Comments on: Support for Health Care Spending, by Age and Income http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2009/10/24/support-for-health-care-spending-by-age-and-income/ Sociological Images encourages people to exercise and develop their sociological imaginations with discussions of compelling visuals that span the breadth of sociological inquiry. Fri, 25 May 2012 19:25:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: Craig http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2009/10/24/support-for-health-care-spending-by-age-and-income/comment-page-1/#comment-132685 Craig Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:39:49 +0000 http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/?p=14712#comment-132685 The uncharitable, "I got mine" attitude of Seniors towards social programs for other groups is well-documented, persistent, and immensely disappointing. It's another manifestation of the "pull the ladder up behind you" mentality: the fear of beneficiaries that extending their benefits to one more person will jeopardize their own gains. Pull one more person from the water, and the whole lifeboat will founder. One can try to be sympathetic--their earning years are behind them, the upper bounds of their lifestyles are largely locked in. They have a fairly good health care program and can't really see it getting much more generous. The only possibilities for them are for things to stay much as they are, or else decline. So expanding coverage for other people has no upside for them. Something similar underlies much "libertarian" thought in this country--the typical libertarian, in my experience, is a bright young person who thinks his generation is the last one that should benefit from state subsidies for education, housing, transportation and so forth. He's already gotten most of the benefit--why should he pay for the next lot? The uncharitable, “I got mine” attitude of Seniors towards social programs for other groups is well-documented, persistent, and immensely disappointing. It’s another manifestation of the “pull the ladder up behind you” mentality: the fear of beneficiaries that extending their benefits to one more person will jeopardize their own gains. Pull one more person from the water, and the whole lifeboat will founder.

One can try to be sympathetic–their earning years are behind them, the upper bounds of their lifestyles are largely locked in. They have a fairly good health care program and can’t really see it getting much more generous. The only possibilities for them are for things to stay much as they are, or else decline. So expanding coverage for other people has no upside for them.

Something similar underlies much “libertarian” thought in this country–the typical libertarian, in my experience, is a bright young person who thinks his generation is the last one that should benefit from state subsidies for education, housing, transportation and so forth. He’s already gotten most of the benefit–why should he pay for the next lot?

]]> By: Jeremiah http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2009/10/24/support-for-health-care-spending-by-age-and-income/comment-page-1/#comment-132278 Jeremiah Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:36:33 +0000 http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/?p=14712#comment-132278 Do I read this correctly that across the board, higher incomes correlate with less public support? In that case, why the hoarding behavior in the higher income brackets? There's some interesting psychology there.... Do I read this correctly that across the board, higher incomes correlate with less public support?

In that case, why the hoarding behavior in the higher income brackets? There’s some interesting psychology there….

]]> By: ellen http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2009/10/24/support-for-health-care-spending-by-age-and-income/comment-page-1/#comment-131742 ellen Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:35:46 +0000 http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/?p=14712#comment-131742 thank you for explaining this chart. I saw this posted on FiveThirtyEight and another site and couldn't find any explanation as to what the colors meant. thank you for explaining this chart. I saw this posted on FiveThirtyEight and another site and couldn’t find any explanation as to what the colors meant.

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