Mine is golden, yours is not
Thank goodness that Rex the Demystifier is around. On so many issues, I can turn on the radio during the otherwise sleepy time period leading up to Sunday supper and get information on questions I didn’t know I should be asking. Not every week, but often enough that my radio stays tuned to the local channel in case I feel curious.
This afternoon, the question of pension plans and “backstopping” by the government was at bat. Baseball rules for the rest of us. I learned that my pension fund is good; yours might not be. The opinion was shared by all of the experts who came up to the plate. If you belong to a government-as-employer defined benefits plan, the future is A-OK. If you are one of the less fortunate, who have a defined contribution plan, or (gasp) no plan at all, there might be a TKO in your future. Black and white. My financial destiny is underwritten by everyone, yours (again) might not be, unless you currently build cars, wherein the government may buy your vote with my money.
When the pay stub comes around every fortnight, I have been trained to care only about the “bottom line”. I have no control over the rest. Monies that you never actually receive are just imaginary numbers, similar to the other types discussed in math class. What I can take out of my bank machine to purchase a hamburger and fries is the real salary, complete with more salt than needed. Seriously, since my deductions are compulsory, why fret the big stuff? My future financial career, with that regular pension cheque, will be just as visible to the government (the better to tax you, my dear). And if current trends continue, I won’t have to buy a cat to test ( and share) the household food supply.
