Should we pull plug on elderly, disabled?

It seems everybody is on board to cut government spending, especially entitlements such as Medicare and Social Security. With people living on average to age 80 and many past 90, I pose these questions:

Are employers ready to hire 75- and 80-year-olds so they can get health coverage? It seems that if you are older than 50 looking for a job, most of the time you don't get a second look.

The Republicans, including our Sen. Chuck Grassley, talked about death panels during the health care debate. What then are people older than 50 going to do about getting health care if they can't get hired? Should we pull the plug on grandma and grandpa because they live too long and cannot pull their weight? How about those with major disabilities? That, too, doesn't fit into the ownership society pushed by the 2012 Republican party. Should we pull the plug on them, too?

Joe Page

Iowa City