New York Times: Old People Suck and We Should Take Their Stuff (Opinion | Older Americans Are Hoarding America’s Potential – The New York Times – Archive Opinion | Older Americans Are Hoarding America’s Potential – The New York Times)
One sees this level of “thinking” often on social media. A lack of facts, logic and economic understanding by our elite.
Under the Marxist views of Samuel Moyn, assets of the elderly should be confiscated and turned over to the state, for re-distribution to the young. (We already sort of do that through estate and inheritance taxes, depending upon where you live.)
Moyn opposes democracy – saying elders have a disproportionate influence in elections – because today they represent a large number – because demographic population changes…
Population pyramid in 1980
Population pyramid in 2025
Samuel Moyn is attempting to fix a short term problem via theft. This is the intellectual capacity of today’s elites. He hates older Americans.
“Age discrimination also affects the young. In the United States today, six to seven federal dollars go to seniors for every one that goes to children.”
ONLY AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL IS THIS TRUE (IT’S 6:1). That’s because Social Security and Medicare were designed as Federal programs.
IF WE INCLUDE SPENDING ON K-12 EDUCATION AND MEDICAID FOR CHILDREN – both of which are funded almost entirely by local and state taxes, the total expenditures for each group are almost identical.
We can equally argue that local and state governments spend about 6:1 ratio on those up through age 18!
“The average Social Security retirement check is around $2,071” or just over $24,000 per year. Less than 6% receive more than $40k/year in benefits. Social Security beneficiaries spent there working years paying into the Social Security. Current recipients not only funded the then retirees during their working years, but were also self funding their own future “trust fund”.
Samuel Moyn is trying to fix an arguably short term problem by practicing age’ism, theft, and central planning Marxism. He seems far more arrogant than bright.
