There is no substitute for hard work; Except of course, Not Working

Last night I was listening to Bloomgberg radio. The broadcast was a repeat of the afternoons show Simply Put and the discussion of the day was Social Security fixes. One of the talking heads suggested that one of the problems with social security was that retirees were prohibited from working. He suggested that allowing retirees to earn more than the $12,000 would be a good way to bring qualified employees back to the workplace, and that they otherwise were a waste of life.

For the moment, overlook the fact that one of the initial goals when social security was created was to take older workers out of the work place and thereby creating more jobs for younger workers. Instead consider this: why the fuck would you want to continue working after retirement?

I would, if given the opportunity, leave my job tomorrow if I never had to work again.

Why? Because working is not fun. The American notion that a job is a life’s fulfillment, that a career can be a great love, simply is perverse.

I’m saying I’m looking forward to re-runs of the Price is Right and early bird specials. Quite the opposite. I want the freedom to do whatever I want. There are plenty of activities that can occupy your life without earning any or very much money. So why the hell would anyone want to give up the freedom to pursue an unprofitable activity to return to a cubicle if they are entitled to money anyway.