Greatest Generation Jr.

When I was a child I was taught that retirement age was 65. I learned that a person had to work until that golden age before he or she was able to reap the benefits that he or she had sewn during a lifetime of putting money into a system of protection from economic uncertainty. In most recent years, a lot of fuss has come about stating that when the baby boomers start retiring there will be too much strain on the social security system. I don't think that's true at all.

There are several ways to prevent the social security account from hitting the red. As a paralegal who helps people of all ages and disabilities sign up for SSI, I understand and appreciate the need for many citizens who are unable to work. I am also glad that our government has taken it upon itself to help these people. I think that we need to figure out a way, though, to separate Social Security/Disability from Social Security. Those people who have worked their whole life and have paid into the system have earned a monthly check and we owe it to them. I think we need to try to take care of people who can't take care of themselves, but there are other groups that can be put in charge of that.

Another concern is that when the baby boomers retire there won't be enough workers putting into the system. I have a question: where are the jobs going that the baby boomers were working? Are companies going to get rid of the position of CEO? Is middle management finally going the way of the dodo? I don't think so. My generation, and the couple before it, are going to have to step up and carry the load just like the baby boomers did before us. Fortunately for us, we have seen the mistakes of bad mortgages and too much credit. We have seen what is right and wrong to do with money. We are learning that while we will have Social Security as a back up, we need to take our retirement into our hands and make sure that we have a future to develop.

It'd be nice if you old people would just leave us alone and let us worry about ourselves, we'll be fine. I promise.