According to some, governments should shoulder the responsibility of offering care and financial aid for retirees. However, there are those who argue that it is individuals themselves that should prepare for their retirement period. Although both of these ideas seem to be rational, I would support the latter group of people.
On the one hand, there are some reasons why governments should be burdened with caring the elderly. One such argument is that retirees deserve receiving support from the government after contributing to society over years with their work and taxes. Most government have specific systems and pension programs to offer adequate healthcare, financial and other forms of support. These programs can make sure the elderly live a quality life and not fall into poverty in their retirement period, which is especially favorable for the ones who have not saved up for their late ages.
However, I believe this is not a reasonable approach considering excessive burden on government resources. In fact, these sorts of schemes provide support for retirees for free, relying solely on state budget. Due to a continuous rise in life expectancy, the population of the old has also been on increase, meaning that financial pressure on governments providing pensions and other support also escalates accordingly. The consequence could be that this strain can affect the quality of retirement support in a negative manner. Therefore, planning for post-working period could be a wise decision rather than rely dependently on government-provided care.
In conclusion, the idea that governments should be held accountable for providing support for the elderly is justifiable as retirees deserve to be compensated properly for contributions they have made. Having said that, thanks to financial pressure on governments while providing such help, I am convinced that people should be responsible for their own care.