A reflection on work and age
I may not still be in a classroom, but Saturday morning remains a time of reflection for me. Today as was often the case while still in the classroom, I sit in my local Starbucks and try to put some thoughts together.
In a bit over two months I will hit 67. I would, when Leaves on the Current no longer needs so much attention from me, like to return to working in some fashion. I would love to teach in the right setting, and if I could make enough money (does not have to be much given pension and Social Security) I might enjoy supporting myself by my writing.
Free lance writing pays very little, even if you can get a gig.
And at my age, attempting to get any kind of job is exceedingly difficult. My father was in his 40s when he lost a job, and I remember how hard it was for him in the 1960s to find another job. He didn't, and eventually developed a consulting practice that was sufficient to support him.
It is the confluence of two things that lead to my reflection today
1. the difficulty I will encounter in attempting to find meaningful employment
2. the fact that our social policy seems to be moving in the direction of requiring people to work later in life in order to receive the benefits of Social Security and Medicare.
Gail Collins: The Dread that is Ted
Ted Cruz, that is. Collins begins her New York Times column this morning like this:
It is possible that the high point of this week in Washington came when Senator Dianne Feinstein told Senator Ted Cruz to stop treating her as if she were in middle school.She goes through the now famous interchange on the Judiciary Committee about the proposed assault weapons ban, including, after noting the Democrats who jumped in to support Feinstein, that
Interestingly, none of the Republicans came to Cruz’s support. Do you think they ever take a vote for Colleague We’d Most Like to Avoid Meeting in the Elevator? I think we have a candidate.There are more nuggets. But the power of the column comes in its final paragraph, offered after reminding people of the four "points" Cruz insisted on making at the end of the exchangge:
Do you think, people, that this is a key to the stupendous impact the Tea Party continues to have on Congress, even now that it’s proved itself to be a loser when it comes to elections? If you combine a lack of a sense of humor with an absence of humility and then stir in a cup of self-righteousness, you are definitely not working on a recipe for cooperative achievement.And that is the key right now, for the Senate Dems and for the President. Recognize that the Tea Party has no interest in cooperation, that the Republican leadership in the House and Senate cannot control their own members, then put it bluntly: are you willing to work for the American people or are you captives of your own worst element? IF you will not cooperate, we will move forward on our own, starting with filibuster reform right now in the Senate. And if, because of the Hastert Rule, you will not bring necessary legislation to the floor in the House because you know some Republicans would vote with the Democrats and it would pass and become law, then we the Democrats, starting with the President and his bully pulpit, will begin running against you on that