Last night while watching Cosmos, I realized that my life is quite possibly half over. The grandeur of time itself, the way it untiringly marches on left me feeling quite melancholy, perhaps even fearful that things planned long ago are still undone. Travels are still waiting, the road calling my name. I realized that I've been stuck in a routine for over half my life that I need to break free of.
It seems like only yesterday that I started my job, and now I am only a few short years from retiring from there. I worry about what life will be like after that. I should be looking at a nice pension, but the state I work for has squandered the money I have put into it, and is now trying to get me to increase my contiibution so they can waste it yet again. They blame those that have gone before me, claiming the money going out is so much more than what goes in. The fact is the State of Illinois borrowed deeply against the retirement funds that we have all contributed into, leaving a vast hole in the state budget which they are now trying to put on the current state employees' heads by raising our retirement ages and demanding we contribute more and more. I've tried to pull all of the money I've paid into it to put into other investments that are more stable and will make gains on but they refuse to give ot back. Its mine but it seems the state is stealing it, just as they have for the past 20 years. They are the ultimate thieves.
Our heroic forefathers fought in the Revolutionary War for much less than the government takes from us today. It's been said that we work six months of the year just for the government. They take one third of your pay, then they tax you on eating, music, movies, books, pets, flying, clothes, shoes, your house or apartment, your phone, your car, etc. They have their hands in everything we do, telling us where we can and can't smoke, drink, camp, ride a bike, hike, ride a horse... next thing you know, there will be no kite zones so children will have to be careful!
One of the biggest problems is people not thinking for themselves anymore. They need to be told how to live their lives. They need to be told what is right and wrong. Children these days are so coddled that they have no idea what it's like to lose, they don't know what it's like to be told no.
Well, I guess that was a bit of a rant. Not my intention, but I guess I just followed my thoughts.