Yes, yes, a Caturday felid post is coming. . .
In this week’s “Real Time” segment, Bill Maher, pointing to the unrest in France, dons his curmudgeon’s mantle to discuss socialism—or rather, the socialism of the aged, and that includes both French and Americans. He explains why socialism is so popular with the young: “They see the government paying older folks to sit around all day and they say, ‘Hey! Where’s my monthly check for doing dick?’.” In other words, American young are socialists because older people have it (Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid) but the youngsters don’t. As Maher says, “If you’re a senior citizen, you’re already living like Mamdani is President.” Where are my subsidized groceries and free public transportation?
But Maher adds that both France and America are overpaying the elderly, redistributing income to a group of senior citizens that was much smaller in 1940 than now. On the other hand, far more young people are now living with their parents, claiming a portion of that redistributed income.
The solution is curmudgeonly: we need to put more money back into circulation by stopping paying “moochers” who get money by, says Maher, claiming disabilities. This kind of mooching is, he says, rife in the U.K. and making its way to the U.S. Of course not all of that is “mooching”, as there are lots of people who can’t work or can’t find jobs, but Maher argues that many of those who claim mental disabilities are just defeated by “what we call ‘Life’.”
The panelists you see are: Steve Hilton (author and Republican candidate for California’s Governor) and Andy Beshear, Democratic Governor of Kentucky. Not shown is the panelist, former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, and I can’t find the discussion with her. However, both Variety and The Daily Beast have attacked Maher for cozying up to and “fawning” over Leavitt, though in an earlier show he “brutally humiliated” her.
This is a bit more ranty than most of Maher’s bits, and his solution to the problem seems poorly formulated, though we’re gonna have to do something when Social Security runs out of dough in six years.
I think the real problem is that people like Maher don’t seem to be able to explain how our government works. Medicare is not universal healthcare, Social Security is not universal basic income (I say that as I try to decide if I can retire at 67 or have to wait until I am 70, in order to get back a fraction of the money I’ve paid in for the last fifty three years).
BWM! I laughed out loud.
Interesting commentary and probably true to some extent. I do think that many young people gravitate toward socialism because it’s hard for them to imagine how they could possibly generate enough wealth to be able to live the lives modeled by their parents: with houses, cars, vacations, and health care. I can understand that.
When I reached the age of majority, those things did not seem out of reach. They seemed difficult and a ways off; getting there demanded work and disciplined saving, but the goal seemed possible. Today, I’m not so sure. One thing is for sure: being a career barista is not going to get you there. Too many young people fail to “launch.” And by the time they turn forty, it’s probably too late.
This is what the people with real money and political power want, the proles blaming and fighting with each other.
Anyone who thinks that the elderly who rely solely on SS are living lives of luxury and exotic travel are misinformed, most are just getting by on their couple grand a month while scrimping to cover the copay on their medical and drug bills.
And the young are not getting screwed by the elderly, they’re victims of a rapidly changing corporate world that is trimming career paths, while the economic chaos of the current administration is making businesses leery of expanding and hiring.
I was going to say something along those lines too. We older people really did have it easier with relative costs of college, getting a mortgage on a house, and so on.
There is also this strange phenom. of advertised job openings that are “ghost jobs”,and these result in significant wasted time for job seekers. One reason for those fake job ads is to create the illusion of growth to investors.
Apparently there’s a problem in France that doesn’t exist in the US or Canada: it’s very difficult to fire employees, even with a good reason. This makes companies reluctant to hire.
Couple grand a month? LOL ! My monthly SS check , after deductions for Medicare, is $788 !!! But that’s ok, I have investment in come, plus I still work part time about twenty hours per week.
Mr. Maher is spot on. Boomers are “The Greediest Generation.” According to the census bureau, the richest households are those in the 70-74 age category ($426.7k median net worth in 2024 dollars) followed by followed by 65-69 ($376.1K), and 75+ ($336k).
If you’re under 35, net worth is $38.7k.
Young people would be shocked at how little geezers pay for healthcare under Medicare, many for ailments that were self-induced caused by obesity and drug abuse.
And don’t get me started on the highway robbery known as the 30-year mortgage.
Of course, older people would have greater wealth, everything else being equal. They’ve had more time to invest and enjoy the joys of compounding interest.
Hence, they have the means to support themselves.
But they no longer have an income as they are no longer working. If they didn’t have high paying jobs in their prime years, they probably didn’t accumulate enough wealth to see them through 15, 20, or 25 years of retirement – especially if they have to go into a nursing home.
That wealth is not spread equally among boomers. The US has extreme wealth inequality: more than eighty percent of wealth is owned by the top ten percent; two thirds by the top one percent. Maher is somewhere in that group. Undoubtedly most of those are boomers, but most boomers are likely not in that group.
And Medicare only covers eighty percent after deductibles are met. The average SS payment in 2026 is $2,071 per month. If that’s your sole income, you’re in deep trouble with a medical emergency.
According to an article in the NYT today:
“More than a quarter of American adults in a recent survey by the think tank Urban Institute said they or family members owed medical debt at the end of last year, a problem the institute described as “pervasive.” More than half of those with debt owed $1,000 or more, and about one in six owed $5,000 or more. About a third of American families, the report found, went without needed medical care last year because of the cost.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/23/your-money/medical-debt-health-insurance.html
I’m late to comment on this topic, but I was shocked that Bill Maher was so ungenerous and self-righteous on Friday. I worked until I was 70, partly to increase my SS benefit. Fortunately, I enjoyed my work. Maher doesn’t need SS, but many could not retire without it. If anything, people like Maher who make millions of dollars every year should contribute more than they do in SS taxes until they reach retirement age.
A program like Medicare (but more generous to those who cannot afford the present system) should be available to everyone in the country. I was astonished that Bill Maher appeared to be so insensitive to the plight of so many people in this country. Those who are not in his income bracket are not lazy, and he seems completely unaware of the problems that prevent many people from providing the necessities of life for themselves and their families.