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2009-04-16 18:14:21
Macbeth
Banned
+2,444|5888

I was thinking about this today and I'm not advocating killing anyone.

Ok, considering how large and expensive social security is and how eventually it will be unworkable and how much government money is payed out for medical care for people who can't afford it and how much productivy is lost because of people taking care of their elderly relatives; is it better for the elderly to die?

Now looking deeper into it. All of that money could be used for other things and improving the lives of the young and still alive. Also the funeral industry would have a huge surge in profit. People buy flowers, gravestones (Rock), Caskets (wood and other things), embalming fluid (chemical industry), hearses to carry bodies (American auto industry).

Looking at it all doesn't it seem that people dying is actually good for stimulating the economy? Again I'm not advocating killing anyone or passing any laws that say once you turn a certain age it's over for you. I just find it interesting that old people who don't work or produce anything and cost a huge amount to keep alive would actually be better off dead in terms of the growth and continuation of the economy.

So overall is dying good for the economy?
2009-04-16 18:21:35
Flaming_Maniac
prince of insufficient light
+2,490|7009|67.222.138.85
Change is bad for the economy. In this case change in life expectancy.
2009-04-16 18:22:53
Macbeth
Banned
+2,444|5888

Flaming_Maniac wrote:

Change is bad for the economy. In this case change in life expectancy.
How about on a long enough time line?
2009-04-16 18:25:39
Flaming_Maniac
prince of insufficient light
+2,490|7009|67.222.138.85

Macbeth wrote:

Flaming_Maniac wrote:

Change is bad for the economy. In this case change in life expectancy.
How about on a long enough time line?
Medical costs go down, increased focus on quality of life and less on longevity, longer productive portion of life = possible to live to old age on a reasonable budget.
2009-04-16 19:33:05
Diesel_dyk
Object in mirror will feel larger than it appears
+178|6296|Truthistan
Logan's Run anyone ready to die at age 30? pretty good 1970's movie.

AND

What about? Soylent Green for global warming solutions like free suicides.

Last edited by Diesel_dyk (2009-04-16 19:36:02)

2009-04-17 00:22:53
PureFodder
Member
+225|6587
It may come down to a simple difference in perspective:

Is the economy there to improve peoples lives or are people lives there to improve the economy?

Personally I think the point of society is to help the people in society, there's little point advancing science, technology and the economy as a society unless it improves peoples lives. Old people predominantly did contribute to society and now they are reaping the benefits of their lifetime of hard work in which they helped to advance society so that they could have a long and healthy retirement.

Also most predictions of economics and demographics predict that increases in productivity will easily outstrip the additonal costs created by the slow increases in life expectancy so you can make things better for those directly adding to the economy and those who aren't at the same time.
2009-04-17 00:35:44
Varegg
Support fanatic :-)
+2,206|7112|Nårvei

Better off dead?

To really spark your chain of thought you should go about and talk to some senior citizens about what they do every day, how they keep track of their granchildren when both parents have to work two jobs etc etc

There really is better ways to get the economy back on track ...

*Pay people enough to get by having just one job
*When enough people have just one job that opens up for employing those that haven't got any jobs and that is good for the economy

Better of dead
Wait behind the line ..............................................................

 

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