W: The Planner, The Chosen by Alexandra Swann, Joyce Swann Page A

shuttle.”
    “We wouldn’t be interested in those; we both have our cars.”
    Kris shook her head, “That’s one of the requirements for going in. This is a walkable community. None of the residents has a car. But you don’t need one because a commuter train runs right past the community, and a shuttle picks you up from the train to take you anywhere you need to go.”
    “I don’t understand that,” interrupted Janine, “You live in one of these places, and you still have your car.” 
    “The only reason I still have my car is that it would be impossible for me to do my job without it. I spend my day going from place to place holding meetings.  But if it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have my car either. And I don’t use it on weekends—except for today, of course. I walk within the community or else I take the train.  It’s wonderful not to have to pay for gas, and the train has a very good schedule. This is a green community and the success of it really depends on everyone using public transportation.”
    “You said, ‘and assets’,” her father questioned her more closely. “What does that mean?”
    “It means that when you move into W, you sign over the balance of your bank accounts, your home, your car—everything—to FMPD. Those assets are what allow the government to guarantee that you will have complete medical care, lodging, and food for the rest of your life.”
    “That sounds like a great deal for the government.  I don’t see how it’s so good for us.”
    “It depends on your assets. Let’s say you have $10,000 in the bank. Realistically you can’t live on $10,000 for the rest of your life. By signing that over to FMPD along with the house and the cars, you are converting that $10,000 into an investment that is guaranteed to take care of you for as long as you live.”
    She could see the looks of skepticism on both of their faces. “Look, I didn’t come here to talk you into this.  I want it to be your decision, if you decide to do it at all. And there will be some adjustment—you are going from a big house and a couple of big cars to a small apartment. But I can tell you this: once you experience the convenience of having somebody else take care of everything for you, you just never want to go back. You would have so much more time on your hands for things you want to do. The community features a huge pool and a great weight facility. Every unit is fully equipped with internet access—you don’t pay anything extra for it. It is a special ISP contracted specifically for the community. As part of the move-in package you even get two individual tablets so that you can download books, magazines—whatever you want—from an enormous virtual on-line library. You will have time on your hands to do what you really want to do, and you won’t have the responsibility of working all of the time.”
    Jim had listened pretty quietly up to this point. He now dropped his voice down low as he often did when he wanted to appear thoughtful. “We’ve listened to everything you have said.  Now what are our options?”
    Kris looked at him as blankly as if he had spoken to her in Chinese. “Options?” she repeated. “Well, you can say, ‘Yes, I want to live there’ or ‘No, I don’t.’ Those are pretty much your options.”
    “But if I say that this is not for us, can we go on as we are now with our Social Security and Medicare?  Can we just say that we want to continue on as we are?”
    “No, you can’t,” Kris answered honestly. “You and Mom are on my initial list. The Smart Seniors’ program is being phased in, but when you get your letter that means that you are part of the first phase. Your Social Security and Medicare will be completely terminated in the next ninety days, whether or not you choose to move into the community.  If you don’t want to do it, you probably need to look at selling the house and downsizing into something smaller that is going to have lower