Tired of Sales Calls? AARP Sells Your Phone Number!

That retirees organization that so many retirees are now finding out is so far left winged that it can't fly straight has hit upon yet another way to screw the aging populace. It's selling your information.

Yes, you read that right, the AARP is selling your name, address and phone number to vendors of items that fit in with senior mobility and health care. How do I know this? Because today, I received a call from a walk-in bathtub company trying to sell me their products.

When I told the representative I was on a no-call list and they had no right to be calling me, and explained the fine they were incurring by doing so, and that I also have a phone trap that does collect their number, she panicked and called a supervisor to the phone.

The supervisor apologized profusely and promised to take me off their lists, etc. When I demanded to know how they obtained not only my number but my name, she stammered that they were calling on behalf of ...the AARP! And they were simply offering safety and mobility assistance to people who fall into certain age groups. She couldn't tell me what age group or demographics thet were, but I was really angry to think once again, the AARP is screwing seniors to make a buck off their backs.

Wake up, seniors. The AARP is not a helping organization. They want money and power but are not using it to help you! They line their pockets with money from endorsements of various types of insurance and advertising and now they're selling your information, or giving it away and getting paid a royalty on sales. Either way it should be criminal to do so.

Don't trust the AARP. They want to give you the warm fuzzies, but so would peeing in a dark blue wool suit. Quickly it cools off and you feel very uncomfortable. My relationship with the AARP has long cooled off and I don't even have a blue suit!

Check out the Alliance for Retired Americans http://www.retiredamericans.org/

and the Association for Mature American Citizens http://amac.us/

as alternatives to AARP.

AARP is a BILLION dollar company. Interesting that their expenses almost replicate their revenue. Hmm..pretty big executive paychecks out there...

From Guidestar:
Annual Revenue & Expenses

Fiscal Year Starting: Jan 01, 2011
Fiscal Year Ending: Dec 31, 2011

Revenue

Total Revenue	$1,224,437,632

Expenses

Total Expenses	$1,165,244,846

People Control

Once again, the liberals are out to blame the guns instead of the idiots who do heinous things with them. Not once do they blame the 400 horsepower vehicle for killing a bus load of people, but rightfully blame the driver. So why is it they don't do the same with guns? There is no hue and cry to remove all high horsepower cars from the streets after a teen drives his vehicle recklessly and kills four or five of his friends. Nor is there screaming to remove teens from behind the wheels of such automobiles. Why? Because to do so would be highly unpopular with the voters and , honestly, folks, it's all about votes.

If anyone believes the mushrooming of legislative activity against guns is really a gun violence issue, there's some waterfront property in Arizona you need to grab up quick before the next California earthquake. Sure, there is much concern about a school shooting, and anyone who would not be concerned and condemn such a dastardly deed is, in my opinion, a fool. But, that said, the hysteria that spreads across the nation to ban certain types of weapons, high capacity magazines and other anti-gun moves is simply a smoke-screen that the gun control people are hiding behind to press forward an agenda they have had for years. That is to disarm the American public and take away the Second Amendment rights of the American citizen.

What is truly frightening is that the government officials are well protected by armed guards and Secret Service. Obama and his family will receive lifetime Secret Service protection. Police and Sheriff's Departments are undermanned and underfunded so where does that leave the ordinary citizen when they call 911? A sitting duck while responders answer other calls and they are in the queue waiting for what could be hours for response from police. In fact, in some areas, you actually get a response from 911 that the line is busy and to call back later! (I personally have had that happen in California when I wanted to report an accident I witnessed) Great. Your home is being broken into and nobody is coming to help. The intruder has a gun and you, being a good citizen believing in gun control do not. While you are dying on the floor and your wife and daughter are being raped and then killed, the police are a long ways away. Too late for that gun now isn't it?

And, did all the laws that are not being enforced keep the intruder from getting a gun? He could have stolen it, bought it on the streets, or obtained it in many ways. Maybe it's one of the guns that Attorney General Eric Holder let go across the border into Mexico in the Fast And Furious operation that has made its way back into the US? One of those already killed a Border Patrol Agent. (And no, Holder isn't being held accountable for his actions as is not Hillary Clinton for her screw ups either...)

Problem is, the government does not enforce the laws currently on the books. Hell, I just read that numerous states don't keep the mentally ill from buying a gun in the first place! WTF? Some states have such stringent checks that you actually feel like a criminal to buy a gun; others are so loose it's damn near criminal to allow a gun to be bought. The rules need to be tightened up so here is a standardized methodology across the board for purchasing a firearm. Same in all states and municipalities. Concealed weapons permits standards should also be standardized and citizens with clear backgrounds following a vigorous check should not be denied a permit at the whim of a politically charged law enforcement agency or officer, as happens all too often. I have personally witnessed situations where "friends" of the issuing official get permits where other qualified people do not. Perhaps that has changed but I would bet in some jurisdictions it has not.

Bottom line, is don't vilify the piece of cold steel or the automobile or whatever is involved in the incident. Vilify the person behind the attacks. Place all available resources into stopping criminals from obtaining weapons while allowing law abiding citizens to have the weapons they want. The tactic seems to be "let's penalize everyone so we can catch a few" which equates to the old "the beatings will continue until morale improves" logic. Beating gun owners isn't the way to achieve a safer society.

Beating the criminal element and making it more difficult for them to obtain a weapon is a good start, but realize all the gun laws won't keep illegal guns off the streets. It will make it more difficult for the legal citizen to obtain a firearm, but the criminal will still obtain one. Out of the trunk of a car, in a dark alley, somewhere, there will always be a gun for sale at the right price.

As a nation, we mourn for the children, adults and their families in Newtown, Aurora and elsewhere. Those were horrible acts of deranged people. But it was the people, not the gun that pulled the trigger. Focus on that. The lunatics could have made a bomb and done mass damage and we wouldn't want to ban propane tanks or fertilizer or whatever they made the bomb from.

Finally, I don't own an assault weapon or a high capacity magazine, so I am writing this without a self-serving purpose. Just to ask that people look at the real issue...people are the problem and unless we recognize that, all the knee-jerk reactions and new laws won't help. Like all the cell phone laws didn't help stop people talking on their phones while driving and texting laws didn't help stop texting while driving. People don't obey those simple laws until a tragedy strikes, and the government won't raise the fines high enough so that it really hurts to get caught. So blame it on lack of enforcement.

And, by the way, why were the guns not in a locked approved gun safe in Newtown? Or doesn't Connecticut require that as many other states do? Just a thought....

The Shady Dealings of the AARP

By Pat Boone and Jim Martin

Courtesy of the 60 Plus Association     November 20, 2010

http://60plus.org/

For many years, the AARP was a trusted voice of seniors across America. We believed, and rightly so, they were operating in our best interest, representing the issues and concerns of elderly Americans in Washington and across the 50 states. But sadly, those days are long in the past, distant memories as faded as scrapbook photos locked in an attic.

Today, the AARP is nothing more than an insurance conglomerate and lobbying behemoth, with annual revenues in excess of $400 million. Given the tremendous amount of revenue AARP generates selling health insurance, representing seniors has taken a back seat to having a seat at the table with Washington’s deal-makers. The bottom line is AARP gladly lines its pockets from sweetheart deals, while selling their own members down the river. AARP betrays seniors for the almighty dollar. The proof we offer for that assertion are the recently discovered emails where AARP members spoke out strongly against the so-called Affordable Care Act.

While AARP continues to maintain the charade they are a neutral party in the healthcare debate, they were instrumental partners with the White House and Democratic National Committee (DNC) in working behind the scenes to pass the Obamacare legislation that America’s seniors overwhelmingly oppose. When AARP switchboards lit-up with their members calling in to oppose Obamacare by a score of 14 to 1, did they care? Fat chance.

According to emails unearthed by Chairman Fred Upton’s (R-MI) Energy and Commerce Committee, AARP executives said they needed to “change the messaging.” To AARP, the problem wasn’t the bill itself, it was the marketing. They further refused the Administration’s invitation to advocate publicly for Obamacare, stating in secret memos, “polling shows we are more influential when we are seen as independent.” So AARP hides behind its good name while pushing for a healthcare overhaul that will reap it billions. How shameful.

With AARP standing to gain over $1 billion in additional revenues over 10 years with the passage of Obamacare, they put their insurance business and the almighty dollar first, and seniors were merely props for the stage show. The over $700 billion Obamacare cuts from Medicare is going to cause seniors to have to reach deeper into their wallets to make up the difference, and the AARP is only too happy to be the recipient of this windfall.

Typically membership organizations follow the wishes of their members, but AARP clearly has no interest in serving the seniors who pay their membership dues and buy their insurance products. AARP describes themselves as a “nonprofit, nonpartisan organization…that helps people 50+ have independence, choice and control in ways that are beneficial to them and society as a whole.” So why did they lobby to stop Medigap reform which would have saved seniors an average of $400 per year? Perhaps because AARP stands to gain nearly $3 billion.

As noted by Senator Jim DeMint’s recent investigation into AARP’s political activities, AARP currently dominates the Medigap market, yet thanks to their support for Obamacare, they received a waiver from the requirement that insurance companies can’t discriminate against pre-existing conditions. You read that right; as a reward for helping to pass Obamacare, AARP gets a pass on covering pre-existing conditions, which benefits them to the tune of billions while costing seniors more.

AARP’s once-sterling reputation is all but gone as it has enriched itself by helping to slash Medicare and provided a big assist in the push for the passage of Obamacare. Now American seniors are left with the prospect of losing Medicare Advantage and facing the rationing of healthcare services.

American seniors should see the AARP for what it is. At one time AARP may have truly acted in the best interests of American seniors, but now is an annex of the Democrat party engaging in underhanded money-grubbing tactics that sell-out its members. In the big picture it is nothing more than another special interest group pushing for flawed healthcare policies to fill its own coffers. The AARP is no more an advocate for the best interests of seniors than is a fox an advocate for the best interests of chickens.

It is time for America’s seniors to look at AARP and its recent advocacy with a critical eye. American seniors deserve better than flawed policies resulting from back room dealing and ‘non-partisan’ advocacy and lobbying from an organization that is anything but neutral. A full investigation into their myriad of money-making activities is certainly warranted, as is an end to their privileged reputation in Washington, and in the minds and hearts of America’s seniors.

Music legend Pat Boone is the national spokesman for the 60 Plus Association, of which Jim Martin is the founder and chairman.

Upcoming Socialist America

The last election leaves me pondering what more damage can be done before we turn totally socialist in this country? How far must we turn left before we go communist with the current leadership taking us down a path of ruin from which there will be no return?

The politicians in Washington, and many states along with them, seem hell bent on taking as much as possible from the so-called middle class and giving it to the have-nots; those not willing to pursue a living, and standing at the door with their hand out. The "I'm entitled" class grows larger and larger and those who feel that way have done absolutely nothing to gain an entitlement. No work, no service to their country, absolutely nothing but take up space on this planet and complain that what they get is not enough.

Oh, add in pro-creation as many continue to have illegitimate children by the numbers, and refuse to remember or name the "baby daddy" as that could somehow affect the amount of welfare, WIC, and other free gimmes they receive if the "baby daddy" were found and ordered to pay. Of course, from what my research elicits, even if found, most never pay the amounts adjudicated due, many are already incarcerated, and others are already living with the mother surreptitiously, but being claimed as missing and unknown. Yet, the taxpayers are paying for this.

Medicare and MediCal or whatever your state wants to call it is all on you, the taxpayer. You pay for the medical care of the welfare and indigents who won't work. Okay, if someone cannot legitimately work due to a real medical disability, that's reasonable. But again, research shows so a great number of cases where the disability may not be justified and the person can do some sort of work. Complicity runs rampant in the system yet it just grinds on. There are not enough investigators to make a dent in the fraud in the system, and we're paying for it.

Illegal immigration also makes a huge dent in your wallet. Just ask about the Section 1011 Form that the local hospital fills out for care to illegals in the Emergency Room or as an inpatient. No signing or anything. Check the box, admission signs and the bill goes to the U.S. Government for the illegals care. You try that if you go to the Emergency Room or the hospital without insurance. You'll get hounded until hell freezes over, have your wages garnished, placed in collection, etc. Why? Because you're an American and here legally!  Check it out here:
http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/CMS-Forms/CMS-Forms/downloads/cms10130a.pdf

Things will be getting worse. Doesn't matter whether you're a Republican or a Democrat at this stage. You all need to pray to someone higher than the tower in Washington to help us out of this mess. I predict we'll se a recession again bigger than the recent one (I think we're still in it) and plants will close in record numbers. By 2016 we'll be on the skids so bad that we may never get out. The two parties will be at each others throats and won't accomplish much due to their constant fighting. They coin new phrases like "fiscal cliff:" to describe their self-made messes and love to create drama like a cheap soap opear on the taxpayers billions.

Hang on for the ride, folks, because you'll need a good seat belt and maybe even a three point harness for this one. And, a hard hat and safety goggles might not hurt either.

Goodbye to The Unionized Twinkie

Sadly, the Hostess Brands Company filed for liquidation on November 16, as union picketers walked the picket line around numerous locations, demanding yet more concessions from a company that was already sliding into the abyss of oblivion. The company asked for concessions from the union, but the union would rather see 18,500 employees out of work nation wide than give in to save jobs. Eight percent reduction in pay and paying twenty percent of their medical costs would be too much to handle to keep working. Unemployment must have looked a lot better. Or at least that's what the union bosses decided.

From the press:

"A small union's stubbornness in contract talks with Hostess is being blamed for the shutdown of one of America's snack food icons, the loss of 18,500 jobs just before the holiday season and much-needed tax revenue from hundreds of plants and shops across the country.

The privately-held company had reached a deal with the Teamsters, but a smaller union representing bakery workers refused to agree to concessions, prompting the mass layoffs and closing down of hundreds of plants, bakeries and delivery routes. That prompted harsh words from both the company and from Teamsters officials.

The national strike by members of the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) that began last week decimated the 82-year-old company’s ability to produce and deliver products at roughly 12 of its 33 plants. The company announced earlier in the week that the ax would fall on Friday if the strikers didn’t get back to work, but the union didn’t blink.'

So, folks, when you no longer have your favorite snack cakes on the shelves, be it Twinkies, Ho-Ho's, Ring Dings, Sno-Balls, Devil Dogs, Hostess Cup Cakes or even Wonder Bread, don't blame Hostess for failure. They declared bankruptcy once already and were trying to crawl out of that hole. But unfortunately, the weight of union demands placed them in an untenable position.

It's kind of a strange epitaph when a company is placed in a position to tell the union that if you don't go back to work, we can't sustain ourselves, and will have to close and liquidate, and the union essentially says screw you, and the inevitable happens. Then listen to the wailing of the workers who have no jobs but relied on the union to be their spokesperson and do right by them. Sadly, the workers, in my opinion, got screwed by the union they trusted!

There are no winners here, just losers. Including all those lovers of the fine products you have enjoyed for generations. And the families of all those workers who really had no say in the demise of this great business.

RIP, Twinkies...

L.L. Bean Made in China?

It hurts to admit it, but I used to purchase right from the L.L. Bean store in Freeport Maine way back when L.L. himself was still alive and kicking, and contributing to that hard cover red book that was then the Bean's catalog. All the products were not only good, but excellent, most, if not all, tested and used by ol' L.L. himself or one of the family.

Times have changed and now many of their items are no longer American made, but made in ,,,ugghh....China. Take the famous Wicked Good slippers for example. Always a bit on the expensive side, they cost about $40 on sale a few years ago, went up to $60 a bit ago and are now $80 on line. They sure used to be worth the price but now, I can't say they are. Maybe if they lasted ten years to keep you feet warm in the mornings, but if they lased three or four years, are they worth $80? For indoor slippers, now, remember. Not outdoor boots or outdoor anything.


I'm bummed that an American legend touts their product as the same as was made in the old days and when you get it, it has a :Made in China" label affixed. Then you find the insides fall apart in due time. Worse yet, you find when the slippers fail to give satisfaction, the guarantee is not to replace them with the same slippers that are now double the price, but to refund or credit the original price. So, if you want a new pair you pay the increased price for a new "Chinese" L.L. Bean product.

Utterly disgusted. But much smarter as I now see why the latest Bean shirts do not hold up like the older ones. After a few washings they start to look like rags, no longer crisp and solid. More like something I would expect from Wal-Mart. Oh wait, the Bean shirts are made in El Salvador and Bulgaria. What did I expect? American pricing on foreign goods.

Another sad story for American goods and labor and a company with a good story left far behind.  Old L. L. Himself would be really sad at this turn of events. Even horrified to see his fishing creel with a "Made in China" stamp on the bottom probably.

Online Ratings... Maybe Not So Much Trust

About a week ago, I went to Yelp to check out a local doctor to find out what others thought of him and his practice. I was amazed to find a 4 out of 5 star rating and all these wonderful things people had to say about the doctor and his office. How could this be, I wondered, since I had just been a patient there and had a very unpleasant experience.

Aha, there is something Yelp calls a "filter" which takes a bit of finagling to get through and viola...up comes the very negative comments that virtually mirror the visit I had with this same doctor. Had I checked this site before choosing a doctor, and not been able to find this fairly well hidden "filter" I would have thought this was a great doc.

Caveat: Don't trust Yelp to give you the straight story on reviews when they hide the really pertinent information at their discretion. If they are going to allow reviews, then print them all!

Secondly, some sites actually do list the good, the bad and the ugly about the docs and others reviewed. The point is to be sure you get the big picture and never rely on just one or two review sites to give you the information you need. Check every one you can, especially professional sites. Check the local medical board if possible. Check hospital ratings too. With your health, you can never be too careful.

Finally, when it comes to the Better Business Bureau, as they say in New York "fuggettaboutit." They rate every business who pays them a fee and the businesses start off with an "A." That doesn't give you the warm fuzzies when a brand new business with no history has the same "A" as the business who has been around a few years. You do have to look at more than the letter rating but again, every A is not an A.