Why does AARP get into the debate about Social Security and Medicare requesting it's members to  tell the President to keep his promise when it is the Republican Congess that is fighting him Tooth and Nail to cut the programs?  It is the Republican Congress who are calling Social Security and Medicare  entitlement programs when they are NOT.  If the President doesn't meet the Republicans half way he will be called down for not compromising.  Republican Congress is already saying no deal can be reached until these entitlement programs are cut to some degree.  AARP ask it's members to call the white house and tell the President to keep his promise instead of asking Republican Congress to take the pressure off the programs that seniors and the disabled depend so much on.  AARP ask for money for What??  To pressure the President when they should be pressuring the Republican Congress?  I'm beginning to think that AARP is in it for the Money only.  Why else would they pressure the President when it is not only him who will make the decision if  Social Security and Medicare lives or dies?
Posted by creppelrm

We should not be surprised to find that: $5 trillion – or more – is saved for about 20 million government workers . $0 is saved for hundreds of millions of private sector workers . That comes to a quarter million dollars saved in trust for every government worker (current and future retirees) — versus ZERO, zip, nada, zilch saved for every private sector worker. Politicians have squirreled away close to 5 TRILLION dollars for state, local and federal government retirees. An average of $250,000 for every government worker and retiree – a quarter of a million dollars - while saving nothing for private sector workers. http://www.centerforsmallgovernment.com/feature/why-isnt-this-news/ Every year, they take 12.4% of your income to prop up their failed Social Security system - a system that is heading toward bankruptcy.   If you are an American earning the median income of $31,695 per year, and were given the option of investing that same amount of money ( 12.4% ) in a stock mutual fund, you would retire a millionaire - without winning the lottery or a TV game show.   ( Libertarians believe you should be able to opt out of Social Security and invest your money in your own personal retirement account. An account that you own and control - one that politicians can't get their hands on. Countries like Chile, Mexico, Britain, and Australia have successfully made the transition from their failed Social Security systems to healthy systems based on individual retirement accounts. In Chile, over 90% of workers have opted out of the government-run system. It's time America did as well. ) http://www.lp.org/issues/social-security Under Obama the total federal workforce has surpassed two million for the first time since the first Clinton term, now sitting about the 2.2 ,million level. That report found the average civilian federal government worker collected just under $84,000 a year in taxpayer money, about $32,000 more than the average private sector worker. That's a total federal worker package of about $236 billion a year. In his public outbursts during the alleged fiscal cliff negotiations, Obama has suggested that talks over federal spending cuts come later after his immediate favored tax increases. http://news.investors.com/politics-andrew-malcolm/121012-636426-americans-figure-out-public-employees-have-it-better-than-private-workers.htm#ixzz2EhDuT2Qk The quickest way to screw something up.... let big government get involved in it.
Posted by wisemagic

In Response to Re: Social Security, Medicare and AARP : umbarch64, I'm not sure I'm understanding you. Is your statement directed at me as a Libertarian, and my beliefs, or to the fact that government seems to take care of government, and leaves the rest of us to participate in Social Security as the ponzi scheme that it is, instead of being a controlled interest bearing investment that it should be? My point here, is to show that  government employees do not participate in social security. They are in an entirely different retirement plan, which seems to produce a very substantial return and security for the government employee. Is it governments place to force me to participate in a plan, that is headed for bankruptcy, instead of letting me choose how to handle my financial future? I think all we need to do is look at the debt this country is building to see that financial responsibility is not one of the U.S. Governments strongest points. Secondly, looking at the state that Social Security is in, and the proposed cuts, we can surely agree that this is not an investment that each of us, as individuals, would willingly participate in, IF we were given other options .
Posted by wisemagic