This 81-year-old still works at Home Depot to support herself and her 90-year-old husband

Comments

• FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  My eighty year-old parents are driving for DoorDash. In my car.

  If they don’t, this supposedly ‘free’ country of ours will allow banks to force them onto the streets where they will be left for dead.

  Fuck capitalism.

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  • Eyekaytee@aussie.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Fuck capitalism.

    Isn’t that an America problem?

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    • corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Also randomly wasn’t this how we lived before pensions?

      I suspect you’re making a point here, but I’m not sure what it is.

      Remember that the silents were born in an age where unions were far more prevalent. I’m not sure whether that addresses the point you were trying to make, but maybe.

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    • garbagebagel@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      I know plenty of people in Canada and Mexico that still work much later than they should have to to support family members. Might not be a problem in more socialist countries but definitely not uniquely an American problem.

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    • RaivoKulli@sopuli.xyz ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Most of the world has and to a large degree still relies on relatives to support them when they can’t work anymore

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    • WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Pensions are a roman invention

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• partial_accumen@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  I feel sorry for the 81 year old and her husband. However, they have made nearly every wrong financial decision over most of their lives.

  • In 1994 husband was making $90k a year and quit that job to start up a band and teach music lessons
  • They bought a fixer-upper house in 2002 to flip it, except they still had it in hand in 2008 when the real estate market crashed
  • They had $75k in the market prior to the crash, and sold it all at the bottom of the market before the rebound.
  • They never saved more than $10k in a 401k
  • They defaulted on their mortgage in 2015 and lost he house, but did gain $115k from the forced sale.
  • They declared bankruptcy (it doesn’t say when). Usually this protects the house, as in you’re not kicked out. So I can’t quite square why the house was forced for sale if they were under bankruptcy protection. This is a clue they had a lot more debt than just the house.
  • “The income from a side business Lydia had started to help people downsize their homes, and the piano lessons that Bill gave, weren’t enough.” This was 2015 and at best their only income was a couple small side hustles. Admittedly they were in their early 70s at this point.
  • Even today it looks like they’re spending over 20% of their income on car related expenses (payment, insurance, gas).
  • They’re also still living in Connecticut which looks to be more expensive place to live. A quick Google search of West Virginia 55+ one bedroom apartments go for $450-$900. So they could probably cut their rent in half if they moved to a cheaper city/state.

  They’ve truly had some horrible timing and luck, however I truly hope their situation improves and

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  • YtA4QCam2A9j7EfTgHrH@infosec.pub ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Who gives a shit? No one should have to spend their 80s working

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    • MissJinx@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      I understand the sentiment but what he is saying is also important. Imagine, starting tomorrow everyone above 60 will get 5000 dolars every month. Will this couple in particular be able to libe with it or will they make more bad choices.

      I’m 100% pro supporting the retired community but Financial literacy is also very important, otherwise it doesn’t matter how much money you give them.

      It’s so important to teach finamcial literacy from an early age

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    • partial_accumen@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Who gives a shit? No one should have to spend their 80s working

      They are today still making choices which are forcing them to work. They might be able to not work if they move to a cheaper area and give up their expensive car.

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    • MangioneDontMiss@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      this is the generation thats fucked us over and they’re complaining about suffering through shit we all know we’re going to have to deal with to an even worse extent.

      I mean yeah this country is fucked. clearly, the powerful just want slaves. Even so, these people made their own bed to a large extent. Its hard to feel that sorry for them.

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  • LotrOrc@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Dude im in my 30s and I hate moving. You cant just up and move to a different state that easily, especially at that age.

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    • partial_accumen@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Dude im in my 30s and I hate moving. You cant just up and move to a different state that easily, especially at that age.

      Everyone hates moving. The other option is living above your means, which is what these folks are doing which translates into an 81 year old having to work. This also didn’t happen one day out of the blue. They’ve been living above their means for decades and they’ve had decades to see this would be the result of their choices.

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  • Romkslrqusz@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Were they supposed to use their crystal ball to predict the 2008 grift and subsequent rebound?

    In your list, nearly everything that comes after that is a symptom of trying to navigate financial hardship.l and being old enough to face age discrimination in the job market.

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    • partial_accumen@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      In your list, nearly everything that comes after that is a symptom of trying to navigate financial hardship

      Which symptom cause the husband to quit his nearly $200,000/year job in 1994 and start a band without saving for retirement first?

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  • ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    A quick Google search of West Virginia 55+ one bedroom apartments go for $450-$900.

    Bwah ha ha. This may surprise you, but one of the reasons apartments are so cheap in WV is that there are no jobs in WV. And definitely not jobs for octogenarians.

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    • partial_accumen@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Bwah ha ha. This may surprise you, but one of the reasons apartments are so cheap in WV is that there are no jobs in WV. And definitely not jobs for octogenarians.

      If they are living in WV, as an example, they don’t need the additional income from a job to live. I’m suggesting they move *so they don’t have to work.

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  • Psionicsickness@reddthat.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Cool. A majority of people my age are in the same boat without being cursed/dipshits.

    Can’t give a fuck about a poor boomer. Fuck em.

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  • nickwitha_k@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Sorry but your last point is absolutely asinine. It ignores the hardships caused by relocating, the fact that rural hospitals like those available in WV are continuously shutting their doors as they are deemed unprofitable (the husband has health problems), and the fact that, based upon a wealth of international studies, the isolation from social support networks that they’d assuredly face, is pretty much a death sentence.

    So, from that point alone, your statement could be paraphrased as: “They don’t need to live in such an unaffordable place; they could just die instead.”

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    • partial_accumen@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      the isolation from social support networks that they’d assuredly face, is pretty much a death sentence.

      They are THIS CLOSE to homelessness right now. Is homelessness for an 81 year old woman with a 90 year old husband not also a death sentence?

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    • partial_accumen@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Sorry but your last point is absolutely asinine.

      …and…

      is pretty much a death sentence.

      What do you call being forced to work at 81 (with a 90 year old non-working husband), and only being able to work 4 of the 5 hour shift because you’re exhausted? How about the fact that they are THIS CLOSE to being homeless if she doesn’t work? They’ve had bad luck and made bad choices for most of the second half of their lives. We don’t have any good solutions left only least worst.

      You’re saying that moving is a death sentence. I’m saying homelessness is, which is what is in their near future.

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    • roofuskit@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Pretty much all rural hospitals will close when the Medicaid cuts take effect after the next midterms.

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  • Dogyote@slrpnk.net ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Why is it that every comment chain about an unfortunate event has at least one callous person who is obviously victim blaming but trying their best to downplay it?

    I’ll ask you directly, why are you doing this, partial_accumen? Are you trying to convince yourself that this couldn’t happen to you? Are you perhaps trying to convince yourself to stick with your soul-sucking yet decent paying job? What’s your motivation?

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    • partial_accumen@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Why is it that every comment chain about an unfortunate event has at least one callous person who is obviously victim blaming but trying their best to downplay it? I’ll ask you directly, why are you doing this, partial_accumen? What’s your motivation?

      I can’t speak for every comment chain, only this one. For this one I CAN respond to you.

      For so much of life we are powerless. The forces and events are beyond us and we’re simply swept away suffering whatever fate chances gives us. Its frightening and very real. As an example, someone born into a war torn country had no control over the geography of their birth. They are at constant risk of death. There are only a few small things a person can do in that situation and very few of them will result in meaningful change. They will likely be victim of the circumstances that were handed to them through no fault of their own.

      None of that is what this 80+ couple is.

      This couple has had opportunity after opportunity handed to them. They chose again and again to choose the risky, easy, or comfortable path. They are still doing that even today in a couple areas! This couple is NOT simply victims of circumstance. They had power and ability to affect massive positive change on their present and future existence throughout the second half of their lives (which is as far back as the article goes). Instead at many turns they chose options that point to THIS path. The one with the wife having to work at Home Depot at 81.

      Conflating my prior example and this couple together as simply victims does a disservice to the former. It also paints a picture that the couple’s path is inevitable for all of us, and it isn’t! It is valuable to learn from the mistakes of others so that we do not make the same mistakes ourselves.

      Are you trying to convince yourself that this couldn’t happen to you?

      It won’t. Something else will, but THIS won’t. Others that look at and learn how this couple lived will also be spared their fate, because we can examine what mistakes they made and change course ourselves so that we don’t end up in their avoidable situation.

      I feel sympathy for them, as I have stated multiple times. I fully understand that we all make mistakes. None of us are perfect. Circumstances did a number on them, but they are not blameless for their situation. There are many in similar situations to this couple that are blameless. Those others have much more sympathy from me.

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  • MangioneDontMiss@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    boomers…

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  • yonderbarn@lazysoci.al ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    You might be able to make an argument for this grandma, but there are countless others. You can’t deny we have a systemic problem that leaves seniors out in the cold

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    • partial_accumen@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      You might be able to make an argument for this grandma, but there are countless others. You can’t deny we have a systemic problem that leaves seniors out in the cold

      My comments are only about the couple in the article. The reason that is important is that the couple in the article are not the archetype we need to solve for. Its, as you point out, all the countless others. In effect, we should not look at this couple to see how to solve the problem of our senior citizens not able to age/live gracefully.

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• some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Welcome to what younger generations realized a decade ago or more. Most of us will never own a home or retire. I plan to end it when my life becomes unbearable in old age rather than be a slave to the system. That’s why, even though we (spouse and I) financially save for the future, I live for now. We (collectively) have no future. Accepting it is easier than being depressed about it.

  Note: this doesn’t mean I don’t do what I can to try to save our (collective) future. It’d be selfish not to try.

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  • return2ozma@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Somebody launch my carcass through a billionaires front window please when I’m old.

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    • MeatPilot@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Only if I can strap dynamite to you first.

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    • gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      A noble purpose 🫡

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  • AJ1@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    My retirement plan is assisted suicide (in Canada, of course). Feels weird to be saving for death, but this is the reality we live in. What else can I do? Wait until I can’t work anymore and can’t pay my mortgage and hydro bill? And then what, hang myself in the barn? Fuck that, I want to go out high af and feeling no pain.

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  • Eyekaytee@aussie.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    You are in a dual income no kids situation and think you’ll never own a home? Where do you live where a dual income can’t support buying a house…

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    • hypnotoad__@lemmy.ml ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Ever been to Cali? I love it here but good god it’s crazy

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    • return2ozma@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Californian here. Studios are starting around $3,200 where I live in socal.

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    • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      This 81-year-old still works at Home Depot to support herself and her 90-year-old husband

      Bay Area, California. And before you tell me to move to a place where I can afford a cheaper home, I don’t want to live in any of those places. I’ve lived in them and I hated them for various reasons. This is the one place in the USA where I feel absolutely at home.

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  • MangioneDontMiss@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    this just makes me wonder even more why people aren’t more open to direct (violent) action. Seriously if this is the outlook, what is holding people back?

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    • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Genuine abhorrence of violence. Even though I think (know) it’s the only way we can overcome the lying, cheating, violent bastards on the other side, growing up in an abusive home makes the idea nauseating to me.

      I do believe we’ll reach a point where we have no choice, though I fear that will happen when it’s too late.

      Also, conditioning by mass media over a lifetime.

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    • RaivoKulli@sopuli.xyz ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Inertia

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  • WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    I plan to get a small bomb for when I had enough. Have some issues though so far.

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    • MangioneDontMiss@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      plenty of instructions online detailing how to make your own

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  • HubertManne@piefed.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    I'd say two decades ago, maybe even three. Pensions gone, social security inadequate, ira/401k sorta a joke.

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• return2ozma@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  “I feel trapped working, but I can’t stop working,” Lydia says, sitting up to cuddle her basset hound, Brigette. Her husband, Bill, gives her a kiss but lets her be. The 90-year-old would like to get a job to help Lydia pay the bills, but because of health problems, there’s little he can do.

  “I feel so guilty that I can’t work,” Bill says.

  “You can’t work because of your age and your health issues,” Lydia snaps back. “There’s no sense feeling guilty about it.”

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  • roofuskit@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    'Murica

    On Reddit this would be an uplifting story about how Home Depot employs the elderly to help them pay medical bills.

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    • FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Most of the MSM outlets report it that way, and it always feels ghoulish as fuck to me.

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  • HugeNerd@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Ditch the pet. As much as I used to love animals, I now see them as a ridiculous expensive hobby and unethical.

    I don’t picture myself at 80 scooping litter, stepping in vomit, brushing a cat every two days, having hair everywhere, having the cat take a crap while I’m preparing my food (every damn time), having the cat fart in my face every morning when I don’t get up quick enough for its tastes, buying expensive food because the intense flavorings they use make the cat refuse store brand food, having to get expensive vet check ups, the medications, the city wanting medallions, etc

    I can’t even imagine having to drag a dog outside and picking up warm shits, the smell…

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• iAvicenna@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  in before a republican tries to sell this as excellent work ethics, patriotism and american dream

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  • BeardedGingerWonder@feddit.uk ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    On Lemmy?

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• Bloomcole@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  LOL
  loser country

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• yarr@feddit.nl ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Whew. I’m so glad this couple wasn’t subject to the horrors of socialism! Only capitalism can keep them gainfully employed until they are near-death. No other economic system can even compare!

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  • SoleInvictus@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Don’t forget that capitalism is literally the only viable economic system, full stop. Before its advent in 1463 by Bernard H. Capital, nothing worked, anywhere, for tens of thousands of years. The world was in turmoil. Cats associated freely with dogs, the Keebler elves were not properly enslaved, and humans lived on a diet of pine needles, grubs, and sea water. Pure madness.

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    • Soup@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Remember: Capitalism came about from rich merchants and lords realizing that citizens were starting to get murdery about their tyrranical monarchs so they basically said “hey, what if we make a system based on money that technically everyone has but where the shear amount of wealth we have in comparison means that we’re basically still monarchs without monarchy?”

      Which, to relate to your comment, is to say that the system hasn’t meaningfully changed and we’ve had “capitalism” for a long, long time(and it’s sucked the whole time it was happening!)

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• HubertManne@piefed.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  At least its not being presented as a feel good story. Still remember bush brining up the person with three jobs as inspiring.

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  • DarkFuture@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Gotta love it when nepo babies tell us how virtuous working is.

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• yonderbarn@lazysoci.al ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  I hate seeing old people working at establishments like grocery stores. It is the saddest representation that our system does not work. They should be living their life traveling, spending time with family, or gardening. No one should have to work into their 60’s.

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• bridgeenjoyer@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Man that sucks.

  However I have to be that person and say I know people who wasted tons of money on stupid shit and made dumb choices even though they had advisors helping them, and are working at Walmart in their 70s because of it. Those people shouldn’t be rewarded with regular Joe’s money. Now, billionaires can foot that bill, like they should everything. But dont punish the 99.9% (which is what will actually happen. And why people are afraid of liberals in office. No one seems to get that, and thats why the right keeps winning. It needs to be clearly stated in the lefts playbook that anyone making under a billion dollars will be left alone. Then they may have a chance.)

  Keep in mind these are not my thoughts, these are my observations of the Common Person in red states.

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• HowAbt2day@futurology.today ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  This generation needs to pick itself up by their bootstraps and remember that work dignifies. 81 years young! /s

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• AngryRobot@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  I’m about to turn 52 and I’ve known my whole life that I’d never get to retire.

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  • Atomicbunnies@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Yup 42 prob die at work. Lucky its just me and I don’t have to worry about anyone else. Just turn wrenches til I croak haha.

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    • HaveMeOnYourPodcast@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Similar boat here but I’m only here until my parents go, then I’m done. I don’t have any intention of continuing this bullshit until I can’t anymore. I didn’t ask to be here, I don’t want to be here, I just don’t want to break anybody when I go.

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• DarkFuture@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Hi,

  Welcome to the Universe. You get to exist for a comparatively extremely short blip of time before you return to the nothingness forever. Despite incredible advances in technology and subsequent major increases in productivity we’re going to need you to continue working right up until you return to the nothingness. Thanks for your cooperation!

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• thespawnkiller@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  This is what countries without a good social support network look like. It’s either government or younger generations that take care of elders. The US used to be government with retirement and social security but there’s a shift and US kids were not raised in a social situation that supports elderly, so it’s going to be a hard transition. The US has forgotten what the government was established for.

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• WhatGodIsMadeOf@feddit.org ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  She’s obviously selling her scripts if she’s surviving at that job.

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  • baggins@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    Their monthly income is $4600 including SSI and a pension.

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    • Bluefalcon@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Used car prices have shot up over the last few years. Add on the increasing price for new ones nd it is not hard to see why. People not paying of their cars and rolling over the remaining balance is the new norm.

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    • MangioneDontMiss@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      older people simply don’t know how to save money. they don’t know how to navigate the internet like we do and they’re not savvy enough to locate deals or negotiate like younger people are.

      I’m really not surprised they’re getting ripped off. Everyone in this country wants to rip everyone else off because thats what capitalism has taught us we need to do to survive. Being old lowers your defenses against it. Hell, its why so many older people are victims of scams.

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    • FelixCress@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Their monthly income is $4600 including SSI and a pension.

      They could move to a cheaper country and finally retire.

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    • WhatGodIsMadeOf@feddit.org ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Damn I can’t even imagine making that monthly.

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• RymrgandsDaughter@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Yeah well old people are the reason old people have to work like this

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  • Maggoty@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    To be fair, oppression has existed in every generation. We are not immune and the leaders of the generation that made the post world war 2 boom did everything in their power to prevent black people from benefitting. Just like the leaders of the baby boomers and silent generation decided to fuck over poor people and begin the regression to another gilded age in the 1970’s.

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    • RymrgandsDaughter@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      And too be fair we have the responsibility to stop our peers in our generation. And if we fail to do so or hold them accountable we’ve kicked the can down the road again. It is what it is

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  • Digestive_Biscuit@feddit.uk ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    And when you’re old you’ll be the reason why other old people get blamed for the shit state of the world by the younger people.

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• favoredponcho@lemmy.zip ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  If anyone locates a gofundme for them, please let me know.

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• Corelli_III@midwest.social ⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  wow if i was biz insider i would be really nervous about printing stuff like this

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