forbidding discharge, forced retirement, discrimination against hiring because of age (and health) with not just penalties and judgments, but denial of federal aid and tax incentives if any of these conditions exist. There would be a presumption of discrimination if a plaintiff were 40 years or older.

I know there are laws like this already on the books, but they aren't strong enough to make a real difference against age discrimination.

If that kind of legislation were enacted, perhaps I could be more reasonable about raising the SS age above 65.

Not sure why this should surprise anyone.

65-67 year-olds will continue to have health expenses regardless. As a nation, it's cheaper to pay for those expenses through Medicare, where there are powerful cost control measures in place and less than 5% overhead. The alternative is to pay for these expenses through private insurance, which has less rigorous cost controls and up to 15% overhead.

The government might reduce its expenditures by raising the age, but the country as a whole becomes poorer. (Through increased premiums for all age groups and increased out of pocket expenses for 65-67 year-olds.)

This is a stupid idea.