I can understand where you’re coming from when you look from your parents’ perspective. I see the same thing when I look at my grandparents (specifically my mother’s parents). They both worked their entire lives, and worked hard. My grandfather retired from the guard at 61 and retired from GM a year or two later due to congestive heart failure. My grandmother, although she is younger retired at the same time to care for him. As my grandfather retired from the military and from GM, he has decent health care benefits from both as well as pensions. Where as my grandmother who was a factory sort of seamstress has a very minor pension plan that I believe only pays around $60 a month. They were always very conservative with their money, and built up a nice little nest egg. So, they are by no means hurting for cash. Especially now, as they are both over 65, they can draw social security.

All that being said; they are still worried about loosing their house due to property taxes. My grandmother being an active and fit woman could very well live to be 100+. That’s a long time to think about when you’re only just over 65 and you are retired. So many elderly people (elderly being over 70) have to pull themselves out of retirement because they simply cannot make ends meet and continue to be retired. Sure someone, as to be the walmart greeter… but do you really want your 80 year old grandma to have to stand on her failing knees for hours at a time so she can make ends meet? Don’t even get me started on us not being a society that can/will take care of our elderly within the family unit.

Property taxes in my state have been going up like crazy. For the past four years at least, my grandparents have seen an increase every single year. It has been announced that this increase will continue to go for an indefinite amount of time. Their taxes have almost quadrupled in the past four years. That is an insane amount when they had their funds carefully budgeted.

Now, they have to think about selling the house that they built with their own two hands. The house they had their child in, raised their grandchildren in. Now, they have to think about settling for a tiny condo rather than face the ever increasing property taxes.

In conclusion, I see very well where you are coming from on this point. It tears me up to think my grandparents that followed the traditional American dream will have to give up what they pride most and worked so hard for due to taxation.