Journal of Comparative and International Aging Law & Policy

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Journal of Comparative and International Aging Law & Policy JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE AND INTERNATIONAL AGING LAW & POLICY VOLUME 11 SPRING 2020 CONTENTS Picking Up the Tab for Mom and Dad: The Clash of Filial Laws with Liberty, Morality, and Culture Daniel H. Brown 1 Economic and Other Issues of Spouses Separating Later in Life in Canada John-Paul Boyd, Q.C. 27 Age is Just a Number; Not a Reason to Force Retirement Ciara C. Willis 67 Is There a Panacea for Ageism? An International Law Perspective Jiawen Liu, Alex Ross & Loïc Garçon 105 Elder Rights Are Not Nesting Dolls: An Argument for an International Elder Rights Convention Julie Childs 141 JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE AND INTERNATIONAL AGING LAW & POLICY VOLUME 11 SPRING 2020 Faculty Advisors REBECCA C. MORGAN JASON PALMER Administrative Editor JESSICA M. ZOOK Student Editor-in-Chief ROBERT MCDONALD Managing Editors SARAH E. JACOBI VICTORIA LANDON Senior Editors KELLY A. JACKSON NICHOLAS MARLER MEGAN MARX ANGEL MATHIAS MELISSA MICCERI Research Editor KIMBERLI QUINTERO Associate Editors KEIFER EXUM JENNA KYLE PHILIP LAYTON EMERAUDE LEREBOURS ANTHONY ORLANDO CONNOR SMEDBERG ii STETSON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LAW Faculty and Deans MICHÈLE ALEXANDRE, Dean and Professor of Law KRISTEN DAVID ADAMS, B.A., J.D., LL.M., Professor of Law, and Director of Dispute Resolution Board THOMAS E. ALLISON, B.S., M.B.A., J.D., LL.M., Professor of Law Emeritus LINDA ANDERSON, A.B., J.D., Professor of Law ANDREW APPLEBY, B.S., M.B.A., J.D., LL.M., Assistant Professor of Law ROBERT BATEY, B.A., J.D., LL.M., Professor of Law Emeritus MARK D. BAUER, B.A., J.D., Professor of Law DOROTHEA BEANE, B.A., J.D., Professor of Law and Co-Director, Institute on Caribbean Law and Policy JASON BENT, B.A., J.D., Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and Professor of Law ROBERT D. BICKEL, B.A., J.D., Professor of Law Emeritus PAUL J. BOUDREAUX, B.A., J.D., LL.M., Professor of Law BROOKE J. BOWMAN, B.S., J.D., Professor of Law and Director, Moot Court Board CATHERINE J. CAMERON, B.S., M.A., J.D., Professor of Law CHRISTINE E. CERNIGLIA, B.A., J.D., Assistant Professor of Law, and Director of Clinical and Experimental Education JOHN F. COOPER, B.A., J.D., LL.M., Professor of Law Emeritus LEE A. COPPOCK, B.A., J.D., Visiting Professor of Law KIRSTEN K. DAVIS, B.A., J.D., Professor of Law, and Director of the Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication WILLIAM R. ELEAZER, B.A., J.D., LL.M., Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus KELLY M. FEELEY, B.S., J.D., Professor of Law MICHAEL S. FINCH, B.A., J.D., S.J.D., Professor of Law PETER L. FITZGERALD, B.A., J.D., LL.M., Professor of Law Emeritus ROBERTA KEMP FLOWERS, B.A., J.D., Professor of Law, and Interim Director, Center for Excellence in Advocacy JAMES W. FOX JR., B.A., J.D., Professor of Law CLARK W. FURLOW, B.A., J.D., Professor of Law Emeritus ROYAL C. GARDNER, A.B., J.D., Professor of Law and Director, Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy RAFAEL GUZMAN, B.A., J.D., Distinguished Professional Lecturer CYNTHIA G. HAWKINS, B.A., J.D., Professor of Law BRUCE R. JACOB, B.A., J.D., LL.M., S.J.D., LL.M., LL.D., Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law MARCO J. JIMENEZ, B.A., B.S., J.D., Professor of Law TIMOTHY S. KAYE, LL.B., PH.D., Professor of Law PETER F. LAKE, A.B., J.D., Professor of Law, Charles A. Dana Chair and Director, Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law and Policy JEROME C. LATIMER, B.A., J.D., Professor of Law Emeritus LANCE N. LONG, B.A., J.D., Professor of Law, and Coordinator of Legal Research and Writing THOMAS C. MARKS, JR., B.S., LL.B., PH.D., Professor of Law Emeritus JANICE K. MCCLENDON, B.A., J.D., LL.M., Professor of Law Emeritus LIZABETH A. MOODY, A.B., J.D., Dean Emeritus; Distinguished University Professor REBECCA C. MORGAN, B.S., J.D., Professor of Law, Boston Asset Management Faculty Chair in Elder Law, Interim Director, Center for Excellence in Elder Law, Interim Director, LL.M. in Elder Law and MJ in Aging, Law & Policy, and Director, MJ in Health Care Compliance JOSEPH F. MORRISSEY, A.B., J.D., Professor of Law ANNE MULLINS, A.B., J.D., Professor of Law LUZ E. ORTIZ NAGLE, LL.D., LL.M., M.A., J.D., Professor of Law JASON PALMER, B.A., J.D., Professor of Law, and Leroy Highbaugh Sr. Research Chair ANN M. PICCARD, B.A., J.D., LL.M., Wm. Reece Smith Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law ELLEN S. PODGOR, B.S., J.D., M.B.A., LL.M., Gary R. Trombley Family White Collar Crime Research Professor THERESA J. PULLEY RADWAN, B.A., J.D., Transitional Business Administrator and Professor of Law SUSAN D. ROZELLE, B.A., J.D., Professor of Law JUDITH A.M. SCULLY, B.A., J.D., Professor of Law JAMES A. SHEEHAN, B.A., J.D., Distinguished Practitioner in Residence STACEY-RAE SIMCOX, B.S.C., B.A., J.D., Professor of Law, Director, Veterans Law Institute and Director, Veterans Advocacy Clinic BRADFORD STONE, B.A., J.D., Charles A. Dana Professor of Law Emeritus MICHAEL I. SWYGERT, B.A., J.D., LL.M., Professor of Law Emeritus RUTH F. THURMAN, B.A., J.D., LL.M., Professor of Law Emeritus CIARA TORRES-SPELLISCY, Professor of Law STEPHANIE A. VAUGHAN, B.A., J.D., Professor of Law iii LOUIS J. VIRELLI, B.S.E., M.S.E., J.D., Professor of Law DARRYL C. WILSON, B.B.A., B.F.A., J.D., LL.M., Associate Dean for Faculty and Strategic Initiatives, Attorneys’ Title Insurance Fund Professor of Law and Co-Director, Institute on Caribbean Law and Policy J. LAMAR WOODARD, B.A., J.D., M.S.L.S., Professor of Law Emeritus CANDACE ZIERDT, J.D., LL.M., Professor of Law Law Librarians ROY BALLESTE, B.A., J.D., M.L.I.S., LL.M., J.S.D., Law Library Director ASHLEY KRENELKA CHASE, B.A., J.D., M.L.I.S., Associate Director REBECCA FRANK, B.A., J.D., M.L.I.S., Weekend Reference Librarian KRISTEN MOORE, B.A., J.D., M.L.I.S., Reference Librarian WANITA SCROGGS, B.A., J.D., M.L.I.S., Foreign and International Reference Librarian SALLY G. WATERS, B.A., J.D., M.L.I.S., Reference Librarian; Adjunct Professor iv STETSON UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LAW Board of Overseers Officers RHEA F. LAW, CHAIR GREGORY W. COLEMAN, VICE CHAIR JENAY E. IURATO, SECRETARY ACTIVE MEMBERS HON. TANGELA HOPKINS BARRIE MICHAEL E. MARDER S. SAMMY CACCIATORE HON. SIMONE MARSTILLER MICHAEL P. CONNELLY BERNARD J. MCCABE, JR. ROBERT E. DOYLE, JR. TIMOTHY P. MCFADDEN GRACE E. DUNLAP JAMES M. PAPANTONIO WIL H. FLORIN HON. PEGGY A. QUINCE LEO J. GOVONI ROBERT G. RIEGEL, JR. TRACY RAFFLES GUNN ARTURO R. RIOS MARK E. HARANZO SCOTT STEVENSON RICHARD A. HARRISON MATTHEW A. TOWERY BENJAMIN H. HILL JASON L. TURNER CHARLES S. LIBERIS, JR. AARON WATSON JOSHUA MAGIDSON ROGER W. YOERGES EMERITUS MEMBERS WILLIAM F. BLEWS MARSHA G. RYDBERG ADELAINE G. FEW CHRISTIAN D. SEARCY, SR. BONNIE B. FOREMAN LESLIE REICIN STEIN THOMAS D. GRAVES HON. RAPHAEL STEINHARDT MICHAEL C. MAHER GARY R. TROMBLEY R. MICHAEL MCCAIN ROBERT G. WELLON EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS MICHÈLE ALEXANDRE DR. CHRISTOPHER F. ROELLKE KEVIN IURATO HONORARY MEMBERS HON. SUSAN C. BUCKLEW RICHARD MCKAY HON. CAROL W. HUNSTEIN JAMES C. SMITH HON. ELIZABETH A. KOVACHEVICH v © 2020 Stetson University College of Law. Except as otherwise expressly provided, the Journal of Comparative and International Aging Law & Policy permit any individual or organization to photocopy any article, comment, note, or other piece in this publication, provided that: (1) copies are distributed at or below cost; (2) the author and journal are identified; (3) proper notice of copyright is affixed to each copy; and (4) all other applicable laws and regulations are followed. The Journal of Comparative and International Aging Law & Policy reserves all other rights. Although the Journal focuses on the publication of solicited manuscripts, the Journal also welcomes the submission of unsolicited articles for publication consideration on topics of international aging, law and policy. Authors seeking publication in the Journal of Comparative and International Aging Law & Policy should submit manuscripts with endnotes typed in a separate section from the text. All text and endnotes should be double- spaced. Endnotes should follow the most recent version of the ALWD Citation Manual: A Professional System of Citation, published by Aspen Publishers. The Journal will conform all manuscripts selected for publication to The Redbook: A Manual on Legal Style, published by West. Submissions should be sent to the address listed above. The Journal assumes no responsibility for the return of manuscripts. Although the Journal of Comparative and International Aging Law & Policy generally grants great deference to an author’s work, the Journal retains the right to determine the final published form of every article. As a matter of policy, the Journal encourages the use of gender- and race-neutral language. The views expressed in published material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of the Journal of Comparative and International Aging Law & Policy, its editors and staff, or Stetson University College of Law. Disclaimer: This is an international journal comprised of submissions from different States and the reader may notice differences in citations, grammar, and spelling. This is not due to an oversight of the publication, but is instead a recognition of the varying styles used by the authors.
Recommended publications
  • Policy Issues in Work and Retirement. INSTITUTION Upjohn (W.E.) Inst
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 232 024 CE 036 489 AUTHOR Parnes, Herbert S., Ed. TITLE Policy Issues in Work and Retirement. INSTITUTION Upjohn (W.E.) Inst. for Employment Research, Kalamazoo, Mich. REPORT NO ISBN-0-88099-010-4 PUB DATE 83 NOTE 285p.; Papers presented at the Conference on Policy Issues in Work and Retirement (New Brunswick, NJ, October 1982). AVAILABLE FROMW.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, 300 South Westnedge Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI 49007 ($20-95, hardcover--ISBN 0-88099-011-2; $13.95, paper; quantity discounts available). PUB TYPE Collected Works - Conference Proceedings (021) -- Information Analyses (070) Viewpoints (120) EDRS PRICE MF01 Plus Postage. PC Not Available from EDRS. DESCRIPTORS *Age Discrimination; Aging (Individuals); Employment Opportunities; *Employment Practices; Financial Support; Health Needs; Health Services; Older Adults; *Personnel Policy; *Public Policy; Retirement; *Retirement Benefits IDENTIFIERS *Social Security ABSTRACT This collection consists of papers presented at a 1982 conference on policy issues in work and retirement. Presented first is an introductory overview of the problems of retirement and aging by Herbert S. Parnes. The following conference reports are included in the volume: "Life without Work: Does It Make Sense?" by Eli Ginzberg; "Aging, Health, and Work," by Leon F. Koyl; "Health and Retirement; Retirement and Health," by Carl Eisdorfer and Donna Cohen; "Keeping Older Workers on the Job: Methods and Inducements," by Daniel E. Knowles; "Maximizing Post-Retirement Labor Market Opportunities," by Anna Marie Buchmann; "Age Discrimination in Employment," by Stephen R. McConnell; "Financing Options for Social Security," by Alicia H. Munnell; and "Private Pensions, Inflation, and Employment," by James H.
    [Show full text]
  • Retirement Income and the Problem of Integrating Private Pensions and Social Security Patricia E
    University of Florida Levin College of Law UF Law Scholarship Repository UF Law Faculty Publications Faculty Scholarship 4-1997 The volutE ion of Entitlement: Retirement Income and the Problem of Integrating Private Pensions and Social Security Patricia E. Dilley University of Florida Levin College of Law, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.law.ufl.edu/facultypub Part of the Retirement Security Commons Recommended Citation Patricia E. Dilley, The Evolution of Entitlement: Retirement Income and the Problem of Integrating Private Pensions and Social Security, 30 Loy. L.A. L. Rev. 1063 (1997), available at http://scholarship.law.ufl.edu/facultypub/656 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty Scholarship at UF Law Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in UF Law Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of UF Law Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE EVOLUTION OF ENTITLEMENT: RETIREMENT INCOME AND THE PROBLEM OF INTEGRATING PRIVATE PENSIONS AND SOCIAL SECURITY PatriciaE. Dilley* TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction ............................................................................ 1066 A. Conflict of Integration and Entitlement Principles... 1068 B. Integration as a Microcosm .......................................... 1070 II. Retirement Entitlements: From Practice to Theory ......... 1074 A. Entitlement as the Precondition of Retirement ........ 1076 B. Entitlement for the Worthy ......................................... 1078 C. Mass Retirement and Earned Entitlement ................ 1080 D. Metaphor and Reality of Contributory Entitlem ents ................................................................... 1081 E. Retirement Entitlements and Redistribution ............ 1082 III. The Roots of Entitlement: Evolution of Entitlement and Retirement in America .................................................. 1085 A. Old Age and Poverty Before the Retirement Era .... 1086 1.
    [Show full text]
  • In Political Economy the Revolution of 1935: the Secret History of Social Security
    Essays In Political Economy FROM THE LUDWIG VON MISES INSTITUTE The Revolution of 1935: The Secret History of Social Security By Gregory Bresiger1 Social Security was not just about the provision of publicly funded old-age pensions in the name of social insurance. It was designed as a tool of macroeconomic policy, a social arm of central planning passed in age of boundless faith in the power of the state. As such, the program was steeped in economic fallacy and became an integral part of the discredited Keynesian plan to turn stones into bread. Far from achieving its stated aims, it helped prolong the Great Depression and has contributed mightily to the decline of American liberty. 1 Gregory Bresiger is assistant manger editor of Traders Magazine and a business and financial writer/editor in Kew Gardens, New York. [email protected] Brad Edmonds helped with editing. © 2002 Mises.org Essays in Political Economy 2 _______________________________________________________________ Section I: peaks and valleys of deflation and 4 Introduction inflation.” Social Security was representative of A second American revolution national planning schemes, some of occurred almost 70 years ago. On which had been tested during World August 14, 1935, after very little War I and regained popularity with public or congressional debate, intellectuals after the crash of 1929. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt Many intellectuals believed the signed the Social Security Act into government could wage war on law on. Many of his allies were poverty and, by using the techniques disappointed because they wanted of wartime planning so popular with more than the act provided; FDR progressives during World War I, assured them much more was manage the business cycle.5 coming.2 He said, on signing the bill into law, that Social Security Social Security was a Keynesian “represents a cornerstone in a device meant to ensure that buying structure which is being built but is 3 power would remain strong in times by no means complete.” In the midst of high unemployment.
    [Show full text]
  • DOCUMENT RESUME ED 262 315 CG 018 550 Fifty Years Of
    DOCUMENT RESUME ED 262 315 CG 018 550 TITLE Fifty Years of Social Security: Past Achievements and Future Challenges. An Information Paper Prepared for Use by the Special Committee on Aging. United States Senate, Ninety-Ninth Congress, First Session. INSTITUTION Congress of the U.S., Washington, D.C. Senate Special Committee on Aging. REPORT NO Senate-Prt-99-70 PUB DATE 13 Aug 85 NOTE 96p.; These essays were commissioned by Carnegie-Mellon University for a special coherence and committee meeting held there on August 13, 1985. PUB TYPE Collected Works General (020) -- Legal /Legislative /Regulatory Materials (090)-- Viewpoints (120) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC04 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Disabilities; *Females; History; *Labor Economics; Older Adults; *Policy Formation; Position Papers; *Public Policy IDENTIFIERS *Social Security ABSTRACT This document contains six essays examining the history and impact of the social securityprogram on America's economic and social development. "Social Security: The Cornerstone of American Social Welfare Policy," by Malcolm H. Morrison,presents brief background information on the system and discussesthe basic principles of social security. The second section ofthe paper describes the changing profile of the aging population which will require modifications in the social securitysystem. "Social Security: A Source of Support for All Ages," by W. AndrewAchenbaum, reviews the development of social security and offersa three-stage strategy for renewing the system: job training for older workers, assurance of universal coverage, and recognition of the changed status of women. "Emerging Issues in Disability Policy," by EdwardD. Berkowtiz, discusses the stages of development and policyproblems in the disability insurance program along with recommendationsto address those problems.
    [Show full text]
  • Retirement Income and the Problem of Integrating Private Pensions and Social Security
    Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review Volume 30 Number 3 Article 14 4-1-1997 The Evolution of Entitlement: Retirement Income and the Problem of Integrating Private Pensions and Social Security Patricia E. Dilley Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/llr Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Patricia E. Dilley, The Evolution of Entitlement: Retirement Income and the Problem of Integrating Private Pensions and Social Security, 30 Loy. L.A. L. Rev. 1063 (1997). Available at: https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/llr/vol30/iss3/14 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Reviews at Digital Commons @ Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School. It has been accepted for inclusion in Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE EVOLUTION OF ENTITLEMENT: RETIREMENT INCOME AND THE PROBLEM OF INTEGRATING PRIVATE PENSIONS AND SOCIAL SECURITY PatriciaE. Dilley* TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction ............................................................................ 1066 A. Conflict of Integration and Entitlement Principles... 1068 B. Integration as a Microcosm .......................................... 1070 II. Retirement Entitlements: From Practice to Theory ......... 1074 A. Entitlement as the Precondition of Retirement ........ 1076 B. Entitlement for the Worthy ......................................... 1078 C. Mass Retirement and Earned Entitlement ................ 1080 D. Metaphor and Reality of Contributory Entitlem ents ................................................................... 1081 E. Retirement Entitlements and Redistribution ............ 1082 III. The Roots of Entitlement: Evolution of Entitlement and Retirement in America .................................................. 1085 A. Old Age and Poverty Before the Retirement Era .... 1086 1. Old Age and Poverty in the Old World ............
    [Show full text]
  • Social Security Journal History of Retirement Church and State Roles In
    Social Security Journal History of retirement Church and state roles in Australian welfare provision Love or work – wage or pension Flexible retirement Social Security Notes – new policies and programs Book reviews Social Security Statistics Project Notes – new research listings Details about new books and reports Selective bibliography on social security issues SOCIAL SECURITY JOURNAL JUNE 1996 ã Commonwealth of Australia 1996 ISBN 0 644 36051 8 This work is copyright. It may be reproduced in whole or in part for study or training purposes subject to the inclusion of an acknowledgment of the source and no commercial usage or sale. Reproduction for purposes other than those indicated above require the written permission of the Australian Government Publishing Service, GPO Box 84, Canberra, ACT, 2601. The opinions expressed by contributors in the Social Security Journal do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Social Security or the Minister for Social Security and, of course, cannot be taken in any way as expressions of government policy. The Social Security journal is published twice yearly and contributions are most welcome. Intending contributors are asked to contact the Managing Editor for an authors' guide on preferred length and style requirements. Intending authors should note that the guidelines were revised significantly in late 1994 and that not all styles and formats that were used in previous issues are appropriate guides to the new standard. As this publication has a widespread readership, it would be appreciated if articles submitted are written in plain, non-technical language. Information from authors about forthcoming books and reports on income support and related research is also welcome.
    [Show full text]
  • Savings of Americans in A
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE The Needs of a Lifetime: The Search for Security, 1865-1914 A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History by Tony King Yang December 2009 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Roger L. Ransom, Chairperson Dr. Richard C. Sutch Dr. Molly McGarry Copyright by Tony King Yang 2009 The Dissertation of Tony King Yang is approved: _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ Committee Chairperson University of California, Riverside ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We have for once learnt to see the great events of world history from below, from the perspective of the outcast, the suspects, the maltreated, the power-less, the oppressed, the reviled – in short, from the perspective of those who suffer- Dietrich Bonheoffer to Hans von Dohnanyi and friend, Christmas, 1942. Letters and Papers from Prison. Thanks to all my wonderful professors and mentors at the University of California, Riverside. In particular I’d like to thank Professor Ransom for his considerable time and effort in revising this manuscript and for the numerous years of support. I’d also like to give special thanks to Professor Richard Sutch for introducing me to the topic of life cycle savings and the history of savings. I have also been very grateful for having been able to work with both of these distinguished professors who not only are great scholars but great friends and outstanding teachers. Lastly, I would like to thank Professor McGarry for having stepped in on many occasions to answer questions and was always ready with a book recommendation. I’d also like to thank my fellow graduate students for making my four years in the program a fun and enjoyable time.
    [Show full text]
  • CE 02 INFRE International Foundation for Retirement Education
    CE 02 INFRE International Foundation for Retirement Education Retirement Plan Design INFRE CONTINUING EDUCATION Retirement Plan Design 2009 International Foundation for Retirement Education P.O. Box 1860 Lubbock, TX 79408-1860 847.756.7350 fax 806.742.6102 www.infre.org CE02 2009 International Foundation for Retirement Education RETIREMENT PLAN DESIGN Introduction etirement professionals should know everything about pensions, contribution payouts, integration with other retirement plans, health care and estate planning right? We all are retirement professionals but we all may work for R different types of plans or associations. We all are knowledgeable about our specific plan, but our participants do not live in a vacuum. True retirement professionals realize the need for the participant to utilize all of their benefits when planning for retirement. They will have their own pension and they may have a spouse who will also have a pension. They may each have Social Security benefits on top of that, not to mention their 401(k), 403(b), 457 plans and even IRAs. Retirement professionals realize that a participant won’t always know which plan you are discussing or which one you work with. Retirement professionals and Congress realize that portability is an increasingly interesting subject to many young professionals. Retirement professionals realize that they do not know it all; especially in an industry that is trying to make the company pension plan more universal to associates. Retirement professionals realize that the plan structure within your organization may evolve and you will be a player in the changing environment. Retirement issues have become increasingly important in American life.
    [Show full text]
  • 1C Hapter a Short History of Retirement
    CHAPTER1 A Short History of Retirement “When I want to understand what is happening today, I try to decide what will happen tomorrow; I look back; a page of history is worth a volume of logic.” —Oliver Wendell Holmes The U.S. standard-gauge railroad track is four feet, eight and one- half inches wide. Why such an odd measure? Because that was the width in England and the United States when railroads were built by British expatriates. Where did the English get that measure? The first rail lines were built by the same people who built the tramways that pre- ceded railroads, and they built the trams with the same jigs and tools used for building wagons. The wagons were built to what is now the standard-gauge railroad track so their wheels would fit the ruts of England’s ancient long-distance roads. The ruts had been made by the war chariots brought to England by the occupying imperial Roman army. And the chariots were four feet, eight andCOPYRIGHTED one-half inches wide to accommodate MATERIAL the rear ends of two horses. You’re not alone if you struggle with change. Retirement as we know it today is a relic from a time and a world that have long since passed. In the context of our modern age, con- ventional ideas about retirement are not just inappropriate—they are counterproductive. The concept of retirement was a shortsighted 1 c01.indd 1 1/6/2014 7:07:19 AM 2 The New Retirementality political machination and social manipulation that is no longer rel- evant and is hopelessly out of touch with our times.
    [Show full text]
  • The Attack on Retirement Patricia E
    University of Florida Levin College of Law UF Law Scholarship Repository Faculty Publications Faculty Scholarship 1-1-2004 Hope We Die Before We Get Old: The Attack on Retirement Patricia E. Dilley University of Florida Levin College of Law, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.law.ufl.edu/facultypub Part of the Elder Law Commons, and the Retirement Security Commons Recommended Citation Patricia E. Dilley, Hope We Die Before We Get Old: The Attack on Retirement, 12 Elder L.J. 245 (2000), available at http://scholarship.law.ufl.edu/facultypub/175 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty Scholarship at UF Law Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of UF Law Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. HOPE WE DIE BEFORE WE GET OLD: THE ATTACK ON RETIREMENT PatriciaE. Dilley The American institution of retirement has sustained numerous attacks over the last twenty years, to the extent that it may cease to exist by the time most of today's workers reach their midsixties. Professor Patricia Dilley describes how all of the components of the "three-legged stool" that represents private pensions, personal savings, and Social Security, have declined so significantly in recent years that the combination may not be able to provide support for the elderly in the future, particularlythose retired seniors who are in the lower and middle classes. Changes in employment policies, the markets for retirement savings investment, and the public policy surrounding the Social Security debate threaten the mainstays of golden years income upon which Americans have come to rely.
    [Show full text]
  • From the Impoverished to the Entitled: the Experience and Meaning of Old Age in America Since the 1950S
    From the Impoverished to the Entitled: The Experience and Meaning of Old Age in America since the 1950s By Copyright 2012 Jason G. Roe Submitted to the graduate degree program in the Department of History and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ________________________________ Chairperson Dr. Jeffrey Moran ________________________________ Dr. Sheyda Jahanbani ________________________________ Dr. Christopher Crenner ________________________________ Dr. Jacob Dorman ________________________________ Dr. Shawn Alexander Date Defended: 02 April 2012 The Dissertation Committee for Jason G. Roe certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: From the Impoverished to the Entitled: The Experience and Meaning of Old Age in America since the 1950s ________________________________ Chairperson Dr. Jeffrey Moran Date approved: 02 April 2012 ii Abstract With more than seventy million individuals, the baby boom generation is rapidly approaching traditional retirement age and threatening to strain America's public and private resources. Within the context of Social Security and Medicare, the subject of later life has become one of the most pressing issues of our time. But these potential fiscal problems are not just the result of natural aging; rather, they were caused by historic developments that encouraged most individuals to retire in their mid-sixties, regardless of their personal financial status, physical health, or career ambitions. This project argues that these assumptions about retirement emerged from political and social developments that emerged in the 1950s and 1960s. Prior to those decades, a majority of Americans over the age of sixty-five continued to work as long as they were physically able and could find employment.
    [Show full text]
  • The Genesis and Evolution of Social Security
    This PDF is a selection from an out-of-print volume from the National Bureau of Economic Research Volume Title: The Defining Moment: The Great Depression and the American Economy in the Twentieth Century Volume Author/Editor: Michael D. Bordo, Claudia Goldin and Eugene N. White, editors Volume Publisher: University of Chicago Press Volume ISBN: 0-226-06589-8 Volume URL: http://www.nber.org/books/bord98-1 Publication Date: January 1998 Chapter Title: The Genesis and Evolution of Social Security Chapter Author: Jeffrey A. Miron, David N. Weil Chapter URL: http://www.nber.org/chapters/c6897 Chapter pages in book: (p. 297 - 322) 9 The Genesis and Evolution of Social Security Jeffrey A. Miron and David N. Weil Social security is the largest transfer program in the United States. In 1994, total tax collections under old-age and survivors insurance (OASI, the largest part of social security, and the part on which we focus in this paper) were $293 billion, or 4.2 percent of GDP. Benefit payments were $279 billion. Thirty- seven million people received benefits, and 139 million workers paid taxes on their wages or self-employment income. OASI accounted for 40 percent of the income of the aged in 1992, paying benefits to more than 90 percent of those aged 65 and over and providing more than half of total income to 63 percent of beneficiary units (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS] 1994b, 1995). In this paper we examine the genesis and evolution of social security in the United States, with special attention to the role of the Great Depression.
    [Show full text]