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Democratic sources tell me that AARP – easily the most influential seniors lobby – will endorse the health reform legislation put together by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats. Speaker Pelosi and her leadership team have been lobbying the lobby for weeks. AARP officials also met yesterday with WH Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and took the proposed endorsement to their Board of Directors. A public announcement is expected tomorrow or Friday, in advance of a vote by the full House likely to come on Saturday. “Big victory,” summed up one top Democrat. The Speaker still doesn’t have the 218...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Officials are telling The Associated Press that AARP_the seniors' lobby_will endorse the health care overhaul bill that House Democrats are preparing to take to the floor. Officials with knowledge of the group's decision told The Associate Press on Wednesday that the senior's lobby has decided to give the $1.2 trillion measure its seal of approval. An announcement is expected Thursday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement has not been made. The endorsement, in advance of floor votes as early as this weekend, would be a major boost for President Barack Obama's signature issue.

WASHINGTON (AP) - In a coup for House Democrats, AARP will endorse sweeping health care overhaul legislation headed for a history-making floor vote, officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday. An endorsement from the seniors' lobby was critical when then-President George W. Bush pushed the Medicare prescription drug benefit through a closely divided Congress in 2003. House Democratic leaders are hoping it will work the same political magic for them as they strive to deliver on President Barack Obama's signature issue. An announcement from the 40-million member group is expected Thursday, said officials with knowledge of the group's decision. They...

WASHINGTON -- Republicans in Congress are taking aim at AARP's financial ties to the health-insurance industry just as the advocacy group is taking a more prominent role supporting an overhaul of the nation's health-care system. The House Republican Conference has been circulating talking points among lawmakers and staffers, saying AARP wants an overhaul because its business arm would benefit from legislation in both the House and the Senate. Friday, three Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee sent a letter to AARP Chief Executive A. Barry Rand, saying the group's support for proposed cuts in the overhaul bills to...

AARP is trying to portray itself as a "non partisan" observer on the health care debate, but has been actively working toward ensuring the passage of Obamacare. All the evidence points to the fact that the Senior advocacy organization is willing to push through a plan that will hurt its membership so it can make millions on its insurance related activities. During the summer AARP's management contended that they generically support health care but don't support any specific bill. At the same time they were running commercials that advocating for specific elements of the House Bill. The AARP even published...

The nation's pre-eminent seniors group, AARP, has put the weight of its 40 million members behind health care reform, saying many of the proposals will lower costs and increase the quality of care for older Americans. But not advertised in this lobbying campaign have been the group's substantial earnings from insurance royalties and the potential benefits that could come its way from many of the reform proposals. The group and its subsidiaries collected more than $650 million in royalties and other fees last year from the sale of insurance policies, credit cards and other products that carry the AARP name,...

As far as I can tell, the goal of the AARP — formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons — is to enslave all those of working age. Once enslaved, workers will support retirees in the style to which the AARP feels they are entitled. This would be good for the AARP because its real business is selling products to older people by direct mail, and the more income older people have, the better it is for the AARP. Too bad about everyone else.

Major institutions should be broken up if necessary, Greenlight manager says NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Greenlight Capital manager David Einhorn said Monday that his hedge-fund firm is betting on the possibility of a major currency collapse and a surge in interest rates, citing ballooning government deficits in some of the world's most developed countries.The hedge-fund manager, who warned about Lehman Brothers' frailty before it collapsed last year, also said financial institutions that are deemed as "too big to fail," such as Citigroup Inc. /quotes/comstock/13*!c/quotes/nls/c (C 4.57, -0.02, -0.38%) , should be broken up. ReutersDavid Einhorn of Greenlight Capital. Greenlight has...

Among the $500 billion in Medicare cuts that will provide the bulk of the financing for Obama's health care plan is a $160 billion to $180 billion cut in the Medicare Advantage program, which offers a range of benefits not available to beneficiaries under basic Medicare. Medicare Advantage should be Obama's favorite program. It combines all the elements he likes -- premiums are subsidized for low-income elderly, and the companies negotiate low-priced, managed care that emphasizes prevention, treatment of chronic conditions and coordination among doctors. As a result, its costs on the one hand and its premiums on the other...

An insidious, treacherous, anti-military, anti-democracy and anti-capitalist organization called “Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America”, IAVA, is posing as a veteran’s aid and support group in an attempt to turn the last non-Leftist bastion of America into the Left’s mightiest arm of real force. logo They are dedicated to one mission, and one mission only: indoctrinate the average service member into a Leftist ideologue loyal to George Soros’ and Obama’s neo-Marxist revolution. Go to this link and scroll down to the bottom, and you will see the IAVA’s “report card” on politicians’ performance as supporters of the troops. John McCain...

WHY is Congress so eager to cut $160 billion-plus from Medicare Advantage? The program does things that President Obama and other liberals normally praise. Is the cut simply the price charged by AARP (the American Association of Retired Persons) for overlooking the rest of the $500 billion in Medicare cuts meant to finance "health-care reform"? Medicare Advantage offers a range of benefits beyond basic Medicare. It combines many elements Obama and other liberals like -- such as subsidized premiums for low-income elderly, "pooling" of insurees to provide bargaining power and managed care that emphasizes prevention, treatment of chronic conditions and...

Just a couple short weeks ago, an overly emotional House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (R-Calif.) warned the American people about the level of rhetoric in the health care debate. She choked back crocodile tears as she expressed her fears that the level of discourse in the debate could lead to violence. To paraphrase one of Ann Coulter’s best lines, Pelosi was so upset her expression almost changed. “I think we all have to take action and responsibility for our words,” Pelosi said. “We are a free country and this balance between freedom and safety is one that we, um, have to...

Today I received, actually my husband received a nice letter from AARP asking him to join. I started to just throw it away. But, then a light bulb went off in my head. Why not send it back? So I write on the nice letter, NO WAY, I'd never join. Seeing that I don't have to pay for the stamp, it will be off in the mail tomorrow. Give those postal workers something to do. And maybe the AARP a clue.

Most of us understand that a careful, unbiased analysis of facts or ideas and presentation of findings is vastly different from propaganda. The latter is designed to further a cause regardless of facts. At its crudest, it is Fidel Castro or Hugo Chávez ranting to an audience fearful of offending the Maximum Leader. However, propaganda can be far more sophisticated, thus more effective and much more dangerous. The first-rate propagandist knows to include enough truth in his campaign to establish his credibility, while hiding whatever works against his cause. He disguises his work as an unprejudiced appraisal by carefully picking...

ACORN is using a tangled web of tax-exempt organizations to funnel tax money to itself according to a detailed review released last night by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee.Some or all of them may be nothing more than shell companies used to pass money from the government directly through to ACORN and its affiliates. “This analysis regarding the vast number of charitable organizations that ACORN set up to funnel money to itself raises questions about whether ACORN used the entities to advance the charitable mission of helping poor people get housing, or whether...

Free Speech: The Senate votes against transparency as the administration silences a private insurer for exposing the president's health care proposal. Meanwhile, AARP is allowed to tout reform as it awaits payday. We weren't surprised when the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday voted 12 to 11 against allowing two weeks for the Congressional Budget Office to complete its cost analysis of the health care bill pushed by Montana Democrat Max Baucus and to put the bill online in its original wording. Instead, the Senate panel passed another amendment to require the committee to post the full bill online in "conceptual"...

The answer may be greed. The AARP has been a strong supporter of Obamacare for the last several months. This position is not held by most of their membership. Many AARP members have resigned over the leaderships position. So, why is the AARP supporting the Democrat's health care overhaul? It isn't concern for providing coverage to their membership. Most seniors have insurance or are covered under Medicare. The reason the AARP supports Obamcare appears to be money. Under the Democrats health care reform plan, $162 billion in payments to privately-administered Medicare Advantage will be cut. This will force many seniors...

One of the subplots to the health care debate I've been following is the cozy relationship between AARP and the Obama administration, as the group has thrown its full-throated support behind the Democrats' health care push even though their membership comes from the age group most opposed to Democratic health care proposals. Today, House Republicans have issued a report providing evidence that AARP is in a position to recieve tens of millions of dollars in "kickbacks" if Democratic health care legislation becomes law. If the House Democrats health care bill becomes law, the report argues, it would be a boon...

George Orwell call your office.  Again. Was it only two months ago that Cong. John Carter (R-Tx) and a few other conservatives were protesting the Democrats’ censorship of their constituent mailings? Yes, it was.  When  Judge Carter tried to describe Obamacare as “government-run healthcare” the House Franking Commission told him he couldn’t use the term in a constituent mailing that would be mailed for free as are most constituent mailings.  Not only could he not use those words, he couldn’t use the words “Democratic Party.”   Now, the Democratic Party (i.e., the Obama administration) wants to censor the mailings sent...

http://spectator.org/blog/2009/09/22/gop-report-charges-aarp-gettin