_Old Age Dependents_
For more than a month the Lieutenant was absent from his parkway bench,
but he corresponded with me from different cities. One day, after
his return, I met him by appointment at the usual place. I found him
dejected.
Greeting me, he said, "I am sorry for this delay. I tried to persuade
my local board to change my classification. I wanted to get back into
the service, but they refused me. I went to Washington. There I am
classified as harmless but incurably insane, and my request was refused.
"Since then I have been traveling from city to city, observing our
manner of living from a different perspective. Prior to my trip to
Mars, my attitude toward the misery of life here was the same as that
of all us Earth people, apathetic, or calloused, stone-hearted. I
looked upon misery without pity, accepting it as a matter of course and
feeling fortunate that I was better off. I am now intensely suffering
an extreme living change contrast reaction, of our world against the
one on Mars, and I can't adapt myself to our conditions.
"I cannot help comparing our shameful existence here with the happy
way of living on Mars. I am sad and miserable when I see and read here
everywhere, every day, of the unhappy existence of our fellow man."
Then he handed me his diary with the notes he had entered while roaming
around in our eastern cities.
"One day on the sidewalk of a busy shopping district, in front of a
large store in one of the cities, a legless man sitting on a platform
about six inches above the sidewalk level was propelling himself with
one hand and holding a rope leading to a small monkey with the other.
He was trying to sell shoelaces and pencils, which he carried in a
cigar box on his platform. Passersby were handing their contribution to
the monkey without taking his merchandise.
"In another shopping district, an armless man carried a small showcase
with notions strapped over his neck and about his shoulders, with
a sign calling attention to his infirmity and asking the public to
purchase from him.
"In the coldest and stormiest days and nights, on slippery icy streets,
shivering women with their babies, and old men and women, some blind,
others so weak they could scarcely walk, were trying to sell newspapers
or other articles. Or they were playing an antiquated musical
instrument. There was always the small tin cup for contributions.
"In my ramblings, I purposely entered into conversation with many of
these unfortunates. At 3:00 A.M., on a very dark, cold morning I had
an occasion to pick up an old charwoman who had slipped on the icy
pavement. When I asked her why she was out so early, she said that
she worked nights in a bank, cleaning and scrubbing. She lives with
a widowed daughter who works during the day. She takes care of her
children and also contributes to the upkeep of the home from her meager
earnings. She told me that most charwomen are old; and they, with the
old men, are the all-night army doing the cleaning and scrubbing in
banks, business houses, offices, and factory buildings. They are all
only too glad to get and keep these jobs.
"An hour later, I met at a corner a bent, very old newspaper vendor.
After buying a paper, I asked him why he was out so early on the
street. He told me that he had the concession to sell early morning
newspapers on that corner. Many of his customers were either night
workers going home, or early workers going to their jobs.
"Arriving in this city that same evening, I saw near the New York
Central Station, an old man, shabbily dressed in a light-weight, torn
overcoat, shivering as he looked into a restaurant window as if he
were hungry and hadn't the price of a meal. Stepping to his side, I
invited him to join me as my guest for dinner. He weakly refused; but I
prevailed upon him, and he reluctantly walked in with me arm in arm. I
assured him that it would give me great pleasure to have his company.
"He was cultured and expressed himself with intelligence. I told him I
was just adventuring, trying to gain friendship with men of his wisdom
and long experience in order to learn their reactions to our way of
life."
He said, "I have my own philosophy with strong opinions. I may offend
you by intensely criticizing conditions!"
I begged him to go ahead, for I wanted to hear his philosophy. He said,
"From the time we take on family responsibilities, we all fear two
afflictions. One is the future breaking up of our intimate family after
our children have left us. The other is our fear of old age, want, and
dependence.
"You, our children, before your birth fed from your mother's body. You
were born through her life and death struggles. You were nursed from
her breasts until at times she felt faint. You kept her awake at night
and gave her no rest during the day. She mothered you, nourished you,
and nursed you day and night during your sicknesses. Watching over you
like a guardian angel, she gave you her mother love, affection, and
protection.
"You took all the necessities, and even the luxuries your father
offered you, always desiring more, never questioning how difficult it
was to provide them. He worked willingly day and night to give you
happiness. He gave you his full love, and protection. He sacrificed
his rest and pleasures to guard over you. He provided you with tennis
courts, and when he could, automobiles. He never denied you education
or necessities. When he could, he gave you greater luxuries. He
surrounded you with servants, nursemaids, and governesses. For your
enjoyment, he gave you the most expensive toys, ponies, and all your
heart's desires. For your social contacts and for your health, he sent
you for entire summers to the seashore, farm, or mountains.
"Some of us parents have done a great deal for you, others less.
Nevertheless, most of us gave all we could afford. We may have been a
bit severe at times in disciplining you, but it was for your own good.
Your happiness and security always came first.
"The natural law of reproduction is inexorable, and among animals the
parental feeling is not so developed as it is among human beings.
Just as soon as animal offspring are physically able to shift for
themselves, they are abandoned. But it is not so among us intelligently
developed human beings.
"You cannot hide behind the saying that since you did not ask us to
bring you into the world, we are not your responsibility; therefore,
you are released from any moral obligation to us. No, you are
accountable to us, and you should justly return the love, affection,
and protection that we bestowed upon you.
"We did not abandon you. Instead, you left us against our inward wishes
to start your own family. You know we greatly miss your presence,
your voice, and news from you and yours. Our parental love for you is
just as keen now as when you were babies; we are just as anxious now
for your welfare as we always were, even though you no longer live
with us. It is now so easy and cheap to keep close contact with us,
through rapid transportation, telephone, telegraph, and mail. We want
to hear often from you some of you neglect to answer our letters,
causing us worry and sleepless nights of suffering. When some of you do
answer, you just get your secretary to typewrite a letter for you. We
appreciate more the shortest of letters in your own handwriting.
"I am not criticizing you, sir, or my own children, or any specific
children. I am blaming in general those who are guilty of neglecting
their parents. Furthermore, I am giving you not only my reactions, but
also those of many other parents I know.
"Have you ever missed a lost pet dog? How much more do we miss you, our
own children?
"Now that we are separated, alone, and old, we need you more than ever
to cheer us up before our end. It's a pity that the saying 'out of
sight out of mind' is true with many of our children.
"The other affliction, the apprehension of want and dependence,
is still worse for us. Through family responsibility and other
circumstances beyond our control, most of us could not protect
ourselves against old age dependence by purchasing an annuity or
saving enough money for the 'rainy day.' No one knows the misery of
this affliction until he has experienced it; and no one knows the
bitter feeling of ingratitude, and disillusion better than the helpless
aged.
"Many of those who have outlived their usefulness have no one to help
them. With the petty old age pensions we cannot afford medical and
personal care. Indifferently or apprehensive, we await death.
"As soon as age begins to gray our hair and line our faces, we are
shelved; doors to employment are closed to us, even though we are
healthy and efficient. When infirmity sets in, we seem to become a
burden to some of our children, who quarrel among themselves, trying
to shift the burden of our support. It is still worse when we elect
to live with some of our children. We are treated like burdensome
stepchildren. Whatever we say or don't say, or do or don't do is
wrong; the dog may tear up the house, for he is cute and is petted and
lovingly cared for.
"Many old people whose children do not want them or are unable to help
them, or who have no family, become the dregs of humanity and must
starve or commit suicide. You can find their bodies in the morgues and
on dissecting tables in medical colleges.
"You are probably unaware of the misery of old age dependents. I
can tell you of cases of old parents criminally neglected by their
well-to-do children, many of whom you will find in flophouses and slum
districts of all large cities.
"For the past many years, one of our New York newspapers three weeks
before Christmas has appealed for help for hundreds of the neediest
cases. It exposes to the public the pathetic problems of sickness and
death among people of all ages. Just go on the rounds with a social
worker if you wish to witness the inhumanity of man to man.
"I'm going to tell you something I saw many years ago. A man, deeply
charitable, stood at a spot near Madison Square and Fifth Avenue in
New York every night. There he auctioned off the services of the many
unfortunates. He was always surrounded by them, as well as by a group
of onlookers. He stood these victims, one at a time, on a box which he
called 'the block.' It was pitiful to see them standing there, either
flushed and embarrassed, or with tears running down their cheeks. He
then called for bids.
"'What am I offered for this person? Who will give him ten cents?
Twenty-five cents? Fifty cents? Do you have a job for him?' Sometimes
he gave the history of the person with sufficient verification to
substantiate his information. There were always offers of money,
dropped in a glass on the block by the bystanders, many of whom
themselves were in tears. Many of the unfortunates found jobs there.
After the contributions had been made, the speaker counted the money in
the presence of the auctioned persons and gave each its equivalent in
tickets worth fifty cents each. These tickets could be used to procure
beds and meals at specified hotels and restaurants. He kept up this
procedure night after night, until the last member of his flock was
taken care of.
"I well remember one man he put on the block. A bedraggled old
drunkard, wearing oversized garments, torn and patched. He said, 'Look
at this poor man. He looks like an alley cat, doesn't he? Just as if
children threw snowballs at him during the day, and as if he rummaged
through garbage cans at night.'"
My friend paused for a minute in his reminiscences. He was evidently
lost in thought. I had been listening to him with both pity and a
feeling of shame. He evidently had had no opportunity to talk to anyone
for a long time. I could understand his need to unburden himself and
determined to listen to the end without interrupting him. Finally he
began to speak again, at first slowly, and then with passion and force.
"You, who are now guiding our destiny, look about you in this busy hive
of a city and in our entire country at the benefits we have bestowed
upon you everywhere, on land and sea, under and above land and sea.
The beautiful edifices, libraries, homes, department stores, office
buildings and theatres; the transportation and distributive systems;
ships, submarines, subways, busses, automobiles, airplanes and trains,
the creative and destructive inventions; radio, television, radar,
atomic bomb, moving picture; penicillin, and other new curatives and
the thousand discoveries and achievements. All these are for your
benefit, so that you young people can live and enjoy a more healthy and
longer life.
"I can't say that the system of life we inherited and pass on to you
is good. It isn't. But under the circumstances, we have done much
better for you than our parents did for us; and we hope that you will
do even better for your children.
"A great many of us were stunted by lack of play time in our youth; our
education was neglected for necessary labor; but we carefully guarded
you and gave you amusements, and sports for your normal physical,
intellectual and spiritual development. We were the taxpayers who
maintained the city, state, and federal governments. Many of us died in
the terrific pressure and struggle of realizing our aims. A great many
of us passed away in middle age; many of us are in insane asylums; and
those few of us that survived, are now becoming helpless, disabled, and
infirm, _secundum naturam_. The ravages of nature and time take many
of us early and take a large toll of us over the age of sixty-five.
Our span of life after sixty-five is very short. We die very rapidly;
therefore, our cost and responsibility to you are not large or long
lasting.
"Your duty is to make us happy and comfortable for the few days or
years left to us, if not for love then at least out of gratitude. We
don't want you to have to appear _in foro conscientiae_, before the
tribunal of conscience, to justify your actions and to try to attain a
future peace of mind.
"An elaborate funeral with flowers, or your lamentations at our death
means nothing to us. But your love, kindness, and generosity to us
while we are alive are most important. We want to die feeling you will
have no cause for remorse over your treatment of us.
"Many of you have accumulated or will inherit large fortunes directly
or indirectly due to our hard work and sacrifices, you accept the
fat of the land as your due and for your own pleasure, without even
gratitude to those few that still live who helped to make your fortune.
Your indifference to our condition is one of the crimes of the ages. We
don't want your charity or money."
At this point I interrupted the old man with a question, "Aren't you
too critical and too severe in your denunciation of children?"
"No, not when I speak of those whom the shoe fits. However, I am not
condemning all children; and in justice to a great many of them, I have
heard of and seen many good children who have taken care of their old
parents. A recent war hero who was given $15,000 by a magazine for his
story immediately placed it as a trust fund for his mother. I know of
others who have helped to finance an income property purchase to help a
father. Others have ruined their future lives and their opportunities
by being saddled with the burden of supporting their parents and
families. Talented children have abandoned their education and training
at an early age to go to work to help support their parents or to
contribute to the upkeep of younger brothers and sisters. Many of them
have been forced to remain old maids and bachelors on account of their
parents.
"Society in the long-run loses in this antiquated practice of shifting
the burden of responsibility to young shoulders. To my mind, the
support of old people is a social problem that should be taken care of
by social security boards. Help and protection from these boards would
rehabilitate families made destitute by the burden. Society as a whole
would greatly benefit by creating new trained members and workers.
Society owes all of us a moral obligation and a just debt. It should
give us compensation, not charity. We ignorant human beings, up to
now, have not made any concerted effort to solve our problem. Yes, a
beginning has been made, but it is inadequate.
"Society has created the federal old age and survivors insurance
operated by the United States government through the Social Security
Board. This means that those few will have something to live on who
have reached the age of sixty-five and are helpless. This is a step
forward, but an insufficient one, for the payments allotted are only
enough to pay the rent of the poorest living quarters. They still keep
us in dependence. Does society or Congress think that the starvation
stipend we are privileged to receive, twenty to sixty-eight dollars and
fifty cents per month, is enough, when according to the present poor
man's standard of living, the minimum living cost is eighteen dollars
per week per person? Many of us self-respecting old persons are still
able to do some kind of work; but because of our age, we are lucky if
we find any. When offered hard, menial, night, graveyard hour services,
we accept them rather than live on the starvation Social Security
allowances or depend on some of our children or on charity.
"Old people should be guaranteed freedom from want and dependence.
With every worker in this country contributing to Social Security, and
only a small percentage of dependents reaching the qualifying age of
sixty-five, the accumulation of unearned premiums must be enormous.
This surplus should be used to increase the allowances to dependents.
Instead, the government flagrantly uses the major part of this
earmarked money for other purposes.
"All contributions made by us and employers from our weekly wages
for Social Security according to the Brookings Institute report have
accumulated and used as follows:"
"The Brookings report says these tremendous sums for security
programs ultimately would have to come annually from new taxation,
regardless of the monthly payroll taxes. The proof of this was given
in a Senate speech by Sen. John L. McClennan (D., Ark.). He revealed
that $38,250,000,000 belonging to the present Old Age, Unemployment,
Railroad Retirement, and other such trust funds financed by direct
payroll tax, had been dissipated by the government on a hundred and
one other spending projects."[18]
"Furthermore, the law should be changed in regard to this $50.00 per
month earnings. It should be at least $75.00 per month. In other words,
an aged person earning $75.00 per month should forfeit the Social
Security pension for the period of his employment.
"Social Security should also provide for the crippled, disabled,
blind, and other handicapped individuals of all ages;--widows and
orphans--should be provided with a reasonable, self-supporting pension.
Furthermore, Social Security should develop into an annuity insurance
for everyone. The amount of payments should be in ratio to the premiums
turned in by the policy holder.
"Workmen's Compensation Insurance should be transferred to Social
Security, and unscrupulous doctors, lawyers, Workmen Compensation
Insurance Companies, undertakers, and other parasites, should not be
allowed to consume the major part of the insurance paid to the worker
who is injured at work.
"Workmen Compensation Insurance Companies, voluntary health
agencies, charitable hospitals, clinics, and welfare services should
be completely abolished. Contributions to them should be legally
forbidden. The contributors to these charitable institutions then could
transfer their financial aid in the form of an extra tax to Social
Security. The work done now by these charitable activities should be
solely handled by Social Security, not as charity, but as a right due
us. Once and for all, we would do away with a deplorable, ancient
custom, the curse of charity which nobody willingly wants. A large part
of voluntary contributions goes for other purposes than to benefit the
beneficiaries.
"All these should come directly under a new system--The Federal Social
Protection and Security Board.
"Your observation of our miseries and destitution should be a warning
to you. Your generation may become the victim of your own neglect and
folly. You have no guarantee that circumstances (may God forbid) will
not become worse for you, and you do not know how your children will
treat you.
"I am appealing to all of you to make a concerted effort to have
Congress change the Social Security Act so that it will perform what
its name means, and let it become a real security for us, for you, and
for your future generations. _Fiat justitia ruat caelum_ (let justice
be done though the heavens fall)."
"Then you are interested only in the aged and the disabled?" I asked
him. He answered, "not at all. We will not have economic safety and
stability until society once and for all seriously starts war against
unemployment, want, and charity.
"The trend nowadays is charged with danger. I dare say, our young
men who have come back from the wars may not be as meek as those who
came back from the last war to face unemployment, street corner apple
selling and poverty. Our veterans today justly demand employment, the
chance to marry, and the right to a decent livelihood for themselves,
their families, and their parents.
"In my opinion, our large country is still in its infancy; it
has as yet not reached twenty-five per cent of the zenith of its
possible development. With progress in air travel and transportation
distribution, a renaissance of unprecedented prosperity is near and can
quickly be accelerated. We cannot attain this prosperity so long as we
do extravagant things, at public expense.
"Let our government instead take over all private, state, or federal
unproductive lands, whether it is fertile, arid or marsh. Statistics
from the United States Department of Agriculture Bureau of Agriculture
Economics on federal rural lands, on page 7, shows that the federal
lands, swamps and marshes are 3,000,000 acres, barren and brush land
40,000,000 acres, non-forested range land 234,000,000 acres, crop land
4,000,000 acres; that does not include 177,000,000 acres of forest
land, nor does it include the territory of Alaska. It does not include
non-productive state and private lands.
"Let the government start a large scale federal and state works project
to improve these lands, so that they will not only be made productive
but also accessible.
"Let it start an era of colonization, by generously financing on easy
terms all young couples or idle families. Homesteads should be granted
to them under competent supervision. These steps will help to develop
happy, independent, prosperous families, as well as ultimately enrich,
and increase prosperity in the entire nation.
"As we braced ourselves to win the second World war, so can we muster
our resources if we wish, to do away with the outdated system of want
and charity. _Coute qui coute_ (cost what it may). The reason I am
repeating the words _want and charity_ so often is that I want to
strongly impress upon your mind the seriousness of my argument. Whether
the job is done by my plan or any other plan, we can and must make an
end to these conditions.
"Unemployment compensation payments, enough for a livelihood, should be
made and continued until everyone has a living wage job. If necessary,
our government should keep up large public works of constructive
improvement all over the nation."
Writing down his name and address and giving it to me, he said, "I want
to thank you for your treat. I can tell you more of my ideas, but it
would keep us here for many more hours. It is getting late and I have
to be on my way. If you can write me, I will be glad to meet you again
and continue our discussion."
I put a five dollar bill in his hand, but with tears in his eyes, he
proudly returned it. "I must have bored you with my lengthy discourse,"
he apologized.
I answered, "On the contrary, I have learned a great deal, and I thank
you for all the information and suggestions." We shook hands, and said
good night.
"His conversation gave me more cause for my sadness; I was distressed
to hear of the neglect of our aged people. I felt ashamed of our
mistreatments to the disabled, crippled, and blind.
"During the slow traffic hours in the New York subways, on the
sidewalks, and on this parkway I have closely observed many middle-aged
people with their deformed bodies, swollen legs, and flabby,
loose-skinned masks of faces. All of them in youth must have had
natural beauty. All over the country, inside and outside of bars and
saloons, in slums, in parks, and in alleys, you will find many aged,
middle-aged and even young people who are listless.
"It is unbelievable and shameful that in this country, in our age, with
our phenomenally abundant resources, such conditions should exist.
"There has been famine in India where hundreds and thousands have died
from starvation, and millions of innocent, defenseless Jewish victims
have been exterminated in sadistic orgies. What an existence we are
creating for ourselves and our children. The future generations will
surely pay. The sins of the fathers once more will be visited on the
children."
Every time he handed me one of his chapters, he followed my reading
from his own copy, because many times I would ask questions or start
a discussion. I was wishing that I too should have been present on
Mars. He sensed a certain amount of skepticism that was forming in my
mind, and kept on hoping and assuring me that another opportunity would
present itself for a trip to Mars and that I should accompany him.
"You'll see for yourself," he said.
At about this time, he gave vent to his pent-up anger and said, "All
this makes me sick at heart; my soul and mind are filled with disgust
and fear that I am the offspring of an ugly lot of beasts. I don't want
to remain on Earth.
"Millions of our youths have gone to war, and have sacrificed
themselves in one form or another, to make this world a better one.
I hope that they may not only end these problems, but may succeed in
changing the economic life of all of us. If not, they have fought and
died in vain.
"Then, oh, God, Who has given us intelligence which we misuse to
fashion a chain forged with links of gold, which has us so securely
bound and enslaved--far better take away from us that priceless wisdom
which we do not know how to value. Efface it from our minds, so that we
revert to our former primitive state until our present system of life
can be entirely forgotten, and until we become entirely purified from
our crimes. Then, and only then, instill in us a pure civilization, so
that the cursed money system will be no more."
All this he spoke with a strange vehemence and uncontrolled emotion.
He burst out in a loud, passionate sobbing. It took him some time to
compose himself; then he said, "I cannot help my feelings. I am now not
so inured to seeing poverty and want as you all are, or as I was before.
"You must excuse my agitation; it certainly delays the finishing of my
story to you. We had better postpone it until tomorrow, when I hope I
will be more calm."
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 18: _Reno Shopping News_, Mar. 16, 1950, by Geo. S. Benson,
President Harding College, Searcy, Ark.]