Comments on: When You Ask AARP Members to Voice Their Opinions About Healthcare…

By: Norm

Norm — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 03:50:08 +0000

AARP is a marketing organization trying to sell all sorts of products including insurance to those who are “entitled to deep discounts for there years of working.” Government regulation kills competition and allows insurance to make all of those “obscene profits.” It only makes sense that they are for increased regulation to ensure their profitabilty and decrease competition.

By: EscapedWestOfTheBigMuddy

EscapedWestOfTheBigMuddy — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 19:42:03 +0000

The “leaders” and “volenteers” in the video display remarkably thin skins.

I don’t participate much in the kinds of organizations that have formal meetings. But, at the ones I do attend the crowd reaction that started that witch on her authoritarian “you have to listen to me” squeal wouldn’t even qualify for a note in the minutes: that level of dispute is like background noise.

By: Akston

Akston — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Interesting timing on this. I just got my first junk mail from AARP asking to join. I was where you guys were: hadn’t thought about it. I’ll do some research just to be sure, but this meeting and your tales of the group’s recent activity have me pretty well decided already.

I sure loved watching that group unite against the attempted repression by the AARP representative. Kind of a recapitulation of the policy in general: You’re just cattle. We’ll choose. Watching a group like that gives me HOPE for CHANGE.

By: Hank

Hank — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 00:53:24 +0000

Southernjames,

I too paid attention when the AARP opposed the privatization of Social Security. Even were a most modest proposal for SS reform adopted (such as allowing me to put my SS contributions into nothing other than government bonds), I would have been quite a bit better off now.

I am near 50. I am looking forward to explaining in short sharp detail why I will not be joining the AARP. Their support for national health care would have increased my resolve, were it not already pegged at 100%.

By: southernjames

southernjames — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:39:51 +0000

I toss out my junk mailer invites to join AARP.

I never paid any attention to who they were or what they stood for, in my younger days. I simply assumed that they were some group that got discounts on stuff like car insurance or prescription drugs or hotels – kind of like AAA, but for old farts.

Then I discovered during the Bush years when the idea was floated to try to reform social security, because after all, it is going to go flat-out broke by the time I become eligible, that AARP is actually what appears to be a leftist political action group. They were an instrumental player in torpedoing the discussion -scaring the politicians into doing NOTHING about social security, by scaring Granny and Granpa — “Bush is going to throw you out into the snow to die – call your Congressman!!” I’ve never forgiven the bastards for that. And as a result, not only will I never join – I actively tell anybody my age who will listen, that they should not join.

By: Red

Red — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:00:49 +0000

I hope these elder folks stick to their guns and hold their ground. The people that “ran” this meeting should be ashamed at the outrageous disrespect they gave their members. Their members are the whole reason AARP exists!.

By: Xanadu Xero

Xanadu Xero — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:54:36 +0000

Every group, including this one, succumbs to the idiocies of human nature, though the idiocies themselves – diverse as leaves. All groups become about ‘the group’ itself. I recommend those of you gauche enough to be past 50 THINK FOR YOURSELF, follow no one and reply to the AARP like I did when their Stepford mail stunk up my box: use the pre-paid envelope to tell them to FUCK OFF.

By: southernjames

southernjames — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:36:07 +0000

What was hilarious, was the AARP spokesperson who decided “If you’re not going to sit quietly and just STFU and let me lecture you on how wonderful the latest Big Government boondoggle is, I won’t engage you or try to convince you – I’ll just shut down my mike and stalk out.”

I looked real close, but I didn’t see too many pre-paid by Karl Rove, astroturfed “mob” with Nazi signs, like Nancy Pelosi told us all the town hall protestors are. Must have been a unique crowd for this one. Those old farts better watch their step, or the DNC will unleash some Union thugs on them, like they’ve done in St. Louis.