Brian Gongol
Old workers are in competition with young workers. Don't ever forget it.
Little-known truth: Programs like Social Security aren't really about protecting old people from poverty in old age. They're about getting older workers out of the job market so that younger workers can have opportunities. But the situation today is deeply unsettled, since a lot of older people are trying to stay in the job market and collect pension-type benefits at the same time. This is not a good situation for people on the low-skill, low-experience end of the jobs spectrum. However, it may be one of the only ways to unwind the mess we've made in America over generations of overpaying our retirees and under-funding the system that feeds them. Unfortunately, though, it's just a massive intergenerational transfer from today's young people to today's retirees (who got to double-dip: first, by getting older workers out of the way for less than they should have been paying in Social Security taxes back in the day; second, by getting to collect today without having pre-paid into the system adequately over time). On a related note, homebuilders (who are facing an economic depression that seems to be isolated to their sector of the economy) are trying to kick-start new construction by building multi-generational housing.
Chicago tries plugging budget hole with ads on public buildings
The dramatically-changing demographics of small towns
Huge team of US Federal agents will go to the London Olympics
Newsweek gives up on long-standing project to track Presidential candidates
The most efficient spenders in pro sports
NBC News hires Chelsea Clinton
Oh, did you mean Chelsea Clinton, the renowned journalist?
The Sandusky indictment
Technology tip: Should I put up pictures of my kids on Facebook?
