Memories and Reflections | How do you plan to “gradually” increase the basic pension for farmers?

Yesterday, a friend sent a message in a WeChat group: “Peng Yuanwen’s suggestion has been written into the Central Document No. 1, please be informed.” and also sent a picture.

That’s right, to highlight the phrase “gradually increase the basic pension for urban and rural residents”, he didn’t send a text link, but a picture link. Humiliated like this, I certainly can’t let it go, so I wrote this article.

I know, it’s not my friend who humiliated me, but this document, this sentence… to be precise, it’s the word “gradually”.

The basic pension for farmers comes from the “Guiding Opinions of the State Council on Carrying out Pilot Projects for the New Rural Social Pension Insurance” issued on September 1, 2009, which started at 55 yuan/month. At that time, I was in charge of the comment channel on Phoenix.com, and I was very excited. I also did a special topic, feeling that farmers finally had a pension. It’s difficult at the beginning, and it will get better slowly.

But what I never expected was: 15 years have passed, and it has only “gradually” increased from 55 yuan to 123 yuan. An average of 4.5 yuan per year, it would take 150 years to increase to 800 yuan/month – I won’t see it, I can only tell my ancestors at the family sacrifice.

What I said earlier is only the central government’s portion. Adding local subsidies, except for a few provinces and cities like Shanghai, Beijing, and Tianjin, most provinces are less than 200 yuan/month. Calculated this way, it will also take 62 years to “gradually” increase to 800 yuan/month.

To be more optimistic, there was a one-time “significant increase” of 20 yuan/month last year. If it increases “gradually” at this rate, it will probably be enough in 30 years – I can probably still see it, but the old farmers who have paid public grain have long since died.

I checked the government institutions and public institutions and urban employees. In 2009, the average monthly retirement salary for the former was about 2,200 yuan and the latter was about 1,500 yuan. Now, they are about 6,200 yuan and 3,000 yuan respectively, an increase of at least 4,000 yuan and 1,500 yuan, which is 25 times and 10 times that of farmers. Of course, we can use another calculation method: government institutions and public institutions increased by 1.8 times, urban employees increased by 1 time, and farmers increased by 1.2 times ~ 2.6 times (123 yuan ~ 200 yuan). If we only calculate the increase, it is not low either, don’t you think?

I said before, “Do we have to wait until they are all dead before we don’t owe them?“, let me calculate again: China’s mortality rate is about 7%, about 10 million people die each year, and the rural population accounts for a little more than one-third. In the past fifteen years, about 50 million old farmers who have paid public grain have died. Dying “gradually” like this, the progress is not slow either.

Forget it, I’m not good at math. I’m exhausted from calculating this “gradually”, and I’ll get angry if I calculate any further.

Take a break, please read “gradually increase the basic pension for urban and rural residents” in the tone of a leader’s speech, and experience the composure in it. Speaking of which, our great national rejuvenation is just around the corner, so why is it so calm when it comes to farmers?

If you are a new reader of this public account, you may have some questions about increasing the basic pension for farmers, such as “the government has no money”, “farmers have land”, “farmers have not paid social security”, etc. I have discussed them fully before, and I will not repeat them here. See these articles: “8 Reasons to Increase the Basic Pension for Farmers to 800 Yuan“, “If anyone says “farmers haven’t paid social security”, please slap them in the face with this article“, “The countryside is not a “reservoir” and “buffer”“

Here, I’ll single out a fiscal subsidy, see the picture below:

According to Nie Ming’s statistics, as of 2021, the highest pension subsidy for government institutions and public institutions is 2211.3 yuan per month, the second highest is 482.8 yuan per month for enterprise employees, and the lowest is 163.9 yuan per month for urban and rural residents (including farmers). It is said that “the financial history of a country is shocking. If you read it, you will see not only economic development, but also the structure of society and fairness and justice.” Similarly, a country’s social security system is also shocking. The pension income ratio of “30:15:1” reflects the essence of society, the essence of power, and the position of different classes.

So, how long do we have to “gradually” increase it? Can we not increase it by a few or a dozen yuan, and not increase it by a percentage? Set a goal, one or two years, three or five years. If 800 yuan is not enough, can we increase it to 500 yuan first? You say “gradually increase”, I don’t know how to respond, should I call you a “great benefactor” and sing a “Lianhua Luo”?

In addition, let’s not call it “Document No. 1”, it makes people feel embarrassed. What farmers lack is not a serial number.

Is it 2025 now? Writing this, I think of myself in 2009 sitting in the grid room of Phoenix.com, and I can’t help but feel a little dazed. I don’t know when and where, I don’t know what day it is, I don’t know what kind of world this is?!

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