At 77 He Prepares Burgers, Earning in a Week His Former Hourly Wage

Re:At 77 He Prepares Burgers, Earning in a Week His Former H... by rokhayakebe on Monday September 23, 2013 @05:50PM (#6434409)

I am from Africa. My mom gets a pension for $30/month for the few years my father worked for the government before passing away. With $30 she can go buy one bag of rice, and maybe enough sugar for one month. MAYBE.

But no one cares. In Africa the retirement is your kids. You take care of your kids, and when they grow up, they take care of you. While this system is sure to keep many under poverty, I prefer it to one where someone who is 77 has to get to work just to ensure he can have the basics.

I respect the way elders think in America. That is they are independent, they help the youngsters as much as they can, and they are just significantly more active than older people where I am from. However I do think it is right for them to have to work past a certain age, especially when they have well-able relatives.

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Re:At 77 He Prepares Burgers, Earning in a Week His Former H... by Tichy on Tuesday September 24, 2013 @03:25AM (#6436521)

Sure, but that approach is also a root cause of overpopulation of the planet. Maybe you could even call it a kind of pyramid scheme, because everybody needs several children to support them (one is not enough, too risky). So obviously it is not sustainable in the long run.

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Re:At 77 He Prepares Burgers, Earning in a Week His Former H... by jacalata on Monday September 23, 2013 @06:42PM (#6434648)

So what does your mother do when you get hit by a truck? What does an old person who doesn't have kids do?

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Re:At 77 He Prepares Burgers, Earning in a Week His Former H... by rokhayakebe on Monday September 23, 2013 @07:27PM (#6434829)

I have other brothers, sister. If we all get hit by the same truck, there is extended family such as her sisters and brothers.

It's social security. I take care of my own, and I am not around, my extended family should, if not, my neighbors should, so on and so forth.

All I am saying people should take care of their parents if they are old and cannot afford the basics.

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Re:At 77 He Prepares Burgers, Earning in a Week His Former H... by tikums on Monday September 23, 2013 @08:02PM (#6434961)

That's why you have several children as backups.

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Re:At 77 He Prepares Burgers, Earning in a Week His Former H... by jborica on Monday September 23, 2013 @07:40PM (#6434893)

I'm sure the obscene medical bills would eventually be passed onto her if it were the US, so I don't see the point of the question.

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Re:At 77 He Prepares Burgers, Earning in a Week His Former H... by nknighthb on Monday September 23, 2013 @08:45PM (#6435129)

You're "sure" of something that's utterly false? Relatives are not responsible for the debts of a deceased person in the US.

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Re:At 77 He Prepares Burgers, Earning in a Week His Former H... by rokhayakebe on Tuesday September 24, 2013 @12:19AM (#6435942)

Edit: I do not think it is right for them...

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