It’s hard to turn on the television, pick up a newspaper or browse the internet without reading or hearing a ludicrous statement expounded by a so-called “expert.”
Yet even by contemporary standards, it would be hard to find a more outrageous or meritless comment than one made by a former Obama White House health advisor.
Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel made headlines recently when he declared that age 75 is a “pretty good age” to die.
You read that right. A doctor, a medical professional sworn to preserve life has decided that come your 75th birthday you should wake up and realize, well, it’s time. That’s all she wrote.
The statement would be comical if not for the harm such thinking can do to our senior citizens. To group all older adults into a single category and say that at 75 life is no longer worth living is not even worthy of debate.
Emanuel goes on to say that by 75 it’s difficult to walk, fingers don’t work and all a man or woman can do is “sit around the den reading” or do “crossword puzzles.”
Well Dr. Emanuel, I can personally introduce to you thousands of seniors, many well over 75 who do a heck of a lot more every day than crossword puzzles.
Ocean County is home to more than 173,000 seniors, many of whom are active in their communities. They are part of the social and economic engine that fuels our county.
Look across our country and our globe and see what seniors are accomplishing. Our president and some of his leading Democratic opponents are in their seventies.
Paul McCartney came to America with the Beatles for the first time in 1964. Today, he still performs three-hour-long live concerts. I don’t see Mick Jagger sitting in his den doing crossword puzzles.
While it is true that some of our seniors do suffer from chronic conditions that threaten their quality of life, the way to deal with these important issues is through caring and compassion, not cold-hearted statements that set expiration dates on human beings like they were gallons of 2 percent milk.
As Chairman of Senior Services for Ocean County I work to ensure that all of our seniors live with dignity. Our Meals on Wheels program will deliver more than 300,000 nutritional meals to our older adults in 2020.
We offer outreach programs, exercise and fitness classes, Medicare information, transportation, legal services, caregiver services, social and recreational activities, benefits counseling, mental health support and a host of other community-based initiatives.
Today I’m waging a battle against Trenton and have personally contacted the Governor and key legislators who are threatening to cut funding to many of our senior programs.
So Dr. Emanuel, if you are looking to throw in the towel when you hit 75 that’s your choice. But don’t look to the rest of us to join you.
Well Doc you are a typical Democrat, telling the rest of us how we should live and now how and when we should die. I would like you to tell us your plans for your 75th birthday.
Well I think this Dr should Already be put on death row. So the minute he turns 75 he could get his self described meds. This will save the American people a lot of money. And make the world a better place to live
I would ask the good doctor to visit our senior developments and see the
contributions our 75+ members make to the smooth running of our communities. Aside from being active within the homeowner associations, many of us perform charitable services without pay or recognition. Visit some soup kitchens or see who volunteers to deliver meals on wheels; see the volunteers in the local hospitals; visit some thrift shops that support charitable causes. They are usually staffed by
senior citizens who volunteer their services. It is in our senior years that we have the time and experience to help our children and grandchildren and give back to society. And yes, we enjoy ourselves doing this!!