Ryan Ginstrom wrote:

> But to me, the solution seems pretty clear. Kill off excess old by putting
> them in gladiator death matches. Sell tickets and pay-per-view, and use the
> proceeds to pay out nenkin benefits. Kind of a Battle Royale for old people.

Actually, the solution is reasonably simple if people would step back a
bit from the problem. Societies need to establish what they think is a
reasonable ratio of working people to retired people (say, 5:1). Every
year, count how many people are paying in vs. how many are taking out.
If too many people are retired or your system is in deficit, boost the
retirement age by 6 months. If way too many people are working, cut the
retirement age by a year. Over time, your system will center on your
target ratio, and the funds necessary to deal with temporary imbalances
will be manageable. The problem isn't failing to provide a safety net
for the elderly, it's failing to recognise that "elderly" is a relative
term.

KWW