Seniors have ‘earned a say’

Posted: Friday, March 23, 2012 11:46 am

Bo Bradshaw
Tennessee News Service
In Tennessee, more than 1 million people rely on Medicare, and 1.2 million receive Social Security. Those numbers are expected to climb dramatically as baby boomers become eligible for retirement. Today, AARP is launching a statewide listening tour, “You’ve Earned a Say,” inviting people to speak out about the future of Medicare and Social Security.
Ron Schlagheck, a retired NASA Engineer who volunteers with AARP, says that he, like others, is concerned about protecting what has been rightfully earned.
A new survey from AARP shows that 90 percent of Americans, no matter what their age or political affiliation, think Medicare and Social Security are worth protecting, but they don’t think anyone in Washington is listening.
Town hall meetings will be held in Johnson City, Knoxville, Nashville and Jackson – as well as a live televised event on RFD-TV and special forums in Memphis and the Tri-Cities.
The organization wants to make it easy for all Tennesseans to join the conversation. Schlagheck says it’s important for everyone to speak up now, before it’s too late.
While most Social Security beneficiaries in Tennessee are retirees, more than 230,000 are disabled workers and some 100,000 are widows or widowers.
The primary goal of the “You’ve Earned a Say” tour is to empower Tennesseans with unbiased, straightforward and accurate information about proposed changes – without the political jargon and spin – so voters can make informed choices at the polls in November.
Details are available at the Tennessee AARP website, www.aarp.org/tn.
A questionnaire to complete and more information are available at www.earnedasay.org.
Published in The WCP 3.20.12