But the elderly are politically active and powerful. Not only do many defend their entitlements strongly; some oppose growth in other types of public spending for fear that it will weaken the government’s ability to pay for the benefits that they believe they are owed.
但老年人在政治上更活跃，也更有影响力。许多人不仅强烈捍卫他们的权利，而且还反对其他方面公共支出的增加，因为他们担心这会削弱政府支付他们认为自己应得福利的能力。