A Slice of the Senior Situation

We were gathered around the table for donuts on Friday jabbering about all kinds of stuff when the subject of Oregon’s unemployment came up. It suddenly got very quiet while we pondered the subject. You see, statewide we’re at a bit over twelve percent right now with outlying counties running even higher. Ever since I moved here Oregon is the first to take it in the shorts economically and the last one to get over it.

The donut crew as we’ve labeled ourselves are all over sixty five. And no, we’re not immune to the Obama administration’s Socialistic policies (as I call them) which are resulting in the economic demise of our U.S. economy. I know it’s a little late for pointing fingers at the democrat voters as we’re all suffering as Americans from high prices and job losses. And we don’t know who exactly is behind it all, anyway.

Maria usually sits on my right. She’s the matriarch of the donut crew. At 85 she has a very good federal retirement which allows her to have a landscaper do her yard, travel when she wants and basically enjoy a trouble-free life. The subject of the economy interests her a lot though, because her three boys with their families all live in California which is in real trouble right now.

Pete was parked to my left, in his seventies and always shaking with his affliction. He’s a funny guy, always making wise cracks and doesn’t offer much on the subject of the economy. Guess he figures he won’t be around too much longer so why worry about it. His wife Doris is sitting across from him speaking her mind and must be pretty concerned. They had to sell their home not too long ago because it was just costing them too much money each month and now they live in a much smaller apartment. She’s got to be worried what will happen to her when Pete dies.

Bob, the diabetic and his wife Paula sit together. Bob just had part of his stomach removed for some reason and lost some weight, too. He and Paula (both in their sixties) are officially retired but Bob still has to do the books and taxes for some local companies in order to make ends meet. It seems they’re feeling the pinch, too.

Me? I’m sixty-six and supposed to be retired. Odd how folks think that when you reach that age you can really kick back and enjoy. Well people, here’s a big news flash for you. A lot of us can not afford to retire, ever. As I see it, if the economy maintains its present course there will be no retirement for anyone.

Back to me for a moment. I write and submit articles online. This is an example of just one of many that are published all over the Internet. It’s how I continue to make a living . Social Security doesn’t pay me enough to live on and I don’t enjoy any kind of pension. It’s just the way it is and as long as I can write and maintain my websites I’ll do it as long as I’m able.

So, the donut crew will meet again next Friday, I suppose. We’ll talk about whatever is of interest to us and life will go on. On anyway, until our measure of life is poured out. In the mean time we represent a microcosm of people up in years who are generally not talked about very much or considered to be significant despite the financial effects of a sabotaged economy.

The politicians all want our valuable votes and promise us the world, which is not theirs to give away. And when many of us are swayed by their sweet talk and vote them into office, they promptly dismiss us knowing that we’ll probably die off pretty soon anyway and besides, there will be a new crop of seniors coming down the pike to bamboozle come the next election cycle.

Residing in the Pacific Northwest, Ron Knowles reveals insightful lessons on how to learn and earn at home from his website and even has an educational newsletter that helps people choose the logical vehicle for doing so. For those who need to make more money and stay at home, his system is insightful.

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