By Thomas Stokes, Middletown
I am really getting tired of these “AARP Volunteers” and so-called “officials” who continuously spout drivel in their attacks on Republicans.
It was the AARP who supported Obamacare and the $500 BILLION cut in Medicare, which will negatively impact many seniors seeking medical treatment.
Of course, I am sure it had nothing to do with the sale of AARP sponsored health insurance plans (which, as a result of Obamacare, may reap a windfall in profits for AARP). Even AARP had to raise the health insurance premiums of their employees as a result of Obamacare. And quite a few “favored friends” received “waivers” from Obamacare.
Now, we read that the AARP is “open” to reforming Social Security, with the AARP legislative policy director David Certner saying that Social Security needs a “package of revenue and benefit adjustments … to make it solvent.” Of course, the solution they seem to favor is increasing the payroll taxes on every worker and employer.
The fact is, Social Security and Medicare are facing a fast approaching financial crisis. The simple truth is that with the increasing life expectancy, and the baby boom generation starting to retire, the growth of the population receiving these benefits is outpacing the growth of active employees – making the sustainability of outlays extremely dubious. Trustees of the Social Security and Medicare Trust Fund recently warned the Social Security Trust Fund will be exhausted in 2036 and under current law, seniors would then face a 23 percent across-the-board cut in benefits.
Here are the grim statistics right from Social Security (http://www.ssa.gov/history/ratios.html).
In 1945, there were 46,390,000 covered workers. There were 1,106,000 receiving Social Security benefits. The ratio of worker to retiree was 41.9.
In 2010, there were 156,725,000 covered workers with 53,398,000 receiving benefits. That is a ratio of less than 3 to 1 (actually 2.9 workers for every retiree).
These facts are clear. The current trending has placed these programs on a fiscally unsustainable path. There can be no doubt as to the ultimate outcome.
Unless something can be done to expand job growth, to begin to address the imbalance of workers to retirees, Social Security (and Medicare) will collapse, leaving current seniors and those close to retiring out in the cold.
Whether you agree with the solution as proposed by Congressman Paul Ryan on the Medicare issue or not, Congressman Ryan must be congratulated for daring to touch the so-called third rail of American politics. It is critical that these issues be raised and addressed in a fashion to protect the future of America’s current seniors and those closing in on retirement age. Nonsense as spouted by so-called self appointed (or anointed) representatives of seniors does nothing to solve the problem.
We have raised retirement ages in the past; it seems clear that, with increasing life expectancy this will need to be addressed again. Perhaps Medicare age should also tie in with the Social Security age. Ultimately, we need to get our country’s economic house in order so that we may create job growth.
With a 9.1 % unemployment rate, it is clear that Obamanomics has now failed. Even the Democrat National Chairperson, Debbie Wasserman Schultz , now says about the Democrats, “We own the economy” (6/15/2011). Blaming Republican President Bush and the past Democrat Congress solves nothing.
It’s time to stop political games and begin to work together to turn this country around. The Democrats, who controlled Congress the past few years, and still control the Senate, failed to even propose a budget last year. Why? Where is the President in leading his party? He seems to be an absentee leader, preferring the golf links to resolving issues.
The problem is not that Americans are under-taxed, it is that our politicians are addicted to spending. Yes, taxes need to be addressed (the best solution would be to throw out the entire tax code and start with a simpler, fairer, income tax and perhaps even a consumption tax), but we do need to cut spending first. Perhaps then we can start to grow our economy out of the doldrums we find ourselves in.
Perhaps seniors should be made aware that there are other senior organizations they could join instead of the AARP. These include: Alliance for Retirement Prosperity Association, PO Box 3678 Warrenton, Virginia 20188 and 60 Plus Association, 515 King Street, Suite 315, Alexandria, Virginia 22314.
Competition is always a good thing.
Posted: June 20th, 2011 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Soial Security | Tags: AARP, Social Security, Thomas Stokes | 3 Comments »
