Marketplace, November 26, 2003
Most Democrats would have preferred a Medicare bill that gave less money to pharmaceutical and insurance companies and more directly to seniors. But regardless of whose side you were on in this epic battle, there was never any doubt that a new multi-billion dollar drug benefit would be available to Medicare beneficiaries.
In recent years, senior citizens have gotten most of what they wanted and needed. This wasn't always the case. In 1970, one out of four seniors was living in poverty. But since then, Social Security has been enlarged, Medicare has been expanded, and tax breaks extended for pensions and other savings vehicles. Social Security and Medicare now account for over 30 cents of every dollar of federal spending. The result: Today, only about one in ten seniors lives in poverty.
What happened? Mainly, senior citizens began voting in large numbers and exercising their political clout. Just about a quarter of all votes cast in recent elections have come from seniors. The AARP -- the American Association of Retired Persons -- is one of Washington's most powerful lobbies, as we just witnessed in the fight over the new drug benefit.
And you ain't seen nothing yet. Just wait until the post-World War II baby-boomers retire, and America's senior citizens account for one out of every three votes cast. Talk about political clout.
But meanwhile, people at the other end of the age distribution -- that is, America's children -- have been getting the short end of the stick. The so-called "No Child Left Behind Act" which was supposed to improve thenation's poor schools, still hasn't been fully funded. There's not nearly enough money in the budget for child care -- especially now that single mothers have to workand can't rely on welfare.
Only a fraction of children eligible for the enormously-successful Head Start program can be enrolled. Funds for children's health aren't expanding to meet the population's needs. Also on the chopping block: Pell grants and other fundsto help low-income kids go to college. America has succeeded in reducing poverty among the elderly, and that's a greatachievement. But we have not reduced child poverty. In fact, the poverty rate among America's children has risen from 15 percent in 1970 to around 18 percenttoday -- giving America the highest rate of childhood poverty among all advanced countries.
The AARP isn't the problem. The problem is we don't have a powerful AAPTYV -- an American Association of People Too Young to Vote.
