Retirement— Are you ready?

We are retired. We planned for it. This is something folks don't even think about till 50-ish (and this subject should be taught throughout a child's school history).  My husband has two pensions and I will receive one in two years.  We are living in a rural setting with all material things paid for and $2,400 per month to live on.  It can be done if you are not greedy and you get to pat yourself on the back for a job very well done! —Pat Manley, Crawfordville, Fla.

At 62 and a half, I am scheduled to receive Social Security in April if all goes well with the paper-work. I have had late in life job loss and age discrimination. I have a job and my wife works, we will get by. But the Social Security will play a big part in how we get by. I would like to remind everyone to look at history.  In the early '80s my mother had her money invested in "safe" accounts. Inflation ran rampant and she lost the value of the investments. I have met many people with 401(k)s who had retired and then had to take jobs again after 9/11.  The stock market may do well over a 20 year period, but what if you turn 65 or 70 at the wrong time of the 20 years?  Maybe just increasing the retirement age is the best way to go about mending the Social Security budget. We do live longer, and work longer. It would be pretty boring to sit home all day anyway.  —Jeff Johnson, Palm Coast, Fla.

I am an educator who taught for many years in a state where educators paid into the Social Security system. The state retirement plan for educators was very minimal because of this. When my husband's place of work closed and we moved to another state I did not know that when I started teaching there I was jeopardizing my benifits from Social Security. In this state we do not pay into Social Security and do have a separate retirement plan. Due to a law I did not know existed, because I do not pay into Social Security now, I will get greatly reduced benefits and will also not be able to get much in the line of survivor benefits in the event my husband dies. I paid into Social Security from 1976-1996. Why should my benefits be taken away and why should I and my children loose survival benefits? This applies to about 17 states. For those that teach in those state all of their working lives it may not be a problem, but for those who have worked at other jobs or move from another state, it is a problem.
— CCC

I am approaching 50 and I have a plan in place that will let me retire at 55. I won't have to start collecting Social Security until I am 65, but that IS and has always been an integral part of my plan.  Since there is no Social Security crisis, I wish the right wing radicals in Congress that are trying to destroy our country would shut up.  Let's be clear. The only Social Security crisis is that the right wing is trying to destroy it. If you remove the wage cap, Social Security instantly becomes solvent forever. End of story.  The right wingers simply hate paying for anything that doesn't directly affect themselves right now. They are un-American and selfish. They are immoral and greedy. And their every-man-for-himself philosophy has been the root of ruin for every major civilzation in earth's history.  —TekBoss

During the 1980s, I was a (non-Military) federal employee paying Civil Service Retirement Tax. A reform took place to phase out Civil Service Retirement.  All new employee's would pay Social Security Tax. All current employee's were given an option (with an incentive) to convert to Social Security. The incentive? The Federal Gov. would match your contribution to a Thrift Savings Plan up to 5%. It is a good plan for those who took it. However, that 5% comes out of every tax payers pocket.   —Aileen Bailey, Clearwater, Fla.

I'm on Social Security and I receive $559.00 and $42.00 in food stamps.  I have been advised that the private accounts that Bush will put in place will affect my little amount I receive by an unknown percentage as soon as it is put in force.  As far as Medicare goes, out of that small amount I receive I must pay premiums of $67.00 and a co-pay of $10.00 each visit.  My gosh that is more than private.  But there is no choice.  I am unable to pay utilities. I have to beg for help. Still with help it costs about 100.00 a month.  Phone  — minimum of $30.  I am complaining for thousands like me who are also handicaped.  Now Bush wants to increase tax at the pump, increase utilities , and tax on phone and on cable.  I and many others will not be able to even exist.  I sometimes don't even have enough to eat. I don't mean to sound like a cry baby but what are we going to do?  —Pat, Anacortes, Wash.

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