gatt wrote:
My dad worked for 24 years at UAL-PDX. Laid him off in his 24th year, a
year before he was eligible for full retirement. He was UAL-PDX employee
of the year a couple of times, received all kinds of awards and bonuses...he
received one award for not missing a day of work for something like five
years.

Years later, some new jackass comes along, wrecks the company and walks off
with a $1.5 million guaranteed pension after a trivial amount of time.
Meanwhile, the pilots, flight attendants and everybody else who MADE UNITED
WHAT IT WAS are screwed out of their contracted pension.
snip

Welcome to the club. Those of us who have been FORCED to participate in the
ponzi scheme known as Social Security for the past 30 years are looking at
getting pennies on the dollar compare to what we paid in.

People should be responsible for their OWN retirement plans. I have always paid
the maximum amount into social [in]security over the years. Had I been able
to manage that money myself I could be retired by now. As it is, that money has
been spent (squandered would be a better term) and one day they will tell me
"sorry but we can't 'afford' to pay you your money. Fortunately I have maintained
a ROTH IRA where I have been able to manage my OWN money.

When you abrogate your responsibilities to others you become dependent on them.