Author Archives: Editor (Retired)

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About Editor (Retired)

Newsman, blogger, editor, writer (and no longer young).

Twenty Thirteen Theme

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Something’s different here. Work In Progress has been redesigned. We’ve switched to a new WordPress theme, “Twenty Thirteen,” which I think is a cutting-edge and readable design. Change is good for you.

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Irritable and Impatient

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After one day of the work week at the beach motel, I’m ready for a day off. I’m too easily irritated. My reservoir of patience — never great — is about used up.

Rethinking Retirement

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An incandescent light bulb.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Nothing that went before prepares you for retirement.  That light bulb has just clicked on in my brain.

From your first day of school through all the years of work, you’re taught to prepare, to strive, to advance, to make money and accumulate stuff. Always pushing on, always goal-oriented. Always another mountain to be climbed.

Nothing prepares you for retirement. (Except maybe golf. Should I have taken golf lessons?)    Continue reading →

The Next Big Thing: CORRUPTION

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English: President George W. Bush and Presiden...

President George W. Bush and President-elect Barack Obama meet in the Oval Office of the White House  Nov. 10, 2008. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

People are looking for a scapegoat, and for once they’re looking in the right place. Corruption in government.

The book that everyone is talking about, inside the beltway, at least, is “This Town,” by Mark Leibovich. Here’s a comment on the book by Fareed Zakaria:

“It’s a vivid, detailed picture of the country’s ruling elite, filled with tales of ruthless networking, fake friendships and a sensationalist media. But beneath the juicy anecdotes is a depressing message about corruption and dysfunction.” Continue reading →

Seize the Moment

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A thought-provoking quote from Joan Didion. Thought provoking for anyone at any stage of life. Perhaps more thought provoking for those of us on the cusp of retirement, which is the transition from a life of work to . . . what?
Ms. Didion’s comment, “I don’t think that progress is necessarily part of the package,” particularly caught my eye. The weekly newspaper in my Maryland beach town had an editorial this week that began thus: “From a public relations standpoint, this has been the summer from hell in Ocean City.” My first reaction on reading that sentence was, “The editor is going to regret those words.” Maybe so, but at least he was seizing the moment, taking the risk. Civilization seems to be in decline. — John Hayden

Live & Learn's avatarLive & Learn

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“I’m not telling you to make the world better, because I don’t think that progress is necessarily part of the package. I’m just telling you to live in it. Not just to endure it, not just to suffer it, not just to pass through it, but to live in it. To look at it. To try to get the picture. To live recklessly. To take chances. To make your own work and take pride in it. To seize the moment. And if you ask me why you should bother to do that, I could tell you that the grave’s a fine and private place, but none I think do there embrace. Nor do they sing there, or write, or argue, or see the tidal bore on the Amazon, or touch their children. And that’s what there is to do and get it while you can and good luck at it.”

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Detroit Bankruptcy, Now We Wait

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Largest Bankruptcies

Largest Bankruptcies (Photo credit: Adam Crowe)

Long-term viability of Social Security has been a subject of concern for years. Now, the Detroit bankruptcy filing turns the spotlight on municipal and state pensions.

I personally believe Social Security is in better financial shape than most people think. Social Security can easily survive into the 22nd century and beyond, if only we have the will.

Detroit skyline

Detroit skyline (Photo credit: Bernt Rostad)

But retirees, and anyone who expects to retire in the future, ought to be nervous about the shock waves from the Detroit bankruptcy. How many other cities, big and small, will have their credit ratings reduced? How many more will follow Detroit into bankruptcy? Not many, we may hope.

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“Across the nation . . .”

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“Across the nation, the most affluent Americans have been seceding from the rest of the nation into their own separate geographical communities with tax bases (or fees) that can underwrite much higher levels of services . . . Being rich now means having enough money that you don’t have to encounter anyone who isn’t.”

— Robert Reich in “AFTERSHOCK: The Next Economy & America’s Future.”

Question: What should we call these people who secede from America? Are they patriots? — John Hayden

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Maybe The Sun Will Come Out . . .

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Maybe The Sun Will Come Out . . .

Alternating random emotions as retirement comes racing at me.

One Of Those Days . . .

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One Of Those Days . . .

Ever have one of those days where it feels like you’re driving through water?

Summer Of Discontent And Division

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SOMETIMES IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE PADDLING AS HARD AS WE CAN, BUT GOING NOWHERE. AND SOMETIMES, WE'RE GOING OUR SEPARATE WAYS. -- John Hayden photo

SOMETIMES WE’RE PADDLING HARD, IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS. — John Hayden photo

This is the summer of discontent and division in America. We’re fractured by class, race, gender, age, and politics.

Yes, I’ve written about divisions before, at least once or twice. Consider this a seasonal update.

stock mktAs U.S. stock markets set new records, people who don’t own stocks are being squeezed and crushed. Recession may be over, technically, but only now are Americans feeling the wrenching pain from the economic dislocation of the past decade.

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