"You are right - But thats with NO Benifits - And before taxes are taken - That sounds great on paper - But if you are 50 to 61 you better Not ever need a doctor or Hospital - That can eat up that $140,000. Very Fast and by the way or benifits only go from contract to contract - they change each contract."

Finally we're getting to a major part of the problem. Expecting benefits from a company after you've left their employment is a recipe for financial disaster. As the pool of former employees grows, the costs of paying people who are no longer producing anything for the company increases the costs of doing business, reduces the amount of funds available for increases in wages and benefits for current and future employees, and basically turns a company into an expected provider of income for every employee for the life of the employee. That's both unreasonable and unrealistic in a capitalistic market driven economy. If you want to know why companies are looking for cheaper ways to provide products and services by building factories and hiring people in countries other than ours, you just nailed it.

Another thing you nailed is the taxes you'd pay on a lump sum payment of $140k. That is the salary of a rich person for a year. ....but you say that won't go very far. ...and the rich aren't paying their fair share of taxes according to some people. ....hmmmm.

$140k, even after taxes, and you can't get sick or hurt, otherwise you'll go broke? I've been paying for my own health insurance for decades, a concept that appears to be lost on those who are used to someone else making those payments for them.

$140k after taxes would be enough to relocate, retrain, re-school or re-whatever-you-want-to-do to take a different life's path from a company that could well fail completely if their cost cutting measures aren't enough to save it. As chippers, most of us are gamblers. You could bet your life on a turnaround, or you could take your future into your own hands. Scary as it might be, its up yo you, the offer is on the table.