GRE Argument Topic 45

Sample 1:

The article writer claims that Clearview should be an attractive location for retirement due to its many attractive amenities, including the areas’ natural beauty and climate, quality healthcare, reduced housing costs, and low taxes. To evaluate the validity of this claim, additional information is needed about the town’s affordability, number of existing senior activities, quality of life, public transportation, and health care facilities and personnel. One of the author’s main arguments is that Clearview would be a great place to retire due to its affordability especially in terms of reduced housing costs and low taxes. Affordability is not only determined by the cost of housing but also by the buying power of the future residents. By comparing the income and mortgage allowance of the average retiree with Clearview’s housing prices, the article writer can determine whether the intended target audience has sufficient monetary resources to consider Clearview as a viable retirement option.

When proposing that Clearview is an ideal place to retire due to the low housing costs, the author needs to draw comparisons with the national and area specific averages to determine if the housing costs are low enough to encourage people to choose Clearview over other retirement locations. It is possible that housing costs in Clearview were previously high, so that the reduction in cost results in market prices that remain higher than the ones in neighboring towns. In this case, people would be more likely to choose an alternate retirement destination and the author’s argument related to the affordability of Clearview would become invalid. The opposite is also possible, with the housing costs of Clearview being lower than national or area averages, in which case, for fiscal reasons alone, Clearview would become a more attractive retirement destination. In addition to housing costs, there are a host of other expenses that add up to the monthly costs of living, and people looking for financially attractive retirement destinations would be likely to also take this information into account. By comparing Clearview’s monthly living cost with that of the area and national averages, the article writer could make a much more compelling case about the financial attractiveness of the town. If not only housing costs but also daily expenses prove to be lower than other neighboring retirement destinations then that is likely to make Clearview into a well sought-after retirement choice, as the article advertises. Should the monthly living costs be higher than those of the neighboring regions, Clearview could still be a good retirement destination based on its other selling points; however, it is not likely that it would become a top candidate.

Another issue to consider when advertising the financial attractiveness of the area is the taxes. The author should provide additional information on how the taxes in Clearview compare to nationwide taxes. While the author mentions that Clearview has better taxes than the neighboring towns, it is not clear just how high the taxes are, which is where the nationwide comparison comes in handy. Using this information, the author can establish if the taxes are low for the area, but overall high when compared to national averages (in the case where Clearview would be situated in an overall expensive region) or if the taxes are genuinely low. Based on the outcome, he might choose whether it is prudent to advertise tax rankings as a key selling point.

When making a case for the desirability of Clearview as a retirement place, one also needs to take into consideration evidence related to the quality of life in the area, like the percentage of senior population in Clearview, the number of recreational places and volunteer opportunities, and the town’s temperature and pressure statistics. While the author does mention that the climate is constant, he does not provide sufficient information to assess whether the areas’ weather would be ideal for elderly people. A very constant but high temperature can prove to be a deterrent for elderly people, who, in general, seem to prefer milder climates. On the other hand, if the evidence were to reveal that Clearview has a consistently moderate climate, then that fact might prove to be a sufficient incentive to choose Clearview over a slightly cheaper alternative that has less than ideal weather.

Senior population percentages would also come in handy when assessing the quality of life in Clearview. According to Forbes, retirees prefer to settle in places where they can integrate more easily and share activities with other people belonging to the same age group. In this sense, Florida and Arizona are retirement favorites because they already have a large population of senior citizens and provide a support system for newcomers. In this sense, if Clearview has a low number of senior citizens, and subsequently fewer senior targeted activities, retirees might choose to live in a town with a bigger elderly community, regardless of whether it might be more expensive. However, should Clearview have a nicely developed senior citizen community, then people would be more likely to retire there instead of in a place that provides cheaper accommodations but no recreational opportunities. This data would come in handy when advertising the town as a top choice for retirement destinations.

Another claim made by the article writer is that healthcare is important for retirees and from this standpoint, Clearview would be an ideal place to retire as it has a great number of physicians. This argument rests on the assumption that the number of healthcare providers is indicative of the quality of the services. To assess the validity of that claim, the article writer would have to take into consideration Clearview’s hospital rankings and report them to the number of physicians. In addition, given that there are certain afflictions that are more prevalent among the elderly, the writer should consider the top medical specializations sought after by old people and the number of physicians having those specializations in Clearview. This data would help evaluate whether Clearview’s health prospects match the desires and requirements of the elderly.

All in all, the article writer makes a compelling case for Clearview being a top choice for retirement destinations by playing on the town’s strengths that are most appealing to the elderly. However, the argument could do with improvements by placing financial data into national context to give perspective to the information, and by including information related to the quality of life.