{"id":11460,"date":"2018-10-26T10:27:54","date_gmt":"2018-10-26T16:27:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/?p=11460"},"modified":"2018-10-26T10:27:54","modified_gmt":"2018-10-26T16:27:54","slug":"6-super-scary-halloween-costumes-for-the-political-policy-nerd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/2018\/10\/6-super-scary-halloween-costumes-for-the-political-policy-nerd.html","title":{"rendered":"6 Super-Scary Halloween Costumes for the Political\/Policy Nerd"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

As you know, readers, when I\u2019m not blogging here, I\u2019m writing at Forbes.com.\u00a0 My latest is an article about how people don\u2019t seem troubled<\/a> by simultaneously believing they earn their Social Security benefits fair-and-square and yet the rich should be taxed more heavily to subsidize them.\u00a0 Prior to that, I wrote that Social Security does indeed add to the federal debt<\/a>, no matter what Congress says.\u00a0 But right now I have Halloween costumes on the brain, because I\u2019m working with my youngest to jointly make his (he\u2019ll be a Spartan hoplite this year), and because I watched a costume-themed episode of a TV show while exercising this morning, so I was playing around with retirement policy\/political costumes, even though it\u2019s been years since I actually dressed up for Halloween.<\/p>\n

Costume #1, Debt:\u00a0 whether the national debt, the growing Social Security deficit, or the individual debts so many people have, it\u2019s pretty scary, and makes for a pretty fast and easy costume:\u00a0 empty pockets, such as in this stock photo.<\/p>\n

\"\"
https:\/\/pixabay.com\/en\/no-money-poor-money-no-crisis-2070384\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Costume #2, high medical costs:\u00a0 this is a bit of a stretch, but if the portion of drug costs in the middle after the first amount but before the out-of-pocket limit kicks in is the \u201cdonut hole,\u201d then surely drug costs are the donut, right?\u00a0 So pick up a swim ring like the one below and give it a \u201cdonut\u201d look, or, better yet, see if you can find one of the swim rings that are made to look like donuts.<\/p>\n

\"\"
https:\/\/www.publicdomainpictures.net\/en\/view-image.php?image=129894&picture=swim-ring-in-a-pool<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Costume #3, Low birth rate:<\/p>\n

See this baby in a baby carrier?\u00a0 Find the baby carrier that you still have buried in your basement, and wear it without a baby in it.\u00a0 If you actually happen to have a baby, then wear a backpack-style carrier as well, to illustrate that people are having below-replacement numbers of children.<\/p>\n

\"\"
https:\/\/pixabay.com\/en\/baby-carrier-baby-transport-2077383\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Costume #4, Poverty in retirement:\u00a0 sure, you can go with your traditional \u201chobo\u201d costume, but why not be more edgy?\u00a0 Take a traditional granny costume with curlers in her hair (and, yes, this isn\u2019t a granny but an older photo of a time when non-grannies had hair curlers),<\/p>\n

\"\"
https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/93243867@N00\/8510189392; CC 2.0 license<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

and add on a uniform smock for your nearest fast-food joint, to illustrate continuing to work past normal retirement age.
\n
\nAnd, #5 and 6, last but not least, for my Illinois readers:<\/p>\n

For Democrats, go as Bruce Rauner:\u00a0 this is a piece of cake.\u00a0 Go to your nearest Goodwill, and buy a flannel shirt (or just plaid when it\u2019s warm).<\/p>\n

\"\"
own photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For Republicans, it\u2019s a bit trickier to create a Mike Madigan costume.\u00a0 But it\u2019s not so hard to go as one of Madigan\u2019s puppet-legislators \u2014 all it takes is some string, some cardboard, and someone to play the puppeteer.\u00a0 Like this, except, well, you\u2019re a real person.<\/p>\n

\"\"
from https:\/\/www.maxpixel.net\/Strings-Marionette-Puppet-2470594; public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So there you have it!\u00a0 Yes, no one will get it, and everyone will think your a big, giant nerd for thinking about it, but if you can\u2019t dress up like a mega geek then what even is the point of the day, anyway?<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As you know, readers, when I\u2019m not blogging here, I\u2019m writing at Forbes.com.\u00a0 My latest is an article about how people don\u2019t seem troubled by simultaneously believing they earn their Social Security benefits fair-and-square and yet the rich should be taxed more heavily to subsidize them.\u00a0 Prior to that, I wrote that Social Security does […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2209,"featured_media":11463,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1110,486],"class_list":["post-11460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-forbes","tag-halloween"],"yoast_head":"\n6 Super-Scary Halloween Costumes for the Political\/Policy Nerd<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As you know, readers, when I'm not blogging here, I'm writing at Forbes.com.\u00a0 My latest is an article about how 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