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Dr. Oz Doubles Down on Controversial National Debt Solution: Work Longer or Start Earlier?
Washington D.C. – Dr. Mehmet Oz, the controversial physician and television personality, recently reiterated his highly debated proposal that Americans should either enter the workforce immediately after high school or delay retirement by one year to help alleviate the national debt.
During an appearance on CNN’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown” on Friday, February 6, Dr. Oz was pressed on remarks he initially made at the Action for Progress initiative launch event on February 2. Blitzer challenged the physician, questioning why the burden of Washington’s financial woes should fall on the shoulders of everyday Americans when taxing the “ultra-rich” could potentially resolve the issue.
The segment included a clip of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator, who, in alignment with Dr. Oz’s sentiment, suggested that young adults should begin working “right out of high school” and older Americans should postpone retirement by a year. The administrator claimed these measures would “generate three trillion dollars” for the U.S. economy.
Dr. Oz began his defense by acknowledging that numerous strategies exist for tackling the national debt.
However, he emphasized that his agency, CMS, operates not only as a regulator but also as a significant payer. He argued that the funds disbursed by CMS should be strategically utilized to improve public health and save lives, asserting that such an approach would “unlock the greatest asset we have is our people,” whom he referred to as “our richest asset.”
“If we make our people healthier, they’ll want to participate in life,” Dr. Oz stated.
“You shouldn’t work longer because you have to. You should work longer because you want to.”
He then cited Wolf Blitzer as an example, suggesting that Blitzer, despite being able to retire, continues working due to his passion for his profession. Blitzer concurred, affirming that he “wakes up every morning and looks forward to reporting the news.”
Dr. Oz concluded his appearance by emphasizing the “great thing” it is when individuals choose to continue working, highlighting the “so much value” that this would produce for the economy.
However, viewers of the CNN segment quickly took to social media to criticize Dr. Oz’s suggestions, with many expressing strong disagreement with the 65-year-old’s perspective.
One commenter wrote, “What part of nobody ‘wants to’ work more does this idiot not understand????” Another individual stated, “Spoken by someone who has never earned $1 from subjecting his body to the demands of a blue collar job. Most bodies are worn out a decade or more before retirement age.”
Further criticism included, “I don’t want to work til I’m 80 to pay for the excesses of these greedy freeloading b——. Sorry, Ozzo.”
Another viewer remarked, “Working does not equal participating in life. Fixing the government’s mismanagement should be the job of the government not the people.”
A fifth comment read, “Participating in life is doing things with family and friends, new experiences, new adventures. Participating in life is not working until you are dead.”