Seniors Get Too Much? This One Thinks So

Reo M. Christenson is the Benedict Arnold of geezers.

So it would seem from an op-ed column this 74-year-old wroterecently for the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News and Chicago Tribune.

Among his opinions: We elderly are "a millstone around the nation's neck." The American Association of Retired Persons is "a greater threat tothis country than any organization in its history," because itintimidates politicians into coddling senior citizens with benefitsthe United States cannot afford. Most senior citizens aren't poor, but "are rightly called theWhoopie Generation (well-heeled older people)." "We will never get the $400 billion federal deficit under controlunless we stop pampering the elderly."

If Christenson were running the government, he would boost theretirement age to 67, subject "affluent" elderly to full taxation ofSocial Security benefits, make them pay a bigger chunk of hospitaland medical bills under Medicare and suspend the cost-of-livingincrease in Social Security for all the oldsters whose incomeexceeded that of the average working-class family.

Needless to say, Christenson's column aroused a return fire ofletters painting him as some kind of goof.

"About two-thirds were very bitter," by his own count."One-third said: `Good for you."'

Who is this guy?

He is a visiting professor of political science at MiamiUniversity of Ohio. Has spent most of his life teaching, but teachesonly one class now. Writes occasionally for the Dayton paper.

I disagree with much of what he says about us elders. But we'regoing to be targets of a lot of these arrows, and we'd better haveour defenses in order. There will be a heavy demand for balancingthe budget on our backs once the election is over.

Christenson would be willing to pay more taxes, and "grieves"his generation's refusal "to set aside its immediate self-interestand make modest sacrifices for our children, our grandchildren andour nation."

I phoned and told him I admired his spunk, admired him even morewhen I learned he was the volunteer coordinator of a countywideprogram that collected furniture and bedding for the needy. I foundout he had learned poverty first-hand during the Depression as one ofsix children in a family that scratched its living out of a 40-acrefarm.

But the professor's argument is lopsided.

He claims there is less poverty among the elderly than among anyother age group. Yet the 1990 Census showed one in four persons over65 has an income of less than $9,500, and poverty is more commonamong those over 75 than in any other age group.

It is ridiculous to portray senior citizens as greedy because 60percent of federal entitlements go to them. Should teenagers or babyboomers get a bigger slice? Did we pay a lifetime of Social Securitytax with the understanding we wouldn't get it back?

Yet, Christenson is right in saying we stand to get back morethan we paid in, and the deficit never will be solved unless ourentitlements are slashed. The problem is: We're guilty of living toolong and therefore collecting more benefits. When Social Securitywas born, we dropped dead shortly after retirement. Now weinconveniently live to 85 or 90.

Christenson wouldn't touch the benefits of the average elder,only those he considers "relatively affluent." Any retiree with anincome over $30,000 "would be eligible for the budget knife," underhis program. As for those who make over $40,000 a year, "I'dterminate their Social Security and a good bit of their Medicare," hetold me. He would "kiss them goodbye" from benefits, once they'ddrawn as much as they and their employers had paid into the system,plus interest.

The professor ignores the fact one serious illness can wipe outeven a $40,000 income in a heartbeat.

Christenson may be right to say the able should work past 62,but that flies in the face of reality. Many can't work even thatlong today. They are being shoved or eased out of jobs by layoffsand early retirement programs. Unemployment is the real millstonearound Americans' necks.

I get tired of critics who flog the elderly for having a goodtime. We had neither time nor money to kick up our heels whileraising our families. All we could do was dream of fun postponed andtry to save for it.

We've earned our laughs.