Kennedy, Daschle and Pelosi Join Alliance for Retired Americans... Rally to Oppose Medicare Bill

US Newswire ^ | 11/18/03

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

News Advisory:

Hundreds of senior activists will descend on Capitol Hill Wednesday, November 19, to express their outrage and opposition to the proposed Medicare prescription drug bill announced by conferees.

"We vehemently disagree with those who say any bill is better than nothing," said George J. Kourpias, president of the Alliance for Retired Americans. "We believe no bill is better than a bad bill. Seniors will not be fooled by what amounts to nothing more than a payout to special interests. Our members have long fought for a meaningful prescription drug benefit under Medicare, and what the conferees have offered is a lemon."

The Alliance strongly opposes the bill because it would privatize Medicare, puts millions of seniors at risk of having no coverage, has no guaranteed premiums, threatens employer-provided retiree coverage and does nothing to curb the skyrocketing prices of prescription drugs.

"The Bush Administration and Congress are callously using a much needed and long awaited prescription drug benefit to privatize Medicare," said Edward F. Coyle, executive director of the Alliance. "Medicare as we know it will cease to exist under the proposed bill, and seniors are coming from all over to say they will not stand for it."

WHAT: Rally to Stop Congress from Passing a Lemon of a Bill

WHO:

George J. Kourpias, president of the Alliance for Retired Americans

Senator Edward Kennedy

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi

Eleanor Kuhns, retiree

Audrey Wiest, retiree

Edward F. Coyle, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans

Hundreds of members of the Alliance for Retired Americans

WHEN: 12 p.m. on Wednesday, November 19, 2003

WHERE: Russell Caucus Room, Russell Senate Building, Third Floor

[Az Joe]

Oh, I see. Now it's the "Alliance for Retired Americans" who speak for seniors. Not the A.A.R.P.

Got it.

[jwalsh07]

What the hell happened to the AARPIES??????

[jwalsh07]

Dang, you beat me again! %#%^#^@*&(*&($*&@

[Cicero]

I wonder when this "Alliance" was formed? Yesterday, after AARP came out in support of Bush?

[Bubba_Leroy]

Is Alliance for Retired Americans a real organization or just something that the democRATs formed when they lost A.A.A.P.? (Which, by the way, is almost like the democRATs losing N.E.A. or N.O.W.)

[jwalsh07]

LOL, they keep them in the bullpen for these types of situations.

[Az Joe]

Two blurbs from the Alliance for Retired Americans and A.A.R.P.'s web site. Note that the A.R.A.is a retired union workers org. Note also that A.A.R.P. claims 35 million members and A.R.A claims 3 million.

"Welcome to the Alliance for Retired Americans—a strong voice for retired workers and their families. The Alliance...is a way for retired union members and others to make their voices heard. We have more than 3 million members and growing with chapters and affiliates all over the country."

---

And the A.A.R.P.

"Founded in 1958 by retired California educator, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, AARP (formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons) today represents more than 35 million members. About half of our members are working, either full or part-time, while the others are retired. Nearly a third of our members are under the age of 60; those age 60 - 74 comprise 46%, and 21% are 75 and older."

[Paleo Conservative]

Kennedy, Daschle and Pelosi Join Alliance for Retired Americans...

At first I thought this article was about Kennedy, Daschle, and Pelosi becoming retired.

[Kuksool]

Gotta keep the Seniors on the RAT Plantation.

[richtig_faust]

Another issue that is totally blown out of the water for the sake of political gain. Lets review some of the facts:

1) Mexico does not pay for the research and developement costs that the pharmaceutical companies incur.
2)Canada does not pay for the research and developement costs that the pharmaceutical companies incur.
3)Mexico does not pay for the insurance costs that that pharmaceutical companies incur.
4) Canada does not pay for the insurance costs that the pharmaceutical comapnies incur.
5) only american citizens have these costs put on their prescription drugs, not canuks, not mexcrements - only americans... welcome to occidental socialism.

[CFC__VRWC]

What the hell happened to the AARPIES??????

They actually came out in favor of the Republican plan. That's not really as surprising as it sounds, since I'm sure AARP views the Republican bill as nothing more than the camel's nose under the tent. Later on (after the elections are over) they can shove the whole camel down our throats.

Sounds like there's at least one senior group (the Alliance for Retired Americans) that doesn't like it. It looks like they're just like the media in that they don't even try to write theor own press releases - they just recite the daily DNC talking points. I'll bet the AARP is getting quite an earful from their membership, and they may well do a flip-flop and jump on the Ted Kennedy bandwagon in the next few days.

[SubMareener]

Seniors say both plans have huge gaps in coverage, include no guarantees on reducing premium costs, do nothing to bring down the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs and threaten employer-provided prescription drug benefits for retired workers. In addition, the House bill includes a $174 billion tax shelter that will help mostly high-income individuals and undermine coverage for active workers.

“These bills are a real horror,” says Eleanor Kuhns, 77, a retired garment inspector from Coal Township, Pa., and UNITE retiree. “Don’t they know we’re struggling? It’s sinful what they’re doing. They can do better than this and we’re going to keep hollering until they do better.”

[djpg]

They could be playing into Republican strategy. If the Democrats kill a bill that improved medicare benefits, which most conservatives consider unwise anyway, Bush would get credit for trying to help medicare recipients, and the Democrats will be seen as obstructionists. Meanwhile, a bad but popular measure is defeated.

[Az Joe]

Hey SubMareener! Which boats(s)?

USS Grenadier (SS-525) 1972-73, Key West
USS George Bancroft (SSBN-643) 1973-75 Charleston, Rota

[churchillbuff]

"They could be playing into Republican strategy. If the Democrats kill a bill that improved medicare benefits, which most conservatives consider unwise anyway, Bush would get credit for trying to help medicare recipients, and the Democrats will be seen as obstructionists. Meanwhile, a bad but popular measure is defeated."

Right on. I hope this big-spending socialist legislation is killed -- and that Democrats lose votes for killing it. A two-fer!

[small voice in the wilderness]

I wish one of these organizations would use a name more fitting. Like Federation of American Retirees Trust Symposium. F.A.R.T.S. for short.

[CFC__VRWC]

They could be playing into Republican strategy.

I'm really torn on this. On the one hand, Bush has the perfect excuse to let this dreadful vote-buying scam die before we're all saddled with it. He can let Kennedy and Co. do his dirty work and then use that as a club to pound them with during the campaign.

On the other hand, it makes me absolutely furious to read about greedy geezers like the Alliance for Retired Americans, who look at this taxpayer-funded bribe, and whine about how we're not giving them enough.

[SubMareener]

USS Trepang (SSN 674) (God Rest Her Soul) out of Groton from 1972 through 1974 as Sonar and Weapons. In 2 1/2 years we averaged 4.5 Knots. We called ourselves the Black and Blue Crew because our OPTEMPO was the same as a Boomer.

By the way, TREPANG's weapons shipping hatch and some parts of the crew's mess are in the American History Museum here in DC. It is a neat exhibit! You can watch an SSN trail a Soviet Yankee. See a missle launch video taped through a periscope. You still can say where you went, but just about everything else has been declassified.

[LasVegasMac]

Time to scare the old folks again.

Paging Ed Asner - Ed Asner. Time to record some more "Republicans are going to take everything you have!" messages.

You'd think this age group would wake up, one of these election cycles.

Holding my breath.

Not.

LVM