Class war is the only war.
Sure Sandra probably made some questionable decisions but she deserves a place to live for retirement after a lifetime career. The system shouldn’t be so viscous that people are cast out for missing a few important decisions along the way. I don’t feel that a 70yo with a two BR should be considered living beyond their means.
100% agree. This pull your up by your bootstraps. The expectation that everyone is a competent businessperson or doctor or lawyer or mechanic. I have known so many people that are simply not competent enough to do things and yes they deserve to not be on the street. Many give back to societ just not in ways that fit a mold but in some cases maybe not. It should not matter. There should be floor. Does not have to be great but it should be there even if you just sit around drinking or smoking all day. The typical person should be able to blow their whole paycheck and still get by and retire eventually. Because guess what bootstrappers. People blowing their money at the low level is good for the economy. People should not be saving or investing with no idea how those things work but because its the sytsem. Better for the government do that. People should be saving or investing for reasons. Because they are recognize what is a good investment and what is bad and not just to throw it in the market and hope. Or squirrel away in a bank to get a down payment. Spending is a good thing and we should encourage it by making sure no one has to worry about falling past a minimum.
For the people voting this down, this article highlights an important issue, which is that women aged 55 and over are at growing risk of homelessness.
Even more worrying for Sandra is the prospect of joining the fastest-growing group of people experiencing homelessness in Australia: women aged 55 and over.
Sydney-based Bacon has particular concern for the rising number of women facing homelessness in their older years.
She says this is because women typically have about 25 per cent less superannuation than men, due to the gender pay gap, which flows onto a gender retirement gap and motherhood penalty.
Fair point, a pity neither the article, her nor the second woman focused on that and instead feels more like them complaining about boomers being perceived as being given every leg up. Which is a complaint of younger generations trying to break into an impossibly competitive housing market.
Of course they did, it’s a way to manufacture outrage
Agree, Taleya, and also a way to divide people from each other, creating unneeded hostility and judgementalism.
Retired schoolteacher Sandra Barker has been single and a renter all her adult life.
The 70-year-old lives by herself in a two-bedroom unit in Sydney’s south-west.
She says she’d like to rent in a “better” suburb but doesn’t believe she’d be able to afford it
“I think it’s a bit misleading, actually, to think that every baby boomer is cashed up for retirement; I’m certainly not,” Sandra told Insight.
Boomer who not only refuses to downsize despite being retired and on a pension, is actively looking to increase her current expenses, while occupying a two bedroom by herself, in what has to be one of the most expensive cities to rent in, insists “not all boomers”. I’m actively employed and would have a hard time justifying (and in Sydney affording) living in a two bedroom by myself.
What’s her angle here? “Sure I’m part of the generation that got cheap as chips houses, free tertiary education, reasonable employment prospects and hoarded a good chunk of the real estate, but I feel I personally missed out, likely due to my financial decisions. So it’s a bit misleading, actually”. This entire article is mind boggling bordering on infuriating to read.
Everyone deserves a roof over their heads, but nobody is owed a 2br unit for themselves in a nice area of one of the most expensive cities. She could get a housemate for that second bedroom and be better off financially.
I think instead of focusing on everyone owning a home, we should make renting better.
So it’s a bad thing if you are in a bad place, but if someone older than you is in a bad place, it’s fine?
Hard to feel sorry for someone choosing to live in Sydney though.
Yeah, because that is automatically always guaranteed a choice
