US has social safety nets, she just didn't bother to use them. She didn't bother to pay for health insurance. She didn't bother to finance her IRA/401k. She didn't bother to find a full time job with health insurance.
> But it does highlight the fact that working in academia can be a worse career than working in retail.
Working part time in either without paying for private health insurance will end up the same.
And yes, being a teacher doesn't pay much, but she didn't bother to advance her career over what, 60 years? She basically did the same thing she liked day after day, and expected the society/country to take care of her needs.
I agree that it would be nice to have a single payer healthcare system in the US, but that's not how it is.
> But it does highlight the fact that working in academia can be a worse career than working in retail.
Working part time in either without paying for private health insurance will end up the same.
And yes, being a teacher doesn't pay much, but she didn't bother to advance her career over what, 60 years? She basically did the same thing she liked day after day, and expected the society/country to take care of her needs.
I agree that it would be nice to have a single payer healthcare system in the US, but that's not how it is.