Tuesday, January 15, 2013

AARP IS PART OF THE PROBLEM

I have come to the conclusion that AARP is part of the problem rather than an enabler of a solution for our Nation's Debt problem and I have resigned my membership in AARP in the following email exchange and I urge you to do the same if you are a current AARP member.


L.S.

If this is the position of AARP, I have to give up my membership; I do not belong in the company of people supporting your position as you lay it out for me in your email response.

You simply ignore the fact that the nation has raised expectations of a welfare state that it can no longer meet.

Just like Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neil had to reset the Social Security program to put it on a sustainable footing in 1983 we need a reset now. Europe goes through the same process. It is simply the result of rapidly changing demographics that invalidate the assumptions on which the current entitlement programs were based.

The Social Security Administration is not alone. The State of Illinois will have no choice but to reneg on the promises it has made to its retirees. GM and Chrysler had to use bankruptcy to decrease its "legacy cost" as did all the major US Airlines.

It is irresponsible to plan on financing future entitlement obligations with borrowed money.

I cannot believe that AARP is willing to risk a calamitous debt crisis by refusing now to be a partner to a plan to bring the existing entitlements on a sustainable path for the foreseeable future.

I see a real problem for our nation when AARP refuses to constructively participate in an effort to avoid a ruinous debt crisis and NRA refuses to constructively participate in an effort to reduce gun violence. Both have become too big for their bridges and too willing to intimidate our legislators. I guess the only answer is to begin to reduce their membership.

I herewith resign my membership in AARP and I will use the social networks to urge others to do the same.
 
Frans H. Jager
8748 Timber Edge
North Ridgeville, OH 44039
Phone 440-748-4154
Fax 440-316-7213


From: "member@aarp.org" <member@aarp.org>
To: frnsjgr@yahoo.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2013 7:43 AM
Subject: Re: Entitlements << Reference ID: 1309249 >>

Dear Frans Jager:
Thank you for contacting AARP about the nation’s fiscal crisis and deficit reduction. We appreciate feedback such as yours and have taken note of your views. It’s my pleasure to respond.

Congress passed legislation on January 1 to avert the fiscal cliff by delaying the implementation of automatic across-the-board cuts in discretionary spending for two months. AARP is pleased the agreement ensures that Medicare patients can continue to see their doctors by delaying an automatic and drastic pay cut for Medicare doctors for another year. With more and more middle-class families anxious about their retirement security, we are also pleased to see the extension of benefits for the long-term unemployed and the restoration of Social Security’s dedicated funding stream. The deal also protects funding for key Medicaid programs, which will help millions of Americans who rely on Medicaid for their health and long-term care. And while we are disappointed in the repeal of the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Program, we are hopeful that the new Commission on Long Term Care will work toward meaningful solutions to help individuals live in their homes and communities and support family caregivers.

AARP and our members recognize the urgent need to put our nation's finances on a more secure path. However, some in Washington want to make cuts in entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Americans have paid into Medicare and Social Security and they deserve an open, thoughtful discussion about how we can protect these programs for seniors and strengthen them for future generations. With the compounded effects from the loss of retirement savings and home equity, high unemployment and rising health care costs, cuts to the benefits seniors have earned could undermine the standard-of-living of not just those with limited incomes, but middle-class seniors as well.

Medicare is the bedrock of health security for more than 47 million older Americans and Americans with disabilities. Fifty percent of Medicare enrollees have incomes below $22,000 per year. Someone on Medicare with $20,000 a year in income can already expect to pay nearly 20 percent of their income to pay for their ever-rising health and prescription drug costs, and it’s hard to see how they can afford to pay any more. As legislation is developed to address our nation’s deficit, AARP strongly urges Congress to reject proposals that would cut Medicare benefits or unfairly shift costs to seniors or future retirees. In addition, AARP strongly opposes proposals that would increase the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67. Cutting benefits for younger retirees would increase their own out-of-pocket spending by about $2,000 per year. It would also increase premiums for current enrollees because it would leave an older, more costly insurance pool, and it would increase health care costs for businesses because workers would be staying on their employer plans longer.

Rather than targeting Medicare and increasing costs for many, AARP believes Congress should look for ways to reduce costs and improve the system. These might include reducing the exclusivity period for biologic drugs, allowing for the safe and legal importation of prescription drugs, and enabling the Secretary of HHS to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices. With some estimates putting waste and fraud in the health care system at ten cents on the dollar, we stand by our call for Congress to fight fraud and target wasteful spending instead of simply cutting Medicare and Social Security.

Another proposal being considered would change the way Social Security’s annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) is calculated. Some analysts have argued that the current measure overstates inflation because it does not fully account for the fact that consumers often change purchasing patterns when prices change. Therefore, these analysts propose calculating the COLA using a “chained” consumer price index (CPI) to account for this substitution in purchasing. However, in the case of many products and services, such as health care (in which costs are rapidly rising), older consumers don’t have the opportunity to substitute in their purchasing, so the chained CPI will not accurately reflect their experience. This proposal would affect current retirees and reduce the value of Social Security benefits over their lifetimes. Reducing the Social Security COLAs for seniors in the future in order to pay for deficit spending in the past doesn’t make sense to AARP. Any changes to Social Security should be discussed as part of a broader conversation about how to help Americans prepare for a secure retirement, especially as pensions, savings and home equity have been crumbling over the past decade.

Simply, our policy reflects what the majority of our members have told us they believe: Congress should find ways to solve our nation’s budget problems without making damaging cuts to Medicare and Social Security for seniors. AARP was founded more than 50 years ago to ensure that older Americans have affordable health care and financial security in retirement. While much has changed since those early years, our commitments have not. AARP will continue to raise the voices of millions of Americans who rely on their Social Security and Medicare benefits and we will continue to fight for a balanced approach to solving our nation's deficit. For more information, or to get involved, visit www.aarp.org.

Thank you again for writing. We always welcome your input. Please feel free to continue sharing your comments and questions.
Sincerely,
Siva
Member Communications
Member@aarp.org

>> Original Message ...
>> From: frnsjgr@yahoo.com
>> To: Member@aarp.org
>> Subject: Entitlements
>> Sent: 01/11/2013 14:15
>>
>> To the AARP Leadership team:
>>
>>
>> I am a 69 year old retired business executive and I am seriously contemplating cancelling my AARP membership in response to your irresponsible stand against the reform Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid needed to bring them in line with current day demographics and budgetary constraints.>>
>>
>> You advocate cradle robbery!>>
>>
>> The ballooning of the National Debt is the single biggest threat to our national security and the prosperity of future generations and the in-sustainability of current entitlements are the major drivers of deficits as far as the eye can see.Your misguided advocacy caters to my generation at the expense of the generations of my children and grand-children and is morally defunct. I hope that our elected representatives will have the political courage to throw you and your arguments under the bus and adopt one of the many proposals now floating around for bringing the growth of the national debt under control by addressing serious reform of entitlements.

>> It is time that we admit that we have raised expectations that cannot be met under current conditions.What you do is the equivalent of what the UAW did to our automobile industry forcing bankruptcy in the end. As I see it you are part of the problem, not helping to find a solution.Why would I want to be a member of an organization that campaigns against everything I stand for if it comes to the fiscal management of our nation?

>> Frans H. Jager
>> 8748 Timber Edge
>> North Ridgeville, OH 44039
>> Phone 440-748-4154
>> Fax 440-316-7213
>> castnetcorp.blogspot.com

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