Why I Will Never Join the AARP

I will never join the AARP, the senior lobby. This is
not because I'm in denial about being a "senior." I'm 70 years-old. But because
they're selfish and think only of themselves, not the country that gave them so
much.

AARP's most recent TV ad exemplifies an attitude of
entitlement that is part of the
problem in our country today.

We "earned" our Social Security and Medicare, we "deserve" it,
the angry spokesman in the ad proclaims. AARP is clearly threatening to vote out of office any
politician who doesn't support their every demand. No hint of compromise here.
(See video link at bottom)

These are no doubt the same people who vote down school
spending because their kids are no longer in
school!

The fact that we seniors, on average, are getting
more benefit out of these
programs than we ever put is never mentioned in the commercial. It's all about,
"We earned it. We deserve it.".

Yes, you did, but you had a lot of help from a prosperous society, a society with political and legal stability, good affordable schools, established infrastructure, wealth, and lots of freedom. So knock off the "we deserve it" and "we earned it" bullshit. Time are different now. College graduates can't find job and our country faces an unprecedented fiscal challenge.

The commercial also doesn't mention that the "wealth
gap" between the young and old is the "highest ever,"
according to CNBC article that appeared yesterday, 11/7/11.

Here are the numbers: "The typical U.S. household
headed by a person age 65 or older has a net worth 47 times greater (47 times!) than a household headed
by someone under 35," based on an analysis of census data.

"While people typically
accumulate assets as they age." the article continues, "this wealth gap is now
more than double what it was in 2005 and nearly five times the 10-to-1 disparity
a quarter-century ago, after adjusting for
inflation."

Read those numbers again, please and note how quickly the balance has shifted. Then vote for politicians who are
willing to stand up to the AARP and other special (and often selfish)
interests.

BTW, I'm also against "senior discounts" for movies and
transportation. We should pay more!

Jim Fleming

Here's the video link to the short
commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3yHa8brzNA

Here's the link to the CNBC article: http://www.cnbc.com/id/45188794