Seniors air their financial worries at annual AARP gathering

[cal04]

At a three-day conference in Los Angeles attended by more than 20,000, uncertainty about Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security takes center stage.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-seniors-20110924,0,4266578.story

Keith Brown, 59, doesn't qualify for Medicare yet. But President Obama's proposal earlier this week to cut into the government healthcare program has him worried about what will be left when he does.

"There is a certain level of uncertainty," said Brown, a retired federal employee from Falls Church, Va.

He said politicians should get the deficit under control by taxing the rich rather than slashing programs that help the middle class.

(snip)
"If these benefits are cut, as many political leaders now propose, it would force millions of older Americans and their families out of the middle class, closer to the dangers of poverty," he said. "We are all fighting and we must all fight to make sure that doesn't happen."

[cutlassmama]

1. Many of them are already living in poverty. cutting what little they get

is only going to make worse.

[SpiralHawk]

2. "Please don't let the RepuliBaggers toss us under the bus." - America's Elders

[BR_Parkway]

5. Dear Seniors - quit voting them into office

[SpiralHawk]

6. Dear Corporate Media (R):

Please stop pumping our heads full of Billionaire-backed Republicon bullshit.

- America's Elders

[roguevalley]

8. too many of us don't. we actually get more liberal as we age.

google it. There were studies a while back. what pisses me off are big mouthed young conservative types who think they know it all and they don't know jack. what a waste of youth

[no_hypocrisy]

3. With proper organization, the senior voting block may make quite a difference

in congressional elections next year.

[newfie11]

4. the only reason we have not moved from this country is medicare

If that is gone or dropped down enough that it will not be much different somewhere else then hasta luego.

[zalinda]

7. Since Obama mentioned it, he now owns it.

People now think that Obama wants to cut their SS and Medicare, because he said it on national TV, which, of course, all the local news shows played. They will not think that the repubs want it, especially with the way repubs campaign. I am a registered Independent. I get all the election junk mail, from all candidates. There is a trend where Republican does not appear on repubs literature, or if it is, it is printed in very tiny letters. While dems are proudly printing Democrat on their literature, Republicans make you search out which party they belong to. Another tactic is they use The Working Family Party, or some other right leaning party, to print on their literature.

Obama made a HUGE mistake with the debt speech. He may have committed political suicide and brought about the downfall of down ticket dems. I'll see when election time comes around and if the dems are proudly advertising themselves as Democrats.

zalinda