Many of us in sedentary occupations are being or will be pushed out of the labor force well before even the current retirement age. it’s only those in elitist sedentary occupations who will be able find cushy think-tank, corporate board or media gigs well into their sixties and seventies. The rest of us are regarded as dead weight by the time we hit 50.

This is the kind of thing that makes me want to re-register as a Democrat just so I can quit all over again.

I e-mailed Pelosi, my representative (Van Hollen) and both my senators (Mikulski and Cardin) last night. Told them what I thought of the chained-CPI proposal and then closed by saying that:

1. I left the Democratic Party in 2008 but that their behavior on this issue made me want to re-join just so I could quit again.

2. It was ironic that I was depending on Republican intransigence rather than the Democrats defending social and economic justice to scuttle this deal.

I find these discussions wearying and caustic because neither side (gun rights, gun control advocates) will bend

What an idiotic piece of false equivalence. Shame on you.

Ha, ha!