In an effort to fix the broken system of Social Security, one of the ideas that has been proposed is to raise the retirement age. Hence there is talk of changing the age when one can receive Social Security benefits from 65 to 70. Proponents of raising the age say that the current arrangement is simply unsustainable (which is true). Opponents say that this will force people to work longer.

Do you see what’s going on? Did anything in the previous paragraph jump out at you?

Here is the problem, and this has been going on for a long time: People are equating Social Security with retirement. Social Security is not meant to be your retirement. It is to be a supplement for what you have saved for your retirement.

If raising the age for receiving Social Security benefits to 70 forces people to work longer, does that mean that the government is currently forcing people to work until they’re 65? Have we become so dependent upon the government that we allow them to tell us when we can retire?

If one wants to work hard and live below their means, could he save enough money to be able to retire at 50? Sure he could! If one uses his ingenuity and comes up with a multi-million dollar idea, then decides he wants to retire at 35, could he? Of course! The government has no say in the matter.

But, if one does not save for their retirement and relies only upon the benevolence of the government in the form of a Social Security check, can this one retire whenever he wants? No, he cannot. Instead he is subject to the will of his master and will work until he is told that he is allowed to retire.

This country was founded upon the principles of liberty and individual responsibility. We must take care of ourselves as free and independent people. Entitlements lead to enslavement. If we choose dependence upon the government, rather than independence, then we are no longer citizens, but subjects. Do not allow the government to have so much control over you that they can force you to work until they graciously allow you to retire.