Well, yes, I did argue that the problem with SoSec privatization is that we

shall be saddled with a chore — managing our investments — just at an age

when we feel we’ve had enough of chores.

This is really an argument from sloth, of course. Human beings *are*

slothful, though, and are indeed surprisingly willing to pay the price of

sloth, and other deadly sins. In a democracy, this needs to be taken into

account.

I should look better, and have a better life expectancy, if I worked out

every day on that contraption in my basement, the one I bought in a spasm of

guilt about the poor shape of my body. I can’t be bothered, though. I am

just much more interested in other things, and there are only 24 hours in a

day. I do my share of righteous chores: Home maintenance, help kids with

homework (and currently an elaborate science project) & chauffeur them to

music lessons, boxing lessons, summer sports, etc., help out elderly

neighbors, listen to friends’ miseries, etc. I just find physical exercise

boring; and managing finances, too.

The obvious response is: Well, people of your kidney will get flabby/be

poor in old age. To which the only thing I can think of to say is: I’m

fine with it. I don’t have expensive tastes anyway. The prospect of

spending my dotage at the golf club with a bunch of other grumbling old

dotards appalls me. I don’t want to spend my old age traveling — I did all

that in my 20s. I’ll just stay home and play computer games. Leave money

to my kids? Why? It’d only spoil them. Nobody left me anything. I

certainly don’t want to spend my twilight years trying to remember the

difference between a value fund and a growth fund. I never can, and friends

have been trying to explain it to me for 20 years. I’m just not interested

in that stuff, and don’t want to be forced to be.

It would be a shame, though, if people like me — and we are legion! — were

to actually starve in old age. Let’s have a gummint check once a month. It

needn’t be much; just enough to keep us in computer games. OK?