No pension no preparation for retirement

by Mikejw 96 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  stan livedeath

  It really is ridiculous how much people can get who do nothing and contribute nothing. The same segment of people also consume the lions share of police and healthcare services - everyone else is too busy working and paying their way.

  Back in the mid 90's--my job involved working on behalf of the local authority housing department. I often had to deal with young single mothers, who had never had a job--and never likely to. They deliberately got pregnant--as it meant they could get a housing association flat--and get the rent paid by the council. This was on top of the social security payment, child benefit and whatever else they could get.

  Often they had more than one child. In most cases there was a boyfriend in the background--who deliberately didnt live with them---or the young woman could have their benefits stopped--and the boyfriend would then have to support them--and pay the rent.

  I wish this was an isolated story--but it isnt. It was widespread. These benefit claimants know all the angles.
  
• 

  FedUpJW

  When the time comes later - they find out much to their disappointment they won’t get much from SS (like $800).

  In my area there is an elder who complains that the combined Social security for him and his wife is only about $1,200.00 (U.S.) per month. That doesn't even cover the amount of taxes they pay on their home much less monthly expenses so they must continually withdraw the extra from their small inheritance saving from his parents. Of course that is another complaint, because there is nothing going into the account to replace what is taken out every month.
  

  It’s too bad somebody wise (non-JW) didn’t inform them of these life facts when they were younger!

  The same elder referred to above WAS told. He and his wife both brag that they made the choice to put Gee-HO'-Vuh first, never had any meaningful employment to build up Social Security benefits for the future, never had children who might have been able to look out for them when they got older, and they yap about how Gee-HO'-Vuh takes care of them every time some one hands them an envelope full of cash after hearing their whining about how tight finances are.
  
• 

  hoser

  FedUpJW

  I’ve lost my patience for those types. I’ve got some relatives that will probably be in that situation in the next 10 years or so. It’s sad to say but once you’re past 65 the best earning years are behind you unless you own a business or are in management of some kind.
• 

  LongHairGal

  FEDUPJW:

  Regarding the elder who decided against work so he can be in the ministry (called ‘putting Jehovah first’) there are far TOO many people in the religion like this. The Witness religion is probably filled with more needy people per square inch than any other religion.

  There are: pioneers ‘who didn’t count the cost’; bethelites who got kicked out; regular publishers with low paid jobs close-by so they won’t miss meetings; and finally the disturbed people with serious issues brought into the religion in recent decades to fill the empty seats in the hall.

  You have a dwindling elderly population that are among the only responsible people there with maybe some younger people here and there with a decent job. And you imagine these people are going to be regularly hit up for money to give to the deadbeats above??

  When you say that elder whines about tight finances and somebody gives him an envelope stuffed with money, let me assure you it would never be me that put anything in there!! If I had done what he did and never worked, do you imagine that anybody would be taking up a collection for ME? 🤣 Nope. I’m glad I’m long Out of the JW religion with the chaos and dysfunction and people with their hands out. 👎
• 

  Simon

  These benefit claimants know all the angles.

  Yeah, and the idea that pumping $billions into any system doesn't change people's behavior is laughable. They do it because they were incentivized to do it.

  It is way past the point where that has to change if we're to keep a functioning society as it's unsustainable.
• 

  Yomama

  shunning at theme parks mirrors shunning at hall.
• 

  Balaamsass2

  Many years ago my first wife, (a former special pioneer) flipped when she noticed my paycheck stub had deductions for a 401k and IRA. She ran to the elders to report me for "not believing the end was near". This resulted in a "Judicial investigation" and the loss of some "Priveledges".

  The elders who counseled me for my lack of faith ended up in poverty in their old age 30 years later. Wife #1 left me soon after the incident for "Spiritual Endangerment" because I wasn't up to her Spiritual standards. Wife #1, is now a senior and a "bag lady" who begs change at Starbucks, sleeps behind KH halls, and "couch surfs" on a few JW couches. She never remarried,(no one was up to her spiritual standards), and most JWs will not rent a room to her because (she has no $$) and she likes to remind THEM... they are not "putting kingdom interests first" if they have nice things or a nice home. The end result of following Watchtower's advice. :)
• 

  fulano

  Are you sure the judicial investigation as you call it, was for a tax deduction? Of course I believe you.
• 

  hoser

  Balaamsass2

  A brother in our hall had a wife like that. Unlike you, he wasn’t able to recover financially after she left him
• 

  LongHairGal

  BALAAMSASS2:

  Wow, what a betrayal by your former wife! Too bad she was stupid enough to do that plus leave you. Now, look at the circumstances she’s in!..Maybe somebody else might have thrown HER out first for her betrayal. And over what? Because you were doing the sensible thing and saving money for the future? The scriptures talk about ‘Money being a protection’. Well this implies savings of some sort.

  As for those elders who took your worthless ‘privileges’ away, they deserved to have ended up in poverty. And so does anybody else there who pushed poverty (no, actually rammed it down the throats of sensible people there) and tried to punish those who they could not persuade. As far as I’m concerned, there are degrees of moral responsibility in the religion. Some felt it was only a suggestion that somebody ‘not plan for retirement but should pioneer’ and they believed in ‘live and let live’.

  Any other self-righteous JWs there who did not believe in ‘live and let live’ who actively made trouble for JWs who DID plan (like myself) deserve to end up like the elders and your ex-wife described above.. They deserve NO pity..from anybody.