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[–] Stanley_Yelnats_IV 0 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago 

We're gradually creating an unsustainable model of society by refusing to raise the retirement age and continually extending the age of functional childhood. It used to be that people started working by age 18 and continued working until only a few years before their likely death. In fact, when Social Security was first instituted, the average life expectancy was actually lower than the retirement age, meaning that retiring at all was a luxury not everyone got to enjoy.

Today, as college has become the default option and staying there for 5 or even 6 years becomes increasingly normal, young people are waiting until their mid-20s to begin working and the retirement age has barely budged in its entire history despite life expectancy increasing by almost 20 years. We're attempting to operate a nation in which people spend 40 years or more of their lives not working, being supported either by their parents or by government "safety nets." Even if you believe in these systems, there comes a point at which they can no longer bear their own weight, and we're rapidly approaching it.