Friday, August 31, 2012

Poor Clint

It seems like the big story from the last night of the Republican convention is Clint Eastwood's channeling of Grandpa Simpson.



It's funny, don't get me wrong, but it is also sad. Clint Eastwood is most people's definition of an All-American Success Story. He is very wealthy, widely-respected and even gave back to his community by serving as mayor of Carmel, CA. Yet even he is now sliding into decrepitude, verbal (if not quite mental) and physical. It is a fate that awaits all of us lucky to live long enough.

At least Clint has his millions to fall back on. Most of the rest of us will rely on much smaller savings (if any), Social Security and Medicare to maintain any kind of dignity in senescence. Maybe the party trying to shift the risks of old-age from society as a whole to elderly individuals should avoid these optics.

(h/t Noreen Malone)