Third Quarter On The Gridiron
Prelude
Wikipedia states Baby Boomers are a demographic group born during the post-World War II baby boom approximately between the years 1946-1964. This includes people who are between 52 and 70 years old in 2016 according to the United States Census Bureau.
I'm a baby boomer and all of my buddies are in the same category. My E.A. (Executive Assistant) and I hosted a barbecue at our home in September of this year. I could probably designate it as the second annual reunion of some of my "old" high school friends (male and female)...most of us attended Westmount Secondary School in Hamilton, Ontario. I also invited (via e-mail, got to be the greatest thing since sliced bread) two very good chums of mine who live in Calgary, Alberta, and Vernon, British Columbia. I knew the possibility of either one attending was a "slim to none"...it's not like Calgary and Vernon are a "stone's throw away"...sadly they were not present. I also invited a couple of other "buds" buy they were also no-shows.
Almost all of our guests were 60 years of age and older. The dude boomers (myself included) were exhibiting at least one sort of indication of ageing such as overweight, struggling with aches and pains, requiring glasses to read, grey or white hair and baldness, ingesting prescription drugs, for instance high blood pressure pills, regrettably some of our parents were deceased, sadly a few were diabetic and our children were in their late twenties or early thirties.
However most of the crew indulged in adult beverages and some folks still smoked...hopefully everyone ha a good time. My long time very good friend Uncle Block and I sat in my backyard drinking beer until 1:00 a.m. I was hung over for two days...another sign of aging.
I've said it many times, every now and then I find it difficult to believe that I have walked this earth for beyond half a century...six decades and counting. It's certainly not like the 1964 Rolling Stones song titled "Time Is On My Side", contrary to that, it seems time is moving swiftly.
Canada is in a similar circumstance that many other countries are experiencing...an aging population. The issue is of major importance and a critical problem for everyone, young and old and especially our mistrustful politicians.
An article in C.B.C. News Sept. 20/15 stated Stats Canada (Statistics Canada) affirmed there are more seniors 65 years and older than there are kids under fifteen. They also said there are 5.9 million or 15.9% of the population over 65 years of age. In fact, one out of every six individuals is over 64 years of age as of July 1/15.
Whenever I read or hear statements from Stats Canada I am always suspicious. I very seldom believe anything the government announces, constantly skeptical and dubious with their "information"...whether they have padded their numbers, only Stats Canada knows. Either way, I think the alarm bells should be sounding in Canuck land. Our questionable bureaucrats have a lengthy task ahead of them to combat this problem.
An article in C.I.C. (Citizen and Immigration Canada) Oct. 11/16 stated a new report from the Conference Board of Canada found immigration levels should increase to 413,000 per year by 2030 to strengthen Canada's economic growth. The report highlights the need for increased immigration in order to respond to challenges posed by Canada's aging population.
The report also said it is projected that without significant policy changes, including a substantial increase in immigration, the cost to support retirees could undermine the strength of Canada's economy in the coming decades.
Yet another article from C.B.C. News Oct. 19/16 stated a group of external advisors expressed targets of 450,000 immigrants a year but Immigration Minister John McCallum was quoted "it may be too ambitious"...ya, right, it should be an interesting aftermath from his statement,
The panel also said it has to sell the idea of higher immigration to the public...wait a minute, are you kidding me, is this an April Fools joke, when did the government ever sell any of their FUCKING SCHEMES to the citizens of Canada.
As usual, interesting government propaganda. Do I believe it...maybe to a small degree but I believe the government can battle the subject of aging population differently...take a look in our own backyard!!
I really don't have a problem with immigration but it appears that government miscalculates their net result when they vocalize about migrants appearing on Canadian soil. In fact, it seems habitual that anything the government undertakes they either bungle or notoriously complicate matters...they do it with proficiency.
With all these newcomers the government wants to escort into Canada, I wonder if they have jobs to enter. You can't tax people (to help pay for our aging population) if they don't work. However they will utilize our social programs they haven't paid anything into...is it really a win-win situation the government claims it to be? Maybe it is, it's inevitably more votes for these "considerate and thoughtful" liberals.
An article in the Hamilton Spectator on Oct. 24/16 titled "Young Canadians should get used to precarious employment" almost made me puke. Finance Minister Bill Moreau (another liberal who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth like our teenage Prime Minister) calls it a job churn meaning short-term employment and a number or career changes in a person's life.
He also stated we have to think about how do we train and retrain people as they move from job to job to job...oh, REALLY!! These liberals always say they will develop work training programs or better still where are all these jobs they forecasted, like Ontario's ex-Premier McGuilty pledging 400,000 plus jobs after implementing his dreadful H.S.T. (Harmonized Sales Tax) on July 1/10.
We knew this was going to transpire. The affluent Moreau also said people aren't going to have the same pension benefits as in generations past. I wonder if he is incorporating himself and his gang's pensions into that proclamation...somehow I doubt it.
Let's face it this country has a lot of unemployment. The jobless rate was 6.9% as reported by C.B.C. News Aug. 15/16 via, of course, Stats Canada. I think most of us have said this at least once in our lives, the hell with immigration and let's get our fellow out of work Canadians reintroduced to the workforce and then MAYBE, MAYBE, we will consider foreigners having access to Canada.
The bureaucrats are always saying bring in more skilled workers...I wonder how many skilled workers are sitting idle in this country...probably a lot more than we realize. If they're not skilled then train them.
The government is always preaching how concerned and sincere they are about training programs for the unemployed. But for some mysterious reason, we have a great many people who are jobless and the people who "work" in the House of Commons and mismanage this country are obsessed with immigration...I wonder why, golly gee, would it be votes?
Speaking of people sitting idle maybe our absolute ruler of Ontario should pass legislation and force welfare recipients (a.k.a. lazy fucks) into the workforce. I realize that some people require welfare and I'm O.K. with that...I suppose I have some socialist blood in my veins. However, we all know (including Wynne and her bunch) there are numerous fraudulent, dishonest and lying scammers (hmm, remind you of some huge administration) that receive this government aid and are quite capable of working. But for some inexplicable motive liberals don't want to deal with this fraudulent issue.
In addition to the negligent fiasco we have in Ontario, McGuilty and Wynne World discarded over $1 billion in the gas plant scandal. The heedless Wynne who constantly "throws" money away should reconsider furnishing Hamilton, Ontario with $1 billion for a L.R.T. (Light Rail Transit) system...straight forwardly, WE DON'T NEED IT!!!
The two plus billion dollars these underhanded and corrupt liberals have already wasted or going to misuse could have been applied for more important strategies...unemployment and our health care system.
An article in the Globe and Mail Sept. 14/14, "The Upside of Canada's Population" stated the C.P.A. (Chartered Professional Accountants) of Canada said Canada's aging population will bankrupt pension plans, overburden health care systems and force an ever shrinking pool of workers to pay the bills...the liberals are doing that now.
In the same article, it stated an international team of researchers looked at Germany as a case study and found five areas where countries could age like wine.
(1) Better Health - people living longer and staying healthy...my opinion, they will still be collecting C.P.P. (Canada Pension Plan) and Old Age Security for a longer period.
(2) Increased Productivity - aging populations tend to have higher education levels which could help offset the decline of the labor force...my opinion, quite simple, I don't understand this.
(3) Sharing the Wealth - people will become older when they inherit money and will be better equipped for their own retirement...my opinion, an inheritance of 20, 30 or 40 thousand dollars just won't cut it. A six digit figure legacy would be sufficient...decent and respectable nursing homes are very expensive.
(4) Good for the Environment - changes in age structure and a shrinking population are associated with reduced consumption of energy and intensive goods and lower carbon dioxide emissions...my opinion, seniors are prone to use more heat and air conditioning and will still be driving vehicles.
(5) Quality of Life - leisure time will increase...my opinion, some reports say free time won't expand because seniors will work longer.
According to the Huffington Post Jan. 14/16 titled "Nova Scotia Nurses Union Says Long Term Care System in A Crisis", stated the average age in long-term facilities is 88 years old and seniors account for 18.9% of the population. It is expected to grow to 30% in the next 22 years.
The union says the system is plagued by understaffing, excessive workloads, demoralized workers, unsafe work environments and workplace violence. The union also said it's happening throughout the entire country...I certainly believe that statement...by the way, did I mention Nova Scotia is controlled by a liberal authority.
In 1989 I was employed at Macassa Lodge located in Hamilton, Ontario. It was a long term seniors facility operated by the Corporation of the City of Hamilton. I worked in the Special Care Unit which was located in the rear of the building. There were over sixty bedridden occupants "living" on the ward...all had acquired Alzheimer's disease or Dementia.
My only job duty was to change residents diapers...it was a tedious and degrading occupation...without a doubt, it was further demeaning and humiliating for the inhabitants.
I and an R.N.A. (Registered Nursing Assistant) would make three rounds in an eight-hour shift. Our method of changing a soiled diaper with a new one was very simple...exactly the same technique as changing a baby's diaper. Some folks demonstrated some resistance...can you blame them, life wasn't supposed to end this way for these ailing and confused individuals. There was a long waiting list for admission to the unit and that was thirty years ago.
However, there is one incident I will never forget. A woman, in her nineties, was moaning for assistance. It was after dinner and she was nude sitting up in her bed. I dashed to her aid...I was by myself. I entered her room and she was covered in feces. She had also been digging her fingers into her rectum trying to "scoop out" additional waste. I helped her out of bed and sauntered her to the closest shower.
I admit I wasn't thinking too straight (as I would find out later), the only thing on my mind was to pursue the closest shower, wash and clean her up. I didn't conceal her bare body in a blanket...I walked her to the shower naked.
Fifty feet away I noticed my female head nurse watching the entire ordeal...never offering to help me...maybe that was below her egocentric, selfish and self-important personality. I showered the woman, changed her sheets and returned her to bed...the seemingly endless trauma was finally over, for both of us.
The following day after report (a verbal account on any eventful activity on the ward during the previous shift) I was told to proceed to the Director of Nursing Office...for what reason, I had no idea. The female supervisor didn't hesitate for one second and immediately verbally ripped me to pieces...taking multiple strips off my self-esteem...she was furious.
Her condemnation was about how I handled the situation about the lady who was smeared with excrement the previous day. Essentially the administrator let me know in her irate and livid mood I did not manage the occurrence in a professional manner. She harped on how the Lodge shows respect and dignity for the residents on a continuous basis...I should have covered the lady with a blanket or sheet.
Even to this day I still have an extensive bitterness and limitless resentment for that fucking head nurse...the spineless and gutless phony was the one who registered the complaint about me. Maybe things might have been different if she would have "got off her high horse" and provided some help, so much for teamwork...fucking conceited back stabber.
I worked for a laundry company and some of my deliveries were to convey bed linen to privately owned retirement homes throughout the city of Hamilton, Ontario. At one time these properties were two and one half and three story single family residential homes and later renovated into old age facilities.
Depending on the size of the dwelling the number of residents would vary, anywhere from ten to twenty. From what I understand, it wasn't too difficult to obtain a license to operate these lodgings. All those types of homes were under the jurisdiction of the provincial government as of now the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
These "homes" appeared to have very little stimulation for the elders. A lot of them looked very frail and sat in a bit of a daze watching television. Five will get you ten their cognitive skills and perception were rapidly decreasing also. A very depressing and sad way to spend the autumn of their life years.
The Japanese culture has always intrigued me with their longevity. My oriental neighbours across the street are both 93 years old...he continues to cut his lawn. Yasutaro Koide, Jirbemon Kimura and Misau Okawa lived full lives passing away at 113, 116, 117 years old respectively.
Keiko Fukudo passed away in her 100th year. She was a master of judo, holding a tenth-degree black belt, the highest possible rank. She was still teaching the discipline, three times a week prior to her death.
It's despairing and tragic to see some of the elderly who are ill and weak...you could almost say life is over. The lyrics in the 1969, The Doors song titled "The Soft Parade" states what life is all about, "All our lives we sweat and save, building for a shallow grave."
Epilogue
Our clocks are ticking and the aging population will continue to soar. The cost of health care, including prescription drugs, will escalate and some boomers may experience some sort of ailment if they haven't already. Wouldn't it be marvelous and satisfying if the government rehabilitated themselves from their obsession and addiction of misusing and wasting tax payers money? (L.O.L.) Well, we can dream. The bureaucrats say they have a solution but we all know that regime is seldom correct...making suitable decisions regarding issues directly related to the innocent tax-paying citizen, just isn't in the cards. The near future may become very costly and truly frightening.
The End
The Harvenut Puritan Project
