Mary White (Fianna Fail)

I wish to draw my colleagues' attention to a science article in yesterday's edition of The New York Times about a paper by two economists entitled "Mental Retirement". We recently had positive aging week. Senator O'Toole was correct in what he said this morning in that when somebody proposes something different, new and visionary, 99% of people say it cannot be done. People should have a choice over their retirement age and if they do not want to retire at 65, they should not need to do it. I do not want that to be confused with people being forced to work until 67 or 68 because of the pension crisis. I am talking about the human rights of a person to stay on in a job if they so wish. Laura L. Carstensen is the director of the Center on Longevity at Stanford University.

I wish people would refrain from talking when I am speaking. I am not going to speak anymore in this room. I do not talk when other people are speaking, unless it is an emergency.