Gongol.com Archives: November 2011
Brian Gongol


November 14, 2011

Business and Finance Old workers are in competition with young workers. Don't ever forget it.
Little-known truth: Programs like Social Security aren't really about protecting old people from poverty in old age. They're about getting older workers out of the job market so that younger workers can have opportunities. But the situation today is deeply unsettled, since a lot of older people are trying to stay in the job market and collect pension-type benefits at the same time. This is not a good situation for people on the low-skill, low-experience end of the jobs spectrum. However, it may be one of the only ways to unwind the mess we've made in America over generations of overpaying our retirees and under-funding the system that feeds them. Unfortunately, though, it's just a massive intergenerational transfer from today's young people to today's retirees (who got to double-dip: first, by getting older workers out of the way for less than they should have been paying in Social Security taxes back in the day; second, by getting to collect today without having pre-paid into the system adequately over time). On a related note, homebuilders (who are facing an economic depression that seems to be isolated to their sector of the economy) are trying to kick-start new construction by building multi-generational housing.

The United States of America Chicago tries plugging budget hole with ads on public buildings


The United States of America The dramatically-changing demographics of small towns


The United States of America Huge team of US Federal agents will go to the London Olympics


News Newsweek gives up on long-standing project to track Presidential candidates


Business and Finance The most efficient spenders in pro sports


Broadcasting NBC News hires Chelsea Clinton
Oh, did you mean Chelsea Clinton, the renowned journalist?

Threats and Hazards The Sandusky indictment


Computers and the Internet Technology tip: Should I put up pictures of my kids on Facebook?

Recent radio podcasts