ldwechsler wrote:The whole issue is complex. First of all, it seems clear that people will be working far longer. Living to 200 and stopping work at 80 when you are in good health is ridiculous.
So I would guess pensions would be more like defined contribution things where you pay in certain money and it grows, you hope, rather than a defined pension.
The Civil War issue is a bit of a fake for now. A lot of old civil war vets married very young women for the usual variety of reasons. A lot of the Civil War vets were teens when they fought and some took very young brides when they were old. It was a way of taking care of friends' daughters. And those women lived for a very long time.
I would guess that things like that don't exist on Manticore. Most people seem to work. New limbs are grown. There has been no mention of cancer, stroke or Alzheimer's.
So people work. Taxes are very simple based on textev. Terekhov mused that it took almost no time. Chances are the government did not have a major social system of dependent people.
There might not be ANY life insurance companies as we know them.
There's no mention of Alzheimer's but strokes, yes. Dimitri Young died of one, after hearing Pavel conviction. He was also morbidly obese and spent twenty plus years in a life support chair. Prolong dose not save you from a lifetime of self abuse and over indulgence. Cancer was conquered in the fourth century with a vaccine. Also Cancer dose crop up on planets with poor health care services like pre-Alliance Grayson and several of the verge systems where OFS and trans-stellers overcharge by 4-5-600% of its actual cost.
My guess is the SKM/SEM doesn't tolerate welfare loafers per say, they will assist but not totally support a refugee. Remember the Sisters of Barbara in Ruthless. After selling off Aaron's Rod they were all given a stake and some of the women were consultants to ONI and SIS. All of the women were probably given a remedial education and were probably supported by the government during that time period. Judith probably also assisted the Sisters. Diana who was to old for prolong, was probably hired by Judith as a nanny for Ruth.