[quote=desmond]Yes, flu the smart people will do fine, but, you need a strong and large middle class to pay for everything that has been promised. If not, you will will see a faster detrioration in the way we all live.[/quote]

Perhaps those promises just aren’t a mathematically reality. Retirement for the masses is a relatively new concept that was based on a population explosion that resulted from major gains in technology and transportation. Maybe working until you die doing something (whether it’s producing goods or providing services) is the sustainable equilibrium point. It’s been that way for decades prior to the 1950’s-1960’s.

Maybe retirement is something reserved from the select few (the top 20% or so). Whether you subscribe to the capitalist approach (you can retire if you have the most wealth) or a socialist approach in which is based on some moral/social structure (the oldest, the neediest, lottery, favored class by the leaders).