->  ...   
   ->    
   ->  FS> Solving both the Medicare and Social Security problems is   
   ->  FS> extremely easy -- if the Congressers would just get down to   
   ->  FS> business.  Raise the age of entitlement to *both* problems   
   ->  FS> to 75 years of age.  That would make both programs   
   ->  FS> equivalent to the conditions of their origin.  After all,   
   ->  FS> people are living far longer these days!   
   ->    
   ->  Actually... no.   
   ->    
   ->  Most of the growth in life expectancy is in lowering the death   
   ->  rate for children. The biggest point of gain is in reducing   
   ->  infant mortality. Each baby saved adds 70some years to the   
   ->  average.   
      
   I have long realized that.  However most people will take the   
   life-expectancy growth at its face value.   
      
   ->  However, they are not paying into social security, and not   
   ->  collecting from it.   
   ->    
   ->  The life expectancy has increased an average of 7 years for   
   ->  retirees, from the founding of the program. And the poorest 20%   
   ->  only gained 2 years.   
   ->    
   ->  So, increasing the retirement age by 10 years would cut out over   
   ->  half the potential retirees from much benefit at all, and would   
   ->  cut out almost all the poorest 20% completely.   
      
   I don't know about that.  I have passed the age of ninety and my health is   
   essentially the same as it was twenty or thirty years ago.  Oooooops!  I   
   might be among the unliving by tomorrow.  According to a mortality table I   
   saw, the probability of my dying within the next twelve months is greater   
   than 14% -- a probability of 0.14+ for the purist ... or whatever ...   
       
   ->  Now, consider this, people are living longer, but that doesn't   
   ->  mean they are living much healthier. Sure, you have a better   
   ->  chance of surviving cancer and diabetes and other conditions,   
   ->  but that doesn't mean you have more strength and energy than   
   ->  someone your age in good health in 1930. It just means you get   
   ->  to relax longer.   
      
   True enuf ...   
       
   ->  Now, Frank, the biggie... since the only real problem with   
   ->  social security is high unemployment among those who should be   
   ->  paying into it, what are you going to do with all those elderly   
   ->  people who have to work in an economy where there aren't enough   
   ->  jobs for the younger workers?   
   ->    
   ->  Solve the unemployment problem and you solve the social security   
   ->  problem.   
      
   Yes, that's the best way to solve it, but raising the age of eligibility   
   would also do it, and that's a much simpler step for the Congressers.   
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