Here's a letter from the disgruntled ol'coot letters section in Sunday's Edmonton Journal. I think this senior Alberta really missed the mark on what she should be advocating for. It sounds like her beef is the Alberta Old Age Pension Program rather than everyone else who isn't her.
The future is now
Putting surplus money away for future generations is the stupidest thing I've ever heard of. My future is right now.
I am 80 years old and my only source of income is the old age pension. I need all the help I can get right now, so if Albertans have no use for a rebate cheque, send it to me.
I will make good use of it buying food, gasoline, heat, electricity and clothing.
Jeane McDonald, Stony Plain
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5 comments:
It's all about me.
Wow. talk about short sighted and bitter.
I think it is more clever than you are allowing for - and even if not she is trying to make the point that all this talk about saving for the future is not relevant to her situation - and perhaps her situation is more pressing than "the future."
I am sure that anyone who doesn't have enough money each month to pay their basic bills, health costs and food needs can relate to this kind of dilemma.
Also, anyone who is my age already has figured out that the "future" is ellusive - once upon a time *I* was the "future," and now I am busy saving the "future" for my kids and grandchildren.
While we do need to have the future in mind (which is why its great to have a government with a 20 year plan and 3 year business plans to accomplish those goals) I can't help but wonder whats the good of having loads of wealth if we can't make some of the future now? Some people really need it.
Oh yeah and I want my jet-pack.
I'm with Dave. Old coot. Although I have to say that I'm not sure "coot" is a unisex noun. I kinda thought it was masculine. Maybe she's a cootette or something.
No one is disagreeing that everyone should get a piece of the pie, and no one is disagreeing that some of the pie should be served now. But saying that saving pie for tomorrow is stupid because not all of us are going to be here tomorrow? That's qualitatively different. It's like saying, "I'm going to die eventually, so why not burn down a forest just for fun before I do?" I couldn't possibly use all those trees in my lifetime, anyway.
It's an exaggerated example of the problem that we have in our society. A complete focus on short-term benefits, and a lack of concern for future generations.
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