So, Since I'm Retiring In 18 Months...

[Hekate]

20. Reading comprehension is very difficult for some people. They get triggered by certain phrases...

...or words and the red mist that descends over their eyes blocks further input. Give it up.

I Get what you are saying. We're personally comfortable, having saved nearly everything, but certainly not in the stratospheric bracket. We are about to give up the little house we've lived in for 34 years (paid off) and buy a bigger house in another, less costly, location. After I remodel the kitchen, it will be my dream home: single level, wide doorways in case we need accommodations, built in bookcases everywhere. It was love at first sight. It's scary to contemplate moving, in some respects because I've spent my whole life being risk-averse, having grown up poor.

There will always be risk -- even for you, and you know it on some level.

But we're Democrats, and there's a reason why we are. When it comes to class and income, our motto is *not* "I've got mine, Jack, so screw you." We worry about other people. I worry about my adult kids, specifically their health care. At some point they will need the safety net that is being shredded. But the thing about being a Democrat is we are concerned with everyone, not just our immediate families.

And boy, do I ever get that.