THUMBS XIV: AARP Slimed for Opposing Social Security Privatizing; Bill to Ban Naming Everything for Living Politicians is a Good Idea
by David M. Kinchen
Editor, Bluefield News Network
Hinton (BNN) — This is the fourteenth installment of an occasional series expressing approval or disapproval of recent news events, commentaries, etc. Thumbs Up for approval; Thumbs Down for disapproval. I welcome contributions, which will be credited in the item. The contributions can come from within the BNN family or from our readers - I welcome them all. Contact me at davidkinchen@hotmail.com or send the contributions/suggestions to stories@huntingtonnews.net.
THUMBS UP — To AARP for opposing the Bush Administration's proposed privatization (translation: Dismantling) of the 70-year-old Social Security program. In turn, the same slimers who tried to besmirch John F. Kerry's war record are attempting to tar and feather the AARP by accusing the senior organization of favoring same-sex marriage. News reports noted (Feb. 22) that USA Next plans to attack AARP with television commercials in coming weeks intended to discredit it on Social Security. USA Next has hired consultants who worked for Swift Vets and P.O.W.'s for Truth, which made headlines last year for its attacks on Senator John Kerry's record in the Vietnam War.The New York Times reported (Feb. 22, 2005) that Nancy Thompson, a spokeswoman for AARP, said it had not taken a position on same-sex marriage: "In Ohio, the organization opposed an amendment to the state's Constitution that banned such marriages, but only because the second clause blocked legal recognition of any union, potentially including unmarried heterosexuals, that approximated marriage rights, Kathy Taft-Keller, state AARP director said."
Hey, idiots, you won't get anywhere attacking an organization that represents 35 million people who vote in record numbers! An organization composed of your grandma and grandpa and millions of baby-boomers who've suddenly come to the realization that they're getting better — AND OLDER!
I disagreed with the AARP over the Medicare prescription drug program, which I don't believe will work. Despite my libertarian views, I think some kind of price regulation is necessary for prescription drugs, just as I believe airline deregulation was a massive mistake.
Again despite my libertarian views, I just don't trust the stock market to provide the average person with a comfortable retirement. Take a look at Viacom, the conglomerate that owns CBS, Paramount Pictures, Showtime, Simon & Schuster, Blockbuster and other companies bought by Sumner Redstone for too much money. Viacom is taking an $18 billion write-down for its radio station and outdoor advertising businesses and its stock price is going down rapidly. Good thing Mr. "Buy High, Sell Low" Redstone didn't buy Winn-Dixie (now in bankruptcy)!
This campaign to mug your grandparents — and parents — is apparently being conducted by some of the same people who were responsible for the "Swift Boat" election smear. It may have worked to deny Kerry the presidency, but it won't work to foist a lame-brained privatization scheme on a savvy public. Just because we're old doesn't mean we're stupid!
Before we sprain our arms patting ourselves on the back for successfully opposing this plan, New York Times economics columnist Paul Krugman suggests we check out Thomas Frank's "What's the Matter With Kansas," a book that shows how the conservative manage to convince people to vote for them, even if the voters are going for candidates who work against their own self interests.
Krugman writes (Feb. 25, 2005): "Social Security should be safe, because this particular disinformation campaign isn't going at all well. In fact, there's a sense of wonderment among defenders of Social Security about the other side's lack of preparation. The Cato Institute and the Heritage Foundation have spent decades campaigning for privatization. Yet they weren't ready to answer even the most obvious questions about how it would work — like how benefits could be maintained for older Americans without a dangerous increase in debt."
He continues: "Privatizers are even having a hard time pretending that they want to strengthen Social Security, not dismantle it. At one of Senator Rick Santorum's recent town-hall meetings promoting privatization, college Republicans began chanting, 'Hey hey, ho ho, Social Security's got to go.'"
Krugman suggests that supporters of Social Security carefully read "What's the Matter With Kansas," whose message — among others — is that conservatives have been able to win elections by portraying themselves as defenders of "mainstream values against a malevolent cultural elite."
