When did we, as a nation, decide that "retirement" was an option for everyone, or an entitlement for all?

Similar questions: nation decide retirement option entitlement.

Maybe it's time to stop hating our fellow citizens and pay attention to our enemies. If you are a republican, this will be a hard lesson but, even for republicans it's possible not to hate all Americans.

SSI was part of the "NEW DEAL".. Started by FDR...Before that you worked till you dropped, or starved...

We have always been of the opinion that once a person reaches a certain level of age-related enfeeblement, they are no longer an effective part of the workforce. However, until the advent of the social security and medicare programs, the cultural expectation was that their children would care for them in their old age; and that they would take responsibility for putting away a little money for their old age.

I'm not sure that anyone "decided" this. Age eventually takes a toll, and every person who is fortunate enough to outlive sudden heart attack, fatal accidents, or sudden stroke will inevitably arrive at a day when they can no longer work. They will be incapacitated by cancer, diabetes, senility or some other age-related condition.

Who will support them at that point? 1. They have either provided for their own support;2.

They have family to care for and support them;3. Society supports them;4. We cook them and eat them.

Not sure how tender those old folks are though, having never tried one.

True, but at some point, the mindset of this country switched over from the "fortunate" get to retire to everyone has the entitlement to retire. I am trying to figure out when that happened. Schelli 19 days ago .

Our founding fathers saw an advantage to retirement. They saw this as a time when the individual was free to develop other aspects of their character by pursuing science, literature and the arts. Such pursuits are limited for those whose lives allow meager returns for their labors and who must live day to day, sometimes hand to mouth.

For them the only retirement is death.

Does anybody think it would be a good option for askville to let people have the ability to choose what 'topics' they.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.