Dear Swami, it’s about time we seniors get something free. We deserve it. It’s great that we can get free bus and train rides in the governor’s transit proposal. What do you think? Glad in Gurnee
Dear Glad,
Nobody’s going to turn down a free Metra seat, but how many freebies do old people really deserve?
In Waukegan, the old people simply won’t give up on their subsidized personal golf course, though there are a dozen others within a reasonable drive. (Though probably none that cost as little as Orchard Hills does because the taxpayers who never play there are paying for it).
It’s as a politically American as apple pie to concoct freebies for old people, and listening to the guv’s rationale, it seemed to echo those old religion New Deal Values.
Got to got keep old people off the bread lines. Solution: Free bus rides.
Got to keep old people from sleeping on downtown heating grates at night. Solution: Free bus rides.
We must protect our old folks. They’ve earned it, doggone it.
Unfortunately, the truth is that way more old people have money to spend on whatever they want and are not in worse pickles than the rest of us. It doesn’t fit the convenient pre-digested formula, but nonetheless it’s true.
And if you wanted to manage society better, wouldn’t you give the most breaks to those who are paying for all the services? How about free rides for anyone who can prove they are using the trip to reach their job? Or college students on their way to class?
But who says old popele want this particular freebie, over, say free Viagra pills?
One of the benefits about being old is that maybe you don’t HAVE to go anywhere. You can stay home and no one will care. But, oh nooooo! The governor demands old people get on the bus and GO SOMEWHERE!.
Speaking as an old person, Swami says: Leave us alone! We don’t want to go anywhere and, if we have to go somewhere, we certainly don’t want to go there on a lousy bus!
We want the governor to give us all free new cars.
Another point is when did the seniors stop paying taxes? Are they not paying for their free bus rides? Does our Gov. think we all are as dumb as he? Thanks GOV.but NO THANKS Ken Dowell
I have seen this before. "Entitled" seniors demanding everything, just by virtue of having hung around long enough. They move to FL & become mean, nasty, overbearing. Incidentally, was reading a tome whereby it states that the folks older than I (over 45) who are heading into retirement now, both early retirement and the traditional age, are more well-travelled and are more comfortable with moving away from the US to do so. Well, how do you do live that experience when you supposedly are living on dog food. Isn't that what the media wants us to think? Adds credence to all those old folks I saw on yachts in Ft. Lauderdale.......