I recently received the “2012 Retirement Security Survey” in the mail. Great I thought; somebody is really looking at this important subject. I will fill this one out for sure. Oops, upon closer examination the document turns out to be propaganda from Democratic National Headquarters and a request for a donation. There is no serious attempt to gain any valuable information.
Of course, Democrats are not alone with such nonsense, but some of the text of the “survey” really caught my eye because it is so outrageous in its claims and more than anything else it panders to people (mostly elderly) while ignoring the consequences for us all of staying a course of unlimited entitlements, irresponsible spending and long-term growing liabilities.
Here is an example:
“Republicans are working to turn back the clock on civil rights, destroy trade unions and the right to collective bargaining, deny women health care and vital family planning services, dismantle the Environmental Protection Agency, slash investments in education and medical research and to repeal President Obama’s historic health care reform.”
Another few examples:
“They (Republicans) abandoned seniors who fall into the prescription drug “donut hole” to give tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires. And they’ve developed plans to cut Social Security by slashing benefits and raising the retirement age.”
I’m still trying to figure out how much of this has to anything do with a retirement survey, but of course I know the real purpose of this mailing which is to scare the hell out of people, especially seniors. This message and misleading information is not unlike that frequently issued by the AARP.
Then we have the objective questions contained in the actual survey:
- Do you oppose the decision by House Republicans to end Medicare while protecting tens of millions of dollars in subsidies for Big Oil?
- Do you oppose the Republican Party’s position of cutting Medicare for future retirees so they can extend the Bush tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires?
- The health care reform law passed last year closes the Medicare prescription drug benefit donut hole. Do you support this plan to help seniors pay for expensive prescription drugs?
How is all that for an objective set of survey questions? Hey, doesn’t everyone love Big Oil, billionaires and donut holes? 
Within this blog I have addressed many of these issues over the last few years, especially why it is so important to future generations for this generation to fairly and prudently address the growing costs of Medicare and Social Security. Any political party that panders to people creating the we can have it all expectation and the only thing that needs to change is to place higher taxes on millionaires and billionaires (defined as families earning $250,000 or more) is doing a great disservice to this Country and its citizens.
Extreme right Republicans who believe that the average American can do without many government programs is equally irresponsible. The left underestimates Americans and sees them as totally dependent on government and the right over estimates the American ability or willingness for self-sufficiency. Dare I say that puts us some place in the center?
I see no purpose in addressing the other side of some of these claims, but I can’t resist pointing out a few items.
A few Republican governors have taken on public employee unions and rightly so and in the best interests of all of a state’s citizens.
Republicans are the ones who started Medicare drug coverage in the first place, albeit with no funding to pay for it.
Nobody is denying women health care or vital family planning services, not even a big bad insurance company denies anyone health care . . . think about it.
Nobody is proposing to slash Social Security benefits, but rather to slow the growth in future benefits, quite modestly as a matter of fact once you look at the numbers.
Nobody is going to destroy Medicare or Social Security, but to keep denying the need for meaningful reform will cause just as much harm.
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