A Message from the Honorary Chairman

The American Federation of Senior Citizens continues to receive attacks from the Left, condemning not only our efforts to preserve and protect the retirement future of American seniors, but our work to educate the public about conservative efforts to reform and, ultimately, rescue Social Security from financial ruin.

Let's set the record straight.

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan confirmed what American Federation of Senior Citizens and other seniors groups have been saying for several years: that doing nothing about the impending ruin of the Social Security program will lead to massive budget deficits and cause the economy to stagnate "or worse."

Mr. Greenspan affirmed that the looming retirement of 78 million baby boomers will put a huge strain on the Social Security program and aggravate the nation's budget deficits.

There is no doubt about it. Social Security needs to be reformed immediately.

President George W. Bush has made Social Security reform his top priority in his second term, and the American Federation of Senior Citizens supports his efforts.

Unfortunately, there are those on the left that do not want the status quo to change. They do not believe a crisis exists. They have accused President Bush and the Republican Party of manufacturing the Social Security crisis. And they have attacked not only the President, but anyone who supports reform, including the American Federation of Senior Citizens.

Sadly, these individuals and groups have allowed their hatred and disdain for the President to blind them to the truth -- that without immediate reform Americans' retirement future is in danger. In their zeal to attack every Bush proposal and initiative, they condemn groups such as the American Federation of Senior Citizens as conservative shills. And in their attempts to oppose reform, they continue hurling baseless accusations and misrepresentations about organizations who support efforts to rescue the future of Social Security.

The truth is that while American Federation of Senior Citizens ardently supports efforts to reform Social Security, we have not yet endorsed a specific plan. We seek to educate our members and supporters about the various reform measures currently on the table, because we believe our supporters deserve to have all the facts.

One fact is clear: Social Security reform must be implemented as quickly as possible for the future of our children and grandchildren.

Those of us already receiving and depending on our social security checks will not be affected by reform. As we have in the past, we are fighting for our future generations.

In order to save the retirement future of millions of Americans, those on the Left must come to the table and enter the discussion about the best way to reform the program.

The Left must stop ignoring the impending crisis for what appears to be purely political reasons.

It is time for liberals and conservatives to come together and work out a viable solution to save Social Security from impending disaster.

The American Federation of Senior Citizens is committed to ensuring that a viable solution to the Social Security crisis is achieved as quickly as possible. We are committed to continuing our education efforts to inform as many American seniors as possible of the facts. And we are dedicated to our efforts to promote dialogue on Social Security reform here in Washington.

We will continue our efforts on behalf of our supporters and members, regardless of the slanderous accusations of some on the Left.

That is our promise to you.