AARP vs. Social Security?

by Dale Coberly

AARP vs. Social Security?

Last week Huffington Post

reported that AARP was embarking on a

“Social Security and Medicare “listening tour” called “You’ve Earned a Say and We’re Listening.” Through “town halls, community conversations, bus tours and other events,” the influential organization promises to offer members a chance to speak out on the simmering debate over the future of Social Security and Medicare.

“The outreach is part of the group’s campaign to restore trust it lost during last year’s spending debate, when a top AARP official told the Wall Street Journal the organization was open to cuts to the entitlement programs. “The ship was sailing. I wanted to be at the wheel when that happens,” AARP policy chief John Rother said, according to the Wall Street Journal.

“But while AARP staffers fan out across the country to hear from members, the group’s CEO, Barry Rand, will be listening to a different cast of characters.

An AARP invitation to a secret “Relaxed and Robust Evening of ‘Salon Style’ Conversation” to be held at a Capitol Hill home on March 27, obtained by The Huffington Post, indicates that the organization is still very much interested in a “grand-bargain” style deal that puts Social Security and Medicare cuts on the table.
“”AARP is not pursuing any closed door deals or grand bargains,” said an AARP spokeswoman. “Our main focus is hearing from our members, and all Americans, what they think about ways to strengthen Social Security and Medicare. That’s precisely why we’re launching ‘You’ve Earned a Say.’ We are interested in hearing from all sides and having civil discourse on these issues.”

“The invite list for 2012 suggests that AARP is still very much open to cutting Social Security and Medicare, as a majority of this year’s expected “thought leaders” have thoughts that involve slashing Social Security.
“”They want to be at the table when a deal is cut,” said one person who declined to be named because he continues to work closely with AARP. The irony is that while AARP’s legislative team may be convinced that a deal is inevitable, a grand bargain actively opposed by AARP would be effectively impossible for Congress to pass.”

What this amounts to is that AARP, granny’s lawyer, sees granny being raped by a bunch of thugs. But instead off rushing in to help her, he waits to see how the struggle is going. If it looks like the rapists are going to win, he will rush in to help them. Just in case, you know, there might be something in it for him.
There were 3700 comments on Huff Post to this article. Most of them understood that AARP is not one of the good guys, and their “we want to hear from you” is just a cynical smokescreen..no more than a survey to see how effective the lies have been. But sadly, not one of the 3700 comments showed any real understanding of Social Security or the “crisis” surrounding it. They have all grown up hearing the lies, and no effective answer to those lies. Not surprising when the politicians and the press are effectively owned by the Liars, and the “liberals” who defend Social Security always start out by talking as if the lies were true.
Rather than attempt to counter the lies, I will just repeat the simple truth here one more time and hope that someone finds a way to tell the people:

Social Security has nothing to do with the deficit, and it never will. Social Security is not going broke, and it never can. Social Security is not paid for by “the government.” It is paid for by the workers who will get the benefits.

With no change whatsoever Social Security can continue to provide “adequate” benefits so workers can afford at least a basic retirement after about forty years of work… that is when they reach 62, though they can get a larger monthly benefit if they choose to retire later.

IF those same workers as a voting majority decide they want the “same replacement rate” (monthly benefit as a percent of of their average lifetime real working wages) … over a longer life expectancy in retirement… they can raise their own payroll tax one half of one tenth of one percent per year… or about forty cents per week each year in today’s terms while their wages are increasing over one full percent per year… or about eight dollars per week per year.

Pretty much everything else you hear about Social Security is Lies or nonsense. There is no need to raise the cap, cut benefits, raise the retirement age, means test, or tax the rich. At most just a tiny raise in what amounts to an insurance premium to cover the increased costs associated with living longer in a richer society.