Many seniors have wondered why AARP went all in on the Obama health plan when some of us, with shreds of memory left, recall AARP being opposed to Hilliary's plan which is a virtual boiler plate for Obamacare. I called AARP to find out and basically got stonewalled. I was politely advised that my concerns would be forwarded. I got the impression many others had been asking the same question.

Why did AARP give Obama cover by supporting his health plan?

The answer is easy when full disclosure is on the table.

"What Obama didn’t say is that AARP receives millions in federal funds, and hopes to get even more by becoming a vendor under his plan. In January 2007, NLPC published Special Report documenting taxpayer support for AARP. The study found that federal funding accounted for $83 million, or about 10 percent, of AARP’s then-annual revenue of $878 million."

http://www.nlpc.org/stories/2009/07/...ma-health-care

In a press release to Forbes, RetireSafe, a senior organization dedicated to preserving rights for the elderly said:

"The effect of the health care plan on seniors would reduce their ability to obtain specialty care in areas such as orthopedics and cardiac care; threaten their home health care; cut diagnostics and research and innovation. The proposed public portion of the plan undercuts private plan options in Medicare, and will deny seniors their valued doctor-patient relationship".


http://www.forbes.com/feeds/prnewswi...__DC53033.html

An article for the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University cites the recent efforts of Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa asking AARP to explain its profits and actually suspending one of AARP's insurance programs. The article gives several links to letters and material that scratch the surface of information that the main stream media doesn't want to investigate.

http://www.niemanwatchdog.org/index....groundid=00301

My take is that AARP has morphed into a major insurance vendor that stands to be rewarded handsomely for its support of the Obama plan. At least it explains the sellout of their constituency......senior citizens.

Preparing for incoming in a bunker at an undisclosed location....after golf that is.

They have gotten so big and have so much money the have shifted away from the needs of their customers/constituents. Remind you of any other self promoting...to with we the people organization??
How about starting a list of alternative providers for like AARP products to assist those in considering dumping AARP.....I am before year end!!

btk

One of the largest concentrations of Senior's is in The Villages. It is a shame they do not band together and collectively one evening meet and rip up their AARP cards as a show of discontent.

Originally Posted by cabo35

In a press release to Forbes, RetireSafe, a senior organization dedicated to preserving rights for the elderly said:
"The effect of the health care plan on seniors would reduce their ability to obtain specialty care in areas such as orthopedics and cardiac care; threaten their home health care; cut diagnostics and research and innovation. The proposed public portion of the plan undercuts private plan options in Medicare, and will deny seniors their valued doctor-patient relationship". [

RetireSafe lists the following as the issues they address:
"Personal Retirement Accounts allowing individual choice, control and ownership"
"RetireSafe also commended the drug company GlaxoSmithKline for its "courageous stance in favor of protecting older Americans from the dangerous and illegally re-imported pharmaceuticals coming across the border from Canada."
RetireSafe may be someone's advocate, but it probably isn't seniors.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php...RetireSafe.org

Kayacker....thanks for the interesting link. At the risk of baiting you into "my link is more credible than yours" exchanges that are boring and serve no purpose in expanding debate, I would point out this comment from a competing link about your "authoritive source" Center for Media & Democracy

The Center for Media & Democracy (CMD) is a counterculture public relations effort disguised as an independent media organization. CMD isn’t really a center it would be more accurate to call it a partnership, since it is essentially a two-person operation.

Regarding the Center for Media and Democracy partnership, the liberal Village Voice said, “These guys come from the far side of liberal.” Seen through this dynamic duo's socialist lens, society’s major problems are capitalism in general and corporations in particular. If someone in a shirt and tie dares make a profit (especially if food or chemicals are involved), Rampton and Stauber are bound to have a problem with it. Unless, of course, that food is vegetarian, organic, certified fair-trade, shade-grown, biodynamic, or biotech-free — in which case, the sky’s the limit!

http://www.activistcash.com/organiza...iew.cfm/oid/12

Kayacker, I could go on and you and I could counter each other with links advocating or criticizing just about any source that's posted. Instead of attacking the source with copious cut and pastes, wouldn't it be more productive to debate the fact pattern represented.

Thanks to you, I know more about RetireSafe. Their interests in seniors is multifaceted and they are not without a political bias. I find difficulty faulting much of the information in the "smoking gun" link that you seem to think indicts them. For instance, RetireSafe represents itself to be multifaceted in "Its goal is seeking "retirement security through policies that encourage economic growth, wealth creation, and individual choice and control."[1] .

Health is but one domain they advocate for..savings security is another. Regarding savings security RetireSafe advocates Permanent Death Tax Repeal, Ending the Double Taxation of Dividends and Reducing Capital Gains. I happen to agree with all three and I don't believe I'm alone. There is much more that I acknowledge is arguable and subject to one's bias. In this case mine and yours.

Your rather harsh one line trashing of them based on limited, superficial, "google" analysis is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Thanks for contributing to the thread.

ZZZZZZZZZ Wake up Keedy.....your sleeping on the keyboard again.

AARP ticks me off sometimes.

This topic has drawn me. darn it

Boomer

Originally Posted by cabo35

Kayacker....thanks for the interesting link. At the risk of baiting you into "my link is more credible than yours" exchanges that are boring and serve no purpose in expanding debate, I would point out this comment from a competing link about your "authoritive source" Center for Media & Democracy

The Center for Media & Democracy (CMD) is a counterculture public relations effort disguised as an independent media organization. CMD isn’t really a center it would be more accurate to call it a partnership, since it is essentially a two-person operation.

Regarding the Center for Media and Democracy partnership, the liberal Village Voice said, “These guys come from the far side of liberal.” Seen through this dynamic duo's socialist lens, society’s major problems are capitalism in general and corporations in particular. If someone in a shirt and tie dares make a profit (especially if food or chemicals are involved), Rampton and Stauber are bound to have a problem with it. Unless, of course, that food is vegetarian, organic, certified fair-trade, shade-grown, biodynamic, or biotech-free — in which case, the sky’s the limit!

http://www.activistcash.com/organiza...iew.cfm/oid/12

Kayacker, I could go on and you and I could counter each other with links advocating or criticizing just about any source that's posted. Instead of attacking the source with copious cut and pastes, wouldn't it be more productive to debate the fact pattern represented.

Thanks to you, I know more about RetireSafe. Their interests in seniors is multifaceted and they are not without a political bias. I find difficulty faulting much of the information in the "smoking gun" link that you seem to think indicts them. For instance, RetireSafe represents itself to be multifaceted in "Its goal is seeking "retirement security through policies that encourage economic growth, wealth creation, and individual choice and control."[1] .

Health is but one domain they advocate for..savings security is another. Regarding savings security RetireSafe advocates Permanent Death Tax Repeal, Ending the Double Taxation of Dividends and Reducing Capital Gains. I happen to agree with all three and I don't believe I'm alone. There is much more that I acknowledge is arguable and subject to one's bias. In this case mine and yours.

Your rather harsh one line trashing of them based on limited, superficial, "google" analysis is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Thanks for contributing to the thread.

ZZZZZZZZZ Wake up Keedy.....your sleeping on the keyboard again.

Greetings...I am on sabbatical in the mountains of New Hampshire and cannot seem to function correctly....I think it is the altitude. No offense to Kayaker but I have zero confidence in most of his links in the past.
AARP has morphed into something that needs close scrutiny for all seniors.

Thanks for the chuckle Cabo.

Boomer....glad to see you on the board. There are a lot of people across the country that are upset with AARP. They did some good things early on. You should have heard the apologetic two step I received when I called them to ask questions about their position on the new Medical Care legislation. A lot of people suspect AARP stands to gain significantly if the plan is adopted. Promises made? Time will tell.

Thanks for posting.

Originally Posted by REH7380

One of the largest concentrations of Senior's is in The Villages. It is a shame they do not band together and collectively one evening meet and rip up their AARP cards as a show of discontent.

What a great idea. That is a hoot. 40 years after burning our draft cards, we get together and put a flame to our AARP cards.

We alert the media and they can film the event.

Aarp has always been a liberal left leaning organization pretending to represent seniors as most women's organizations do who pretend to represent women when their only interest is promoting the democrat party.

Originally Posted by cashman

Aarp has always been a liberal left leaning organization pretending to represent seniors as most women's organizations do who pretend to represent women when their only interest is promoting the democrat party.

I never gave it too much thought on which way the AARP leaned. However their actions in the last few years have convinced me that the Seniors are not important to them. I will be canceling my subscription and a policy I have with them