CEOs’ arrogant fix

Did anyone else notice the incongruity contained in the Jan. 17 article that chief executive officers of various corporations, including the CEO of a gambling casino in Las Vegas, suggest that the so-called future financial problems of Social Security and Medicare can be solved by increasing the age of eligibility to 70 years?

It boggles the mind to think that any CEO, who already has his own financial bed well feathered, his own first-class medical plan tightly secured, together with his own golden parachute lurking in the wings, would even presume to offer a suggestion of this nature, especially when CEOs have been responsible for yanking as many of their employees’ benefits as they can, including eliminating pension plans. They’ve thrown so many millions out of work (adding to the pain of the recession), as well as lowered the wages of those lucky enough to still hold a job – however diminished it may be.

Just because, unlike in the 1930s, when the average worker died before age 65, Americans are now living into their 80s, doesn’t mean that their health keeps them still vigorous until the age of 70. Nor does it mean that if they are lucky enough still to be employed when they reach 65 years of age, their employer will continue to keep them on yet another five years.

Indeed, statistics plainly show Americans’ health is far worse than that of the citizens of the many, many developed countries with a single-payer health plan. And, unlike the CEOs themselves, not very many ordinary workers are allowed to keep working at their better-paid jobs after age 65. Sure, notoriously low-paying Wal-Mart hires elderly “greeters,” but …

Annette Bignall

Coeur d’Alene