The AARP Isn't Right

AARP, We rip you off for $16 a year to lobby the Federal Government to steal even more from you. Join Today, Lose Today, Lose More Tomorrow!

A couple of days ago, the American Association of Retired Persons sent me a little packet. I'd wonder what they were thinking, but it is clearly evident that they were not.

It seems they wanted me to buy some tote bag for $16. the bag came with a one year membership to their organization. Somehow their senile dementia must have kicked in because they claimed that I am eligible for membership.

Before I get into why I would never join this socialist collective, let's take a look at the more than obvious problems with this packet. They claimed that I am eligible. According to their own site and eligibility rules, I am not. They have a minimum age requirement of 50. I am nowhere near close to my 50th birthday. While I am retired from active military service, I am not fully retired. I call myself "retired" because I receive my hard-earned pension check from my military service. In addition, I refer to myself as "retired" because, for various reasons, I have "gone Galt". Those reasons are mostly private and personal and were decided after hours of discussion with my wife. Yes, there is a political reason, as well. It is not the primary reason, though it is on the list.

Whoever the marketing genius that decided I was a good candidate for recruitment was, he needs to go back to school.

The socialist support for senile seniors AARP offers membership benefits of insurance. Their site enumerates all sorts of insurance from health to auto. I guess they never heard of military retiree benefits that their organization cannot come close to matching. Even without those benefits, the USAA has services that the AARP cannot come close to matching for the money. I won't even bring up the fact that I more support HSAs to health insurance. I didn't see anything about HSAs on their site.

They also claim they can assist with lowering travel costs. They may want to look into how military retirees qualify for Space-A travel on MAC flights.

They also advertise their community services. I guess they failed to consider other organizations such as the VFW, The American Legion, and State Level VA offices. I have yet to see an AARP clubhouse or post. I have shaken hands with multiple Veterans' Service Officers from local VFW and American Legion posts. Not a single AARP community service volunteer has come to me and offered to help, regardless of my membership status.

Now I will address their claim for advocacy. They claim they will give me a voice in government if I join.

I vote. In fact, this year I was able to vote without using an absentee ballot. It was the first year I was confident my vote was tallied. That is my voice. I don't need some group of silver-haired socialists telling me what is best for me. I can vote. I can also write. I write letters to my representatives quite often. I have submitted editorials, op-eds, and letters to editors, some of which have been published. In addition, I write for a living. I also have a phone (another benefit they claim membership to the AARP will provide -- sorry, I already have one). I call those representatives. I have a voice. I speak to people and to groups. Sorry, I am not a feeble person who cannot think or speak for myself. The AARP does not provide any form of advocacy or voice for me that I either don't already have or cannot provide for myself.

When the time comes, I may consider joining AMAC or Generation America. I will not join the AARP, ever. Yes, Virginnia, there are better alternatives to the AARP.

Now come the less obvious problems. Those problems start with that "advocacy". They claim they will speak for me and my concerns. No they won't. They have supported every candidate that is against the US Constitution and against everything I supported and defended during my 24 year long military career. If they stand against the things I hold most sacred, how will they provide me a voice?

They have opposed reforms that would make socialist insecurity a workable and viable option. The money a working person pays into the fund is supposed to be theirs. The fact is that the AARP and the socialists in government don't see it that way. If those same funds were put into individual accounts and privatized, the value and payouts come retirement age would be higher. The proof is in Galveston County, TX where they did exactly that. Instead, the AARP supports maintaining a bankrupt and unconstitutional system that makes social security an additional income tax while working and a means of making retired people dependent upon the whims of the federal government. That is anything but liberty or the pursuit of happiness that Thomas Jefferson referred to in the Declaration of Independence. It does anything but "secure the blessings of liberty". It, as well as Medicare, promote slavery and dependency instead  of "promoting the general welfare". The AARP stands for a system that steals from Peter to pay Paul, after it takes its cut.

The AARP pushes its health insurance benefits. However, they also advocate the PPACA. The real irony here is that the PPACA creates a 15-member panel that will decide if a sick retired person really needs that surgery or that blood pressure medication, or if  it is better to just drug them with pain killers until they die. Granny is 75 and needs a bypass. The 15-member panel decides it is cheaper to give Granny aspirin and Percocet and let her die of a heart attack within the next six months. Why? Well, Granny is close enough to the average expected lifespan, despite the fact the bypass would allow her to live to be 85-90. Wait, if she lived that long, she would receive (maybe) Social Security and Medicare. Let's cut the costs of the 15 years of those benefits with aspirin, Percocet, and the "natural causes" of that heart attack.

The AARP also advocates raising taxes on working Americans, especially on those households earning and AGI of over $150k a year. That is not all. They also advocate raising taxes on pensioners who earned pensions over $150k a year. So, they wish to undercut fellow retirees who were smart enough and successful enough to earn those higher pensions. The AARP also advocates increasing taxes on IRA payouts. Some IRAs are tax-deferred. Others are not, but have reduced capital gains taxes on the back-side. The AARP wants tax increases on both ends. This also includes 401K and Roth 401K retirement accounts. So, they don't really want to see future retirees benefiting from the fruits of their individual labors. No, they advocate stealing from those individuals, now.

The AARP is a scam. They charge you $16 dollars a year for a tote bag and permission to tell you what you think. They charge you $16 a year to steal from you and advocate destroying our republic. They charge you $16 a year so they can advocate taxing people for health care in order to pay for abortions and other elective surgeries. They charge you $16 a year so your church can be forced to pay your children to not have your grandchildren. They charge you $16 a year to advocate taking away your rights as grandparents and your kids' rights as parents.

To the incompetent marketing AARP employee who thought I was one of his key demographics for recruitment, perhaps you should have dedicated just one tenth of the time researching your demographic as I have looking into the scam of an organization that employs you. You would have saved yourself some embarrassment. Keep on the lookout for that package you sent. I did return the application with some choice words. I also included those temporary membership cards. They sort of fell into our MC14MX Micro-Cut Paper Shredder (Google Affiliate Ad). I hope you like confetti.