AARP's Creepy New Ad

So, it's come to this.


The Concord Coalition wasn't too thrilled with the ad either.

The Concord Coalition said today that a new ad campaign by AARP is misleading, divisive and an abdication of responsible leadership. At a critical moment, when hard decisions must be made about our nation’s future, AARP is demanding that current and future benefits for seniors be maintained at the expense of all other national priorities. It is interest group politics at its worst and should be soundly rejected.

The AARP ad features a senior citizen who warns that before politicians “even think about cutting my Medicare and Social Security benefits” they should remember that there are 50 million seniors with earned benefits who will be heard from on election day. The ad closes with an admonition to “Tell Congress: Cut waste and loopholes, not our benefits.”

The ad is timed to influence the already difficult work of the Joint Congressional Committee on Deficit Reduction (i.e. the “super committee”) which is seeking bipartisan solutions to reduce the deficit by $1.5 trillion over 10 years.

An email message announcing the ad says “Please let your members [of Congress] know that Medicare and Social Security cuts must be off the table as part of the super committees’s consideration” (emphasis added). AARP also states in an Oct. 12 press release that its members are urging the super committee to “protect current and future retirees from cuts to their Social Security and Medicare benefits” (emphasis added).

While the press release acknowledges that “Congress will have to make some tough choices to address our nation’s growing debt,” it does not propose any such choices and ignores how much more difficult those choices will be if Social Security and Medicare are exempted.

"This is the kind of tactic and rhetoric AARP has condemned in the past,” said former U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey, co-chairman of The Concord Coalition’s Board of Directors. “Since hollowing out the rest of the budget to pay for expanding entitlements would result in more uninsured, undereducated and unemployed Americans, AARP has taken an approach which can only and honestly be described as generational warfare. By its actions AARP has put at risk the strong inter-generational support for Social Security and Medicare."

After seeing the ad on television last night, I was reminded of this South Park episode:

Grey Dawn
Get More: SOUTH
PARKmore...

So, Occupy Country Kitchen Buffet?

Well, This Is Going To Piss Off The "Greatest Generation" Crowd

Well the Democrats have a plan on what they want to do to address the budget mess in Washington. Unfortunately, it is forcing the supposed "Greatest Generation" to make a choice.

They can either continue to enjoy their monthly government checks, which came about because of reforms enacted by FDR and later Democrats in the form of their Social Security checks and Medicare, or they can squander away all of their sacrifice in WWII by relegating the United States to a third world status as far as military might is concerned, thereby quite possibly enabling yet another world war. You see, in the history of mankind the one constant has always been the presence of a super power, and without that presence we devolve into chaos. For reference see: Decline of Roman Empire and the Dark Ages.

The blueprint would take nearly $900 billion from the Pentagon over the next decade — the same amount recommended by Obama’s fiscal commission. It would slice more than $350 billion from domestic programs. And it would produce interest savings of nearly $600 billion attributable to reduced borrowing.

Only about $80 billion would be cut from Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health programs, and nothing from Social Security. But even without touching those programs, the plan would stabilize borrowing by 2014 and begin pushing the national debt down as a share of the economy.

That is the Democrats' big plan. Cut the defense budget ten times more then Medicare. Of course, once the defense department is gone the rest of us won't have to worry about Medicare because I am sure whichever benevolent dictator takes over will take care of us just fine.

You see, for me that is exactly what the matter boils down to. Which path is it that our senior citizens are willing to take America down. Continue to enjoy the government largess, regardless of how short-lived it may be, or once again have to make a sacrifice, which, in reality, in all of the plans proposed by Republicans is really no sacrifice at all. Seniors are being scared by the liberals painting pictures of them eating cat food and being wheeled off cliffs because of Republican budget plans, when in fact they all state that no changes will occur for those currently receiving benefits. In other words, it is my generation which will have to make the sacrifice, which to me wouldn't have been much of a sacrifice if the damn Dems hadn't opposed every reform effort directed at Social Security that would have allowed for some private, personal investment options rather then the crappy return the government gives for the deduction from my paycheck.

So what is it, seniors? Do you sit by on your little Rascal and watch a country that your generation fought and died for and sacrificed so much for in the 40's become merely a puppet on the world stage, or will you shut the hell up and quit being cowed into a corner by the boogeymen created by the liberals? Right now your legacy is one of bringing freedom to the world, but how much longer before you become vilified and cited as the cause of causing a once great nation to descend into the dustbin of history well before its time?

Don't get me wrong, I have the utmost respect for the WWII generation, and it is time for you to enjoy your benefits, but please, PLEASE, step out of the way and let my generation address the problems and develop solutions which will work for us just as you devised solutions for your generation. Time marches on, and the only constant is change. All I am asking is look at the details, and when the plan says no changes for you, shut up! We should not have to sacrifice the security of this nation just to ensure the continuation of programs for your generation. If it were up to me I would already be sunsetting Medicare completely. I would keep it in place for seniors or those, say, 50 years old and up. For those younger, it is time to come up with a completely new method and I don't mean one reliant on the government, either. As far as Social Security, same thing. If somebody wants to stay invested in the Ponzi scheme, fine, let them, but as for me, I would like to take my chances with some private investment choices that will provide a far greater return on my investment and wouldn't be tied to the stability of the government, used as a weapon by elected politicians every election cycle. I have heard the damn issue brought up every time there is a national election since I am old enough to remember, and nothing has ever been done.

Well, seniors, the ball is in your court. With any luck, your benefits won't run out before the country dissolves if you support the Democrat plan.

60K Cancel AARP Memberships

Sure, it's a drop in the bucket considering they have a reported 40 million members, yet it's a significant message being sent to their leadership for being in bed with Obama, even if they won't admit it.

CBS News has learned that up to 60,000 people have cancelled their AARP memberships since July 1, angered over the group's position on health care.

Elaine Guardiani has been with AARP for 14 years, and said, "I'm extremely disappointed in AARP."

Retired nurse Dale Anderson has 12 years with AARP and said, "I don't wanna be connected with AARP."

Many are switching to the American Seniors Association, a group that calls itself the conservative alternative as CBS News Investigative Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports.

Last week alone, they added more than 5,000 new members. Our camera was there Friday when the mail came.

Letters were filled with cut-up AARP cards.

"I think that probably the seniors are most upset with cuts in Medicare," said ASA President Stuart Barton.

The American Seniors Association is flat-out against President Obama's plan, which calls for $313 billion dollars in Medicare cuts over ten years. The AARP is widely viewed as supporting the President.

Last week, Obama told a town meeting in Portsmouth, NH, "We have the AARP on board because they know this is a good deal for our seniors."

The AARP called the President's statements "inaccurate," saying it hasn't endorsed any plan or bill.

Some were left with the feeling that AARP was waffling.

Obama Lied, the Truth Died

Of course when they're busted they don't admit to lying. Instead you get some weak-assed claim that he misspoke. I'm starting to think a lot of people will soon be admitting they misvoted.

President Obama misspoke and did not intend to mislead the public when he said AARP had endorsed his health care legislation pending in Congress, the White House said Wednesday.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters that Obama did not mean to misinform Americans when he said Tuesday at a town hall in Portsmouth, N.H., that the senior lobby had backed his legislation.

"AARP has said they are certainly supportive and have been for years on comprehensive health reform," Gibbs said. "I don't think the president meant to imply anything untoward. I think he discussed the notion that AARP is supportive of legislation -- or, I'm sorry, an agreement that would -- that would fund filling the doughnut hole for seniors as part of Medicare Part D, as well as additional savings for comprehensive health care reform."

Obama said at the town hall that "we have the AARP onboard because they know this is a good deal for our seniors." He added, "AARP would not be endorsing a bill if it was undermining Medicare."

AARP's chief operating officer Tom Nelson quickly fired back, saying, "indications that we have endorsed any of the major health care reform bills currently under consideration in Congress are inaccurate."

Meanwhile, speaking of lies, are there any Democrats or their surrogates who tell the truth?