House Republicans' Next Target: The Old Peoples' Lobby
The masters of legislative oversight who currently make up America's House Republican majority has another little beef to settle, this time with that most sinister of Washington special interests: The American Association of Retired Persons, a.k.a. the lobby for old people things. If only these geriatrics hadn't endorsed last year's health care reform law, maybe Republicans could've turned a blind eye to such corrupt practices as bribes that ensure Matlock reruns never disappear from daytime television programming. But they did endorse it, so House Republicans are planning hearings.
The Hill reports that two oversight subcommittees "are hauling in the seniors lobby's executives before the panel for an April 1 hearing on how the group stands to benefit from the law," as well as, more broadly, "AARP's organizational structure, management, and financial growth over the last decade." In other words, what have these monsters been hiding from your dues-paying grandparents?
The AARP's support for healthcare reform "just doesn't make sense" until "you dig a little deeper and see that [a lot] of their revenues come from these royalties," Reichert told The Hill during the healthcare reform debate. "And if Medicare Advantage does go away, they may gain millions of dollars in additional royalties."
AARP could benefit from a law change that it endorsed? Destroy it at once.
[Image via AP]