HolyCoast: AALRP
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Tuesday, August 11, 2009

AALRP

The American Association of Liberal Retired People. That's not what AARP is called, but that's a more appropriate description of their operating philosophy. If you're a liberal senior they represent you quite well. However, millions of conservative and moderate seniors are throwing their annual dues down that rathole for an organization which is actively working against their best interests on key issues.

Some of those folks are waking up and fighting back:
Elected officials aren't the only ones facing frustrated, angry crowds at health care town hall meetings.

The senior advocacy group AARP is now coming under criticism from its own members for appearing to support President Obama's health care reform plans.

The internal debate is heating up as lawmakers prepare to enter what could be the final stretch in writing legislation, with just one committee left to vote on it.

But just as constituents are giving their elected representatives a piece of their mind over the August recess, some seniors are starting to protest the AARP.

Last week, AARP officials speaking at a forum in Dallas walked out after several seniors interrupted the meeting with critical questions and comments.

Some AARP members say they are so outraged that they've taken to tearing up their membership cards and firing off heated letters to the organization's CEO.

Recent polling by FOX News shows seniors, many of whom are on Medicare, don't want a major overhaul -- 93 percent rate their current coverage as good or excellent, and 56 percent say they oppose the creation of a government-run option for all Americans.

Other groups representing seniors say they aren't surprised by the recent backlash.

"We get letters every single day from people that are very upset about this bill and about the AARP supporting it," said Stuart Barton, president of the American Seniors Association. "So I don't blame them for coming back and saying they are going to tear up their AARP cards."

The AARP hosted a discussion with Obama last month on health care. But officials say the group is nonpartisan and has not endorsed any specific legislative measure.

They concede, however, that there are some provisions in the legislation that the organization has backed.

AARP spokesman Jim Dau said the group is working with the administration as well as congressional leaders in both parties.

"We're working with other groups including employers, small business owners, organized labor," he added.

AARP officials say the organization is used to being attacked, by both conservatives and liberals, and wears the bipartisan criticism as a badge of honor.

Critics don't buy that.

"The AARP speaks out of both sides of their mouth and tells their constituents or their members one thing and do another," Barton said.

The question of the day came during that Dallas meeting when one person asked the AARP representative: "Are you working for us or are we working for you?"

The fact that question needed to be asked is quite telling.

The AARP is running around holding these town hall meetings for the purpose of selling Obamacare. They haven't even bothered to find out what their dues paying members think, and although it's becoming obvious that a lot of them disagree with the organization, it won't matter. Like most unions, the senior leadership does not represent the will of most of their members.

But they're happy to take your money. And they'll offer you all sorts of special deals and discounts to keep you coming back, all the while using those dues to fund leftist political causes.

I'm eligible, but I'll never join.

3 comments:

Sam L. said...

And that's why I quit the AALRP. I'm not L, and haven't Rd yet, but the magazine showed what side they were on--and it wasn't mine.

Robb said...

The AALRP claimed at a town hall that they weren't for or against any legislation. I wish someone had yelled out, "That's a lie!"

Anonymous said...

AARP is very much like many other organizations that collect dues and then "represent" their members and, like those others, they rarely ever ask their members what they want and, when they do ask, they often ignore the responses if they don't fit into their preconceived plans.

Falling into this category are the California Teachers Assn., SEIU, etc.

I never joined AARP when I became eligible (long before I reached retirement age, by the way). It is becoming much more evident to seniors that AARP is not serving their best interest(s) and probably never really has done so.

Ed