Something I've been wondering about for awhile... how do people feel about blurring the line around being ER by being on welfare?
TH mentioned having a lot of welfare recipients in his neck of the woods, and I was asking my ER brother this week if we knew any other ERs and he described a mutual acquaintance living in Sonoma County, CA as "yeah, she's been early retired for 20 years... on welfare".
It kind of caught me aback, until I realized that in many ways we are advocating a lifestyle for ER that may not be dissimilar from someone who is really struggling to make ends meet financially, or that the temptation might be there for someone keen on ER to get a little helping hand from the State.
How do people feel about this -- immoral? Not ER at all? or 'soul brothers on the way to a simpler life' with the main distinction being about where the $ comes from.
Any thoughts?
ESR (not on Welfare!) Bob
TH mentioned having a lot of welfare recipients in his neck of the woods, and I was asking my ER brother this week if we knew any other ERs and he described a mutual acquaintance living in Sonoma County, CA as "yeah, she's been early retired for 20 years... on welfare".
It kind of caught me aback, until I realized that in many ways we are advocating a lifestyle for ER that may not be dissimilar from someone who is really struggling to make ends meet financially, or that the temptation might be there for someone keen on ER to get a little helping hand from the State.
How do people feel about this -- immoral? Not ER at all? or 'soul brothers on the way to a simpler life' with the main distinction being about where the $ comes from.
Any thoughts?
ESR (not on Welfare!) Bob