Posted on 01/23/2005 9:59:48 AM PST by ReleaseTheHounds
The American Association of Retired People is the biggest obstacle to President Bush’s plan to modernize Social Security to include individual savings accounts for younger workers. The Wall Street Journal recently wrote that the AARP is “dead set against” Social Security reform. AARP has already launched a $5 million plan to scare older Americans into believing that the President’s proposal is dangerous and will steal Social Security benefits from current retirees.
But this is a misleading argument at best. President Bush has explicitly stated that he will not cut benefits for current retirees. Current beneficiaries have nothing to worry about from President Bush’s Social Security reform proposals. Still, that hasn’t stopped the AARP from waging a campaign to mislead citizens and rally its’ 35 million members.
So why does the AARP oppose Social Security reform? It seems that the AARP has a single public policy agenda – to lobby Congress to provide ever more subsidies to the retired community. What that really means is transfer wealth from the young to the old.
Is that what most of our older Americans really want? Is that what’s really best for our country? Certainly many older Americans would support President Bush’s proposal to give young Americans a chance to own their own retirement savings – a chance to pursue the American dream of savings and accruing wealth over the course of their working life.
Here’s what you can do. Visit www.NoThanksAARP.com and sign the petition, stating that you pledge to never become a member of the AARP.
Once you’ve signed the petition, we urge you to educate current AARP members about the facts on Social Security reform: educate them about how the AARP is trying to stop the President Bush’s reform proposal. Tell them how AARP is trying to kill a reform that will improve the lives and futures of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
You can also tell them to quit the AARP by Calling 1-888-687-2277: Urge them to: “Tell the AARP that I no longer want to be a member of the AARP since they oppose Social Security reform. Tell the AARP that I care about the future of your grandchildren and great-grandchildren!”
The goal of this petition is to show the members of Congress that Americans are sick and tired of the AARP’s scare tactics. President Bush has courageously decided to strengthen and modernize Social Security to provide a better deal for young Americans. We can’t afford to let the Greedy AARP stop this important initiative!
Please visit this site and sign the petition!
1) AARP discriminates against people under 50. (taking a page out of the Dem. playbook).
2) AARP should lose it's "charity" (nonprofit) status immediately and have to pay back all the subsidies it's gleaned from it's bogus nonprofit status.
Please visit, sign the petition, and recruit some other grassroots petition signers! The AARP certainly doesn't represent my interests or the interest of my kids... I hope you will agree.
Asking the government to reform Social Security is a bit like asking the Corleones to reform their numbers racket. It's a Ponzi scheme, there is no trust fund, there is no money, they spent it all.
I sisgned the petition against the "Anti American Republic Pac". Cut off their money. I heard that they receive Tax money also. All of these groups against the Constitutional Republic of the United States are funded by our Tax money!
The ACLU, AARP, the UN and probably a hellof a lot more that we don't even know their names. We have so
much "American Tax Money" going into the system to
these "Anti American Organizations" it's a wonder we
have survived this long.
I know I'm in the minority here, but I actually don't like the President's plan. $2 Trillion is a LOT of money. I'm not sure the solution to the problem needs to costs that much. To be honest, I also wonder if the problem itself is a less than $2 Trillion shortage (making this plan a washout as far as tax dollars go). A $2 Trillion dollar fix for a $2 Trillion dollar problem doesn't seem like much of a fix to me. Especially when the problem is that we can't pay the $2 Trillion in the first place. If we can't come up with the cash, how is having a different plan that costs the same amount of money that we can't come up with going to solve the problem?
If anyone has any information on this, please post.
What the AARP IS is a slick marketing funnel for a host of products that might appeal to their membership base such as auto insurance, so-called health insurance, collectibles, and on and on, each offered with a 'Discount' tied to AARP Membership. Simply put, it is a marketing machine that has convinced a large group of people that they should pay for the privilege of mailboxes full of AARP approved offers - nothing more.
I signed. For me, it's a no-brainer. I'll never be a member of AARP.
Every beg letter and come-on I get from the AARP gets the following response:
"Since I support neither gun control nor socialism, I am not even remotely interested in joining the AARP. Your anti-American agenda has earned you a place on my roster of America's domestic enemies."
How can you not like a plan that isn't even formed yet? All things are on the table for discussion, but there is no plan, not yet anyway. Only proposals, and discussion.
my liberal in laws live with my hubby and I and our mailbox is crammed with AARP crap every day. I had a huge blowout with my fatherinlaw who insisted on usingAARP homeowner insurance,guess what? instead of 400.00 yearly premium they charged us 1250.00 and depleted our tax account,which gave me an almost heart attack because our mortagage co. sent us a bill and then raised our house payment. I told my father in law to get the problem resolved ASAP or else I wouldnt pay the overage on the house payment nor would I pay for his crappy AARP homeowner coverage. he's quite mad at me right now and I dont really give a D**M.
AARP is a total sham and ripoff artists.
BTT!!!!!!
Middle-O-Road: The current unfunded liability in Social Security is probably north of $10 trillion, so the $2 trillion "transition cost" is a very small price to pay for fixing this problem once and for all. The Democrats focus on the $2 trillion transition cost while begging "don't look at that $10 trillion problem over there... maybe it will go away! Maybe there will be a tsunami that will wipe out 20-30MM future beneficiaries and Social Security will have another 40 years of ponzi-scheme viability!" That's the Paul Krugman view of this.
Why don't you visit the Cato or Independent Women's Forum or Heritage Websites and look at some of the very good papers that have been done on Social Security. Or ask your Congressman how the city of Galveston, TX, workers are doing having opted out of Social Security many years ago? Answer: they're loving their private plan... just as Congressmen love their 401K private plan. And those plans aren't going bankrupt.
Agreed. Set a date and get rid of Social Security. Socialist programs can't be "fixed."
You're assuming that the $2 Trillion price tag won't balloon out of control once Congress gets their hands on this issue. It would turn into a pork fest. No thank you. I'd like to see some alternatives before I bite.
Also, if we can't afford the $10 Trillion, how do we afford the $2 Trillion?
As to 'fix the problem for good' - well, I've heard that one before.
My Dad had been using AARP for homeowner's insurance but he has since died. Your payment of 400 dollars for home insurance shocked me. I am having to pay forinsurance for an $129,000 house for around 950 dollars a year. Geez, wonder what my Dad would say if he could read your post!
I will discuss this with my brother in a little while.
Fine. Give me back all the money I and my employer have contributed for the past 25 years plus interest, and you can do whatever you want to Social Security.
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