Posted on 03/30/2005 2:56:29 PM PST by Crackingham
A new survey shows six in 10 AARP members oppose President Bush's proposal to carve out private investment accounts from the nation's Social Security program.
The poll by the nation's leading lobby for elderly citizens found that 46 percent of members strongly oppose creating private accounts that would divert money from Social Security and another 13 percent oppose private accounts altogether.
The survey also found that nearly half of members age 50 and older believe Social Security has flaws that require an overhaul, but the majority believe in reforming the system rather than replacing it with something else.
``AARP members not only dislike private accounts ... they really dislike them,'' said AARP research director Jeff Love, who released the results of the national survey at a news conference here Wednesday.
The release of the poll coincided with Bush's visit later for a town hall forum on his Social Security plan.
Bush has made fixing Social Security one of his top domestic priorities and is touring the country touting his plan for revamping the system by allowing participants to divert a portion of their Social Security tax into investments such as stocks and bonds.
Experts predict the retirement program will begin paying out more than it takes in by 2017 and go broke by 2041, prompting calls by the president and others to overhaul the program immediately.
But the survey found that the more AARP members learned about the President's plan, the less they liked it. The poll shows 29 percent initially favor diverting up to $1,300 into private accounts, but nearly half of those change their opinion after learning about the possible side effects of the plan.
Love said a potential cut in future benefits and the costs associated with implementing Bush's proposal — costs that would add to the national debt — were the leading reasons members opposed private accounts.
Bush has said his plan would not lead to a cut in benefits, while critics have claimed that transition costs could add more than $2 trillion to the national debt.
The survey also found that nearly 60 percent of members would vote against a lawmaker who voted in favor of Bush's current proposal.
Survey: at least 6 in 10 AARP members believe the soundbites and rhetoric they hear from the MSM or similar sources.
Not surprising. I've seen AARP's commercials; they are inflammatory and misleading, if not downright lies.
That's odd, a poll last week said that AARP's own members disagree with the AARP on this issue.
This is news cause????
6 in 10 have been purposely kept ignorant about the fact that private accounts for younger workers doesn't affect them.
Fact: 10 in 10 AARP members won't be affected by it anyways.
And I bet 9 out of 10 couldn't even tell you what his plan is. He has repeated over and over that it wouldn't even affect people 55 or over. People are idiots.
What do they care?
It won't affect them anyway.
After reading the MSM's selected solutions to discredit Bush's plan!
Nobody asked me!
Sounds like the AARP needs an IRS audit. Time to play hardball.
No surprise..
Tho' if I were them I'd be more worried about things like judges being able to order their deaths.
Those who have been propagandized.
Hello, k2blader-!
I've been saying what you're saying for a long time, and very, very, VERY few old folks believe what I am saying!
They simply cannot believe their government will allow them to be harmed....!!!
New flash for old folks: The Judge IS the government!
Just as a possibly relevant historical note, Albania essentially ceased to be a country for awhile a few years back when their lower level invested pyramid scheme members where informed that they might not get paid. It was only with great effort that their economy managed to hobble back but at a great price.
No kidding! If you are aold enough to join the AARP, the Bush SS plan dosen't affect you in any way.
These old fogeys need to get back to their bridge games and shuffleboard.
I oppose Bush's Social Security plan as well.
Per my Tag Line.
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