I honestly don't think the future portrayed in this book is going to happen.

We'll have two "olds," just like we have rich and poor today. There will be rich olds and poor ones, those who live on Social Security or inadequate pensions. The mergers, bankruptcies, and speculation of the past few years have destroyed many pensions, such that a lot of people who thought they were going to be fine financially are going to have to struggle to survive.

Izabel is right in that some don't need SS at all. Maybe they could cash it out to recoup their own contribution, but there is a lot of controversy about that. What if people cash out or borrow on their SS, then have nothing left to live on? There are already companies offering to buy pensions...

Portiaa,
I am a bit confused by your response. It is simplistic to blame our country's problems on corporations who have moved jobs to other shores. You are correct that the government does little to make anything better. It is massive government regulation and the highest corporate taxes that encouraged corporations to move to greener pastures. Spirit and backbone a necessity...absolutely. And both we need now. But I don't see how that segues into child labor and the 'Whiskey Rebellion' and the wars and prohibition and the Jazz age, etc. I do not say that everyone has to give up Social Security, I just say I would have preferred a choice - like our government leaders. If my choice led to difficulties then that is MY problem...no yours or any other tax-payer's. But my original comment was concerning Mr. Brooks' book and how it relates to the present and how realistically (or otherwise) it showed the different age groups and who I sympathized with. I think he was right on the money for most of the characters portrayed. I just didn't find it satirical. I found it prescient.

As we discuss SS and the old I have to say that as I read the book, what was in the back of my mind was the very young that are born into this world without a chance of a decent life. I am talking about crack babies, etc that are born to crackheads and will be learning disabled, etc. Society spends so much on their care from the time they are born. And many will not have a productive life. You wonder if the mother had not been a crackhead and had taken care of herself during pregnancy, would the child have been normal. These babies take up lots of our healthcare dollars. I am not at all saying that we should let them die. Not at all, but I don't like the "old" being blamed for using all the healthcare dollars.
If the Obamacare really goes into law, how will these healthcare dollars be spent? Who will make these decisions? How will they be made?

Jww:Perhaps I was clumsy in what I was trying to convey in a previous post. What I wanted to say was that people are not always responsible for their own destinies..we have situations which sometimes overtake our best laid plans..in 1987, I lost $80,000 in one day..in 2004, $120,000..in the stock market..none of this money was given to me..it was years of hard work and savings in a 401K. And that was in the years of compound interest...not like today where there are few safe places where money can grow. We olds have to prepare the best we can for sickness and advanced age..and Social Security was meant to be a safety net; not the entire income. I believe in a means test, I believe in lifting the retirement age, I believe in having the wealthy contribute a little more, but allowing the aged to die impoverished doesn't seem to be the American way..but like Brad in the book, I might get murdered and not have to worry about my future.
I truly feel sorry for the young and the middles trying to get by with jobs so hard to find and a doubtful future. We olds have to help the best we can.

I think the message in the book is a little drastic but somewhat believable. I do feel that the younger generation has a right to be frustrated with the way the government is going in trying to spend more and more to support the "olds" through social security, health care measures and other entitlements. I am too close to being an "old" and felt disturbed by many of the comments, yet I could see the points being made. I have a 32 year old daughter finishing law school as a second graduate degree and career choice since she felt unable to support herself as a social worker. Now she has huge loans to pay back and no job. Many young people are faced with this same situation. I think we are coming closer to the reality of the book.

Your daughter is not alone. Student loans are a terrible burden.

What if we stopped offering student loans? Not everyone should go to college. I taught for a year at a private online college, and I can tell you that there were many students who were only in college because they thought it was their only hope. They weren't prepared; some of them flunked out, but still owe that money.

A student who really wants a college education can work hard for scholarships and take jobs to pay for tuition. It might take them 10-20 years to finish, but they will be debt-free when they do.

We need apprenticeship and other training programs in trades and medical fields. I can see a role of government in providing these opportunities.

Yes, our children are not getting the opportunities we had. We can work toward helping them, though.

I'm in between the age groups portrayed in the book. I think both were described fairly accurately with heroes and villains in each age group.

Portia, Izabel, I agree with both of you ! I do not think anyone wants to go back to the days before SS, life was awful for a lot of people. Many people worked for wages that provided for daily living and not for long term savings. People need to remember that they paid into the system that they collect from. The disparities that Izabel comments on are so true. I feel that there is a mean spiritness growing today that the author picks up and takes to a conclusion that results in life in in 2030.