AARP ambivalence

[John Galt]

I have a love/hate relationship with AARP. I belong.
I read all of their publications. But..................I can't help
thinking they are run by a bunch of leftist wimps.
Just finished an article in the January 2005 issue of their
Bulletin about "older" writers who can't find work and so are suing the studios and networks for age
discrimination. I hope the studios and networks kick their butts in court ( and I have no love for pop culture).
These people (plaintiffs) come off as a bunch of whiney
losers.

JG

 

[cc]

I joined in November and returned my cards for cancellation last week. Their advertising on SS reform is pure demagoguery and gross misuse of funds. No current AARP member will be harmed by proposed reforms, while many members would be harmed by AARP's preferred approach of raising the payroll tax.

 

[Cut-Throat]

AARP's preferred approach of raising the payroll tax.

If they are proposing raising the percent of payroll tax, I'm with you. If they are talking about taking the cap off the maximum amount paid in per year I'm with AARP.

After all we're spending SS money to fund everything else in the government. The trust fund is a myth. No sense giving folks who earn over 100K a free ride. This is the only proposal that I've heard to modify SS that makes any sense and has a chance of getting through Congress.

 

[sgeeeee]

I don't agree with AARP on almost anything. To me they are far too right wing.

But I'm a member for the hotel discounts. My DW and I are on the road almost 30% of the time since we retired and the AARP membership fee has been paid for several times over.

 

[JOhn Galt]

Hello salaryguru!

At first I thought............... AARP "right wing"?
What planet does this guy live on? Then I realized
that I am so far to the right politically that most everyone looks like a commie to me I enjoy the AARP
benefits, but they annoy the hell out of me. Similar to
how I will take advantage of whatever government
benefits come my way, no matter how disgusted I
get with politics and politicians. I am radical, not stupid.

My position on SS reform is that it's not needed,
or if anything, just some very benign tweaking at most.
Of course, I expect the government to screw it up.
"Raising the payroll tax" seems
quite sensible to me, since obviously they are going to do something. If we must mess with SS, that's a good way to go IMHO.

JG

 

[unclemick]

I'm still pissed from last year when AARP left out Bogle in their 'Curmudgeon' article.

Kept my membership though.

 

[Martha]

Now that I just turned 50, I got an AARP solicitation in the mail. I am having a hard time seeing what is in it for me. Lot of the discounts don't seem to apply if you are only 50.

 

[cc]

CT, I'm not saying that either approach is "right", just that AARP has no business buying full page ads in national papers to promote the one that harms some members over the one that doesn't.

Now OTOH if they want to survey members on the issue and publish results on their website or newsletter, that would be a perfectly legitimate use of the organization's resources...

 

[parnass]

Our 3-year AARP membership paid for itself the first time we made hotel reservations and obtained an AARP discount.

I use the AARP membership card as leverage for senior citizen's discounts at local restaurants even though I am in my early 50s. I show the card to waitresses and ask if the restaurants have an AARP discount.

Most places don't have an AARP discount, but many give me a senior citizen's discount card instead. A 50-year old looks like a senior citizen to anyone under 25.

I like reading the AARP newsletter and some of their magazine articles. The AARP may not be doing a stellar job lobbying for retirees, but who else is on our side?

 

[Martha]

I have never minded getting older, but this 50 thing is bugging me. I get solicitations for AARP. I had my hair done at the mega mall last week, and the stylist said I might want a "younger" hairstyle and by the way "have you thought about coloring your hair?"

We got a foot of snow yesterday and my arms hurt from shoveling.

$%#* this noise.

 

[brewer12345]

I have never minded getting older, but this 50 thing is bugging me.  I get solicitations for AARP.  I had my hair done at the mega mall last week, and the stylist said I might want a "younger" hairstyle and by the way "have you thought about coloring your hair?"

We got a foot of snow yesterday and my arms hurt from shoveling.

$%#* this noise.

Find a happy place...

 

[John Galt]

Whoa! I'm gone for a couple hours and find some
excellent posts. I love this site!

I made a slight mistake in my earlier post. I agree with
Cut-Throat (surprised how often that happens).
What I meant to say was that "raising the cap" on SS
taxability would be a "sensible" approach IMHO, not the
tax rate itself. Thanks C-T.

I ask for "senior" discounts everywhere now. Took me a while to get used to doing it (it wasn't shyness ).
I too have saved a bunch of $

Re. Martha's angst, I don't recall ever suffering
any turmoil over hitting a particular point in life.
Usually I am just happy to make it through another year. I do agree that you are only as young (old?)
as you feel. The problem is that some days I feel pretty
damn old. Don't like that much.

JG

 

[MJ]

I join AARP to get the 20% discount off of my YMCA gym membership. Thats about $120 saving a year from the 3 year $30 AARP fee. I also paid only $10 for the drivers safety course saving $30.

Other than that, I haven't seen any additional benefits yet.

I also think they are pretty right sided. If I recall they favored Bush's Drug program which lost them a fair number of members. Remember, they are really a money making machine selling a products to seniors that are not necessarily a good value.

MJ

 

[Bob_Smith]

I also think they are pretty right sided. If I recall they favored Bush's Drug program which lost them a fair number of members.

Yep, they lost me with that sell-out.

 

[Marshac]

I got my AARP membership card in the mail a few weeks ago.... i'm not sure what list they got my name from, but I got a good laugh from it

 

[BigMoneyJim]

I got my AARP membership card in the mail a few weeks ago.... i'm not sure what list they got my name from, but I got a good laugh from it

Haven't received anything from AARP, but I was surprised to learn I had a wife, Mrs. Jim. Later from more mail I learned her name was Mary S. [Jim]. She's great in that she doesn't alter my plans, criticize me, nag me or spend my money. She doesn't make a mess, but she won't clean up after me, either. She never picks up groceries but never eats much. And don't get me started on the bedroom...I might as well be alone.

I hope to meet her someday.

 

[MJ]

Haven't received anything from AARP, but I was surprised to learn I had a wife, Mrs. Jim. I hope to meet her someday.

Hi BMJ, been lookin for you all my life.

MJ (Ms. Jim)

 

[Nords]

I have never minded getting older, but this 50 thing is bugging me.  I get solicitations for AARP.

Sounds like cabin fever is creeping in among the troops! I'd rather join AARP and keep an eye on their seditious literature than be left out wondering why Heather Locklear is on the cover of their magazine. Although I agree with the "wimp" appraisal-- is it true that AARP doesn't even stand for an acronym anymore?

I had my hair done at the mega mall last week, and the stylist said I might want a "younger" hairstyle and by the way "have you thought about coloring your hair?"

You don't need a younger hairstyle or color-- you need an older stylist. Or you need to stop going! I don't understand why gray hair on men is "distinguished" yet on women it's considered "old". I see it as a sign of, ahem, "experience".

We got a foot of snow yesterday and my arms hurt from shoveling. $%#* this noise.

Did I miss the memo? Is the government forcing you all to live in these climates or did you actually choose to live there for some purported lifestyle advantage? If the winter complaints get much worse, JohnBlake and I are going to start our own weather-update thread!

 

[BigMoneyJim]

If the winter complaints get much worse, JohnBlake and I are going to start our own weather-update thread!

On my local weather this morning they made a big deal of the recent snow in Hawaii. They mostly neglected to mention at what altitude it was or show sea level comparison videos; I suppose it was a slow news day and somebody thought sledders in Hawaii made good video.

From recent PBS HD shows I understand snow is not rare at all in Hawaii if you're high enough up on a mountain.

 

[BigMoneyJim]

Hi BMJ, been lookin for you all my life.

MJ (Ms. Jim)

That reminds me: I have some mail for you ...

Oh, and sorry about the bedroom comment.

 

[Nords]

Mostly Mauna Kea or Haleakala. Altitudes well in excess of 6,000 feet.

When the snow's "good", getting a ticket on Aloha or Hawaiian Airlines is like trying to fly to Vail at Christmas. Every year someone suffers from altitude sickness (hypoxia), or combines beers with "sleds" (boogie boards), or slides off the snowbank into a razor-sharp lava field. Kind of ironic considering that the ancient Hawaiians actually used to sled across lava fields and several are trying to revive the art of crafting holua (http://starbulletin.com/2002/05/26/travel/story1.html).

And then there's the Mauna Kea Snowboard Championships. http://starbulletin.com/2001/12/18/news/story6.html

Our Hawaii-raised kid gets so maudlin about snow that we threaten to drive up there and kick her out of the car into the drifts. Maybe some day she'll get to experience an East-Coast winter-- without us!