Scott Burns Says, "Time to Leave"

Oh, and forget about Medicare; may as well just opt-out rather than pay the increasingly inflated premiums that will occur in the future. Seriously, though, Scott has on occasion floated the idea of retiring in some cheaper country, for those spendthrifts who have participated in the greatest wealth explosion known to humankind (with, of course, its attendant waste...) and somehow failed to lay in any retirement savings. Gosh, wonder how that could happen? But happen it apparently has, to a number of residents of the Empire, and a few more who will be facing retirement age, and of course only a fool would assume the government would take an interest in this phenomenon, beyond mere lip service. What's new in today's column, however, is the frank admission that one might go ahead and not only retire to another country, but not participate in the Medicare program at all. (Scott suggests making "other arrangements," without specifying what those might be...). Those students of collapse who have read Tainter will note that opting out of a country's programs or facilities is one of the features of a disintegrating civilization. If you'd like to read the conventional response to the healthcare problem in the Empire, today's paper of record provides this fruitless survey. Ponder well, readers who still believe in American exceptionalism. That ship has sailed, in Chaos' opinion.