AARP: Predator in Chief

Acquiring and Possessing Property

That all Men are born equally free and independant, and have certain inherent natural Rights,…; among which are the Enjoyment of Life and Liberty, with the Means of acquiring and possessing Property, and pursueing and obtaining Happiness and Safety.

Virginia Declaration of Rights – 1776

AARP: Predator in Chief

In 2005, Bush II proposed reforming Social Security by converting part of the tax to a savings account. Central to many proposed reforms was a path to long-term solvency. At that time, Bill Novelli was the CEO of the AARP, who spent million of dollars defeating Bush’s agenda. Dishonestly, AARP claimed Social Security was solvent until 2041. Read what Marie Smith, the current President of AARP, had to say in 2005:

“Social Security is not in crisis,” she said. “The trust fund is large enough to pay full benefits to retirees through 2041. After 2041, even if no changes are made, the fund has enough money to pay 70 percent of benefits.”

Clearly, this statement is false. For over 20 years, academics and economics-based think tanks have analyzed and anticipated the Social Security crisis. Today, Novelli is not the CEO, but remains a Politically Powerful Predator. Recently, in Politico he states that Social Security is broke and pleads for quick action, with in a year:

Reforming Social Security will require three things: policymakers to work together, the public to understand the situation and engage, and a modest amount of sacrifice from workers and retirees.

Rather than joining Bush II to fix the advancing crisis, Novelli preserved the status-quo and protected AARP’s very lucrative flow of income from sales of prescription drugs, insurance and mutual funds. Now, many years short of 2041, he asks for workers and retirees to “sacrifice.”

It will be much easier to address the problem now in a rational and equitable manner than to wait until the crisis is upon us, when much more drastic changes to revenues and benefits would be necessary.

Despicably, Novelli wants workers and retirees to pay for AARP’s dishonesty. Worse he wants continuing government control of Social Security and Medicare. Thus, realistically ensuring that the ever-present Politically Powerful Predators will confiscate our children’s money and another crisis will occur.

Only personally owned accounts will stop the Politically Powerful Predators. For Democracy and freedom to flourish, people must own the product of their labor.

However, there is a role for government – to facilitate opportunities to save, e.g., 401ks and IRAs.

Only personal ownership assures security and freedom.