Who Are These People?

USA Next…A far-right wacko group has decided to target AARP because of their position on Social Security. Charles Jarvis, who nominally heads up USA Next, called AARP, “The boulder in the middle of the highway to personal savings accounts.” And then he stated that his group, “…will be the dynamite that removes them.”

In February, Jarvis used an internet ad to falsely accuse AARP of failing to support the troops and of endorsing same-sex marriage. Jarvis later called the ad “a test” to see if “left-wing bloggers” would focus on it. Although that failed, it did get him some exposure on TV.

USA Next is also known as the United Seniors Association. It supposedly has 1.5 million members and its tax return for the year 2003 showed revenue of $25.3 million. Oddly enough, $24.8 million came from one unidentified contributor. So, it seems that USA Next is the personal “Tool” of one person.

Although that person is unknown, the drug industry’s trade association (Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America…PhRMA) acknowledges that they provided an “unrestricted educational grant” to United Seniors in 2002. PhRMA was asked by AARP to comment but didn’t respond.

The Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance says that United Seniors won’t answer their requests for information either. Why?

United Seniors has some people associated with it that have made headlines of their own. For instance; Jack Abramoff was once a director. He is currently under investigation for allegedly defrauding Indian gaming interests of millions of dollars. Also a director, was J. Curtis Herge, a lawyer who worked for a “Phantom” holocaust-victims group and a phony anti-gambling organization fronting for Donald Trump. (Trump was fined $250,000 and ordered to apologize)

Under Jarvis’ leadership in 2003, United Seniors was given a $554,196 fine for deceptive mailings. The judge ruled that the organization had ignored government warnings to cease the deceptive mailings and that the mailings, “had the potential for causing substantial damage to the integrity of the Social Security program.”

Where do these people come from? If you don’t like the Social Security Program, then debate it with facts…not lies.