I got an answer from AARP.

[Cleita]

"Thank you for contacting AARP about our position in the current debateon Medicare coverage of prescription drugs. As you may know, AARP has endorsed the bipartisan Medicare bill offered by the conferencecommittee, which includes a voluntary prescription drug benefit foreveryone in Medicare.

We believe that millions of older Americans and their families will be
helped by this legislation. The bill is not perfect, but the
legislation represents an historic breakthrough and important
milestone in the nation's commitment to strengthen and expand health
security for its citizens at a time when it is sorely needed.

The bill will provide the following:

- Prescription drug coverage at little cost to those who need it most:
people with low incomes, including those who depend on Social Security
for all or most of their income;
- Substantial relief for those with very high drug costs, and modest
relief for millions more;
- A substantial increase in protections for retiree benefits; and
- New mechanisms to push down prescription drug prices.

An unprecedented $88 billion will encourage employers to maintain
existing health retiree benefits. The legislation will also help speed
generic drugs to market and add important new preventive and chronic
care management services. This legislation helps to protect poor
seniors from future soaring prescription drug costs.

AARP is a strong advocate for expanding Medicare to cover prescription
drugs, but your help can make us even stronger. We encourage you to
call and to write your elected representatives immediately, to let him
or her know that you support measures that add an adequate, affordable
prescription drug benefit to Medicare.

Addresses for written correspondence are:

The Honorable (name) The Honorable (name)
U.S. Senate U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20515

I hope this information is helpful to you. If AARP staff can assist
you in the future with any issue, product or service, please do not
hesitate to contact us.


June
Member Service
[e-mail]"

My answer:

This is not an acceptable answer to me. The majority of your members, it appears from your bulletin boards, don't approve of this endorsement and you should recind it, or is your membership only useful these days to you for the dues they pay with no thought to what they expect AARP to do for them?

[oasis]

1. "Bi-partisan medicare bill"?? with AARP CEO Novelli praising Gingrich?

the same Newt Gringrich who a House speaker was prepared to let medicare "die on the vine".

AARP members better wake up.

[sujan]

2. standard reply

some other DU'er posted similar reply yesterday.

[BJ]

3. From what I've been reading....

It looks like the pharmaceutical industry's got their hand-picked boy at AARP's helm. May the geriatric lobby pay a heavy price for turning from gray panther to corporate pussy-cat.

I didn't join AARP when I bacame eligible, now I'm glad I didn't.

[Cleita]

6. Well, I joined it back when it was a grassroots organization

that cared about the senior citizens it represented it, but this seems to have changed while I wasn't looking.

[pippin]

4. when did AARP sell out

to the repukes? can someone fill me in to the history I seem to have missed? The democratic legislators are purportedly furious but where have they been while the changeover was taking place within AARP?

[Cleita]

8. I wish I knew.

This revelation has dropped into my life anyway like a rock.

[Nite Owl]

5. Yep

I got the same form reply. Don't expect them to change their minds they are tied at the hip to the GOP


Former Ad Agency Exec Who Heads AARP Wrote Preface To Gingrich Book On Healthcare: Novelli Lavishly Praised Healthcare Ideas Of Discredited Former House Speaker And Favorite Wing Nut

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS

http://www.buzzflash.com/analysis/03/11/ana03307.html

Hope this is their death nell and seniors leave in droves.

[Cleita]

7. This sucks.

I guess it's time for us oldies to organize again. It's pretty hard at our age as illness and other problems makes it so much harder. I guess class struggle never ends.

[Nite Owl]

9. Man the phones

and write to everyone. I'm in NY so we have Hillary and Schumer who are good ones. I'm new upstate and trying to figure out who exactly is my Rep. I seem to be on the border and they are both claiming us. One is a R and the other a D (but conservative). I'm not even a senior yet, but getting there. Been reading stuff on other boards, investing stuff, and some real conservatives are pretty mad at this administration. They may not vote Dem but they may not show up at the polls either which will still help if we get the vote out and we are all mad as hell right?

[oasis]

11. kick for Buzzflash link on Novelli/Gingrich connection. post # 5

[izzie]

10. Does anyone know what this will cost us per month? AND

does anyone know what it will cost me say if I have to have a drug that cost say $40 a month. I have lost almost all my retirement income since Bush came in so I am really poor in cash per month.I am very lucky that I need no drugs and I am not sure I would take them at 70, who cares to be taking 10 drugs a day.I am not even sure I believe in all these drugs. I read alot about them and I did not like what I was reading at all. Most you just have to change your way of life and you save all that money.

[Cleita]

12. Well, between my husband and me, we have $400 worth

of drugs we should but don't take because our retirement income has gone down instead of up since we retired. I know some people who have to take up to $3,000 a month in drugs and they have to rely on their families to help them out. If anyone lost their job then they wouldn't be up the creek with no paddle.

[GinaMaria]

13. I received the same propaganda

Shame. They really sold out. People are dropping their memberships quickly. Although once Medicare is privatized there won't be a need for the AARP as lobbyist or anything else. I'm sure the AARP people don't care too much who wants their dues back.

It also doesn't look like there's enough votes for a Fillibuster :-(