When I was younger, I often complained about deductions from my checks for Social Security and later, Medicare. I thought I could have invested that money in the stock market and made a fortune.
Well, a couple of times during later years I had some extra cash, so I invested in the stock market. One of the investments I made was Enron. We all know how that turned out.
Then I invested in a spin-off of AT&T. It surely couldn't fail. It had so many smart people running it, and fiber optics were going to be a great investment. Turned out that the company spent most of its money buying up other companies and getting highly paid executives on its board. Shortly thereafter, the company went belly up and the stock was worthless.
It turned out likewise with a couple of other investments.
Today, I don't know how we could get by without Social Security, Medicare, and a small private retirement. And it is not welfare. Both my wife and I paid into it from age 12 to age 65.
Just one hospital bill could have cost us everything we have. She didn't expect to have cancer and I didn't expect to have heart problems. We had always been healthy and tried to live sensibly. Thanks to two helpful programs, we survived without it breaking us.
Actually, I think more people are devastated by medical costs and the costs of higher education than anything else, and those are issues that need to be addressed.
We won't pay $200 for a Super Bowl ticket or a ticket to hear a pop singer, nor do we always drive the latest model car, or have all the latest electronic gadgets, but we do not feel deprived.
Look at the building going on, the large number of jobs available, the college graduates getting more higher paid jobs than their parents ever dreamed of.
How many people have forgotten how bad off old people used to be, and how they were often mistreated or turned over to poor farms to live out their last years in misery.
Personally, I am not rich, nor do I need to be. I've had a good life and accomplished more things than I could have imagined.
Who needs a bucket list? Being contented is a wonderful asset too often overlooked.
-- Louis Houston is a resident of Siloam Springs. His book "The Grape-Toned Studebaker" is available locally and from Amazon.com. Send any questions or comments to [email protected] or call 524-6926. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 05/25/2016