Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2006, 930Am, Room 2141

“Good morning, I’m Jim Martin, President of the 15-year-old-and-counting 60 Plus Association and I appreciate the invitation to offer comments today on behalf of some 5 million senior citizens we call upon for support. For the record, I have prepared remarks and I’ll now summarize: incidentally, my Honorary Chairman is a former colleague of yours, Roger Zion of Evansville, Indiana. Hale and hearty at 85 years young, Roger was elected to the 90th Congress in 1966 and served four consecutive terms. I’m proud of the fact that our national spokesman is none other than the legendary entertainer, Pat Boone. In the Top 10 all-time of recording artists, nobody but nobody sold more records in the 50s than Pat except for a fellow named Elvis.

I don’t stand here today attempting to have you believe I’m an expert on “spoofing” or “phishing” … that’s fishing spelled with a “ph”, by the way, not the way I’m accustomed to spelling the recreational activity so many “gray hairs” like myself enjoy.

But you know, in a sense, I suppose that’s what we’re here about now, isn’t it? Things that aren’t really what they seem. Fishing spelled with a “ph”. “Mac” not being your golfing buddy but a computer system. “Windows” not being what you clean each spring but rather what has made Bill Gates a household name. “Wallpaper” that has nothing whatever to do with walls; “bugs” having nothing to do with insects; and a “cursor” having nothing to do with inappropriate language.

And don’t even ask me about iPods and Bluetooths or Boysenberries…or is that Blackberry’s?

You see, the old warhorse that I am, I know that things ain’t always what they seem in this brave new world of hi-tech. And we seniors are prepared to accept that for the great rush of progress that it represents. But what we’re NOT about to accept is fraud, deceit, larceny, character assassination and identity theft. We didn’t back in the 1950s when the guy selling aluminum siding left us holding the bag…we didn’t in recent years as telephone scams were perfected…and we won’t now with cyberspace being manipulated for the same ends: greed.

This matter of “spoofing” or “phishing” strikes me as very serious business. Just as we seniors are beginning to get computer literate, we’ve learned some basics: like with “spam” — over time we’ve learned that it’s garbage via email that we didn’t ask for and as an unwanted document, we can merely delete the file. It’s a pain in the neck, but it isn’t lethal.

But with “phishing,” a senior logs on to their email account and is duped by use of a legitimate name or vendor that they may have an actual account with — say the bank or MasterCard or eBAY — and since they’re likely to want to access the information, they click on to a link or otherwise take action and fill-out personal information — something they innocently believe is an update — but is really designed to give the “phishers” personal info that indeed could be lethal!

Or take this matter of “spoofing” … this strikes me as a new low! Someone receives an email from a friend or loved one…well surely, anyone would open that missive, right? Well, hold on! Turns out with “spoofing,” a virus attacks your address book or seizes addresses from your TO and FROM fields and manipulates it in such a way that you are either sending or receiving a knock-out blow of a virus! Very bad stuff, for certain.

And it’s much the same for the telephone…let’s say you’re paying for a service we all know called Caller ID. Well careful, now the number you recognize as your Aunt Betty’s number really isn’t hers! The bad guys “spoofed” poor Aunt Betty and grabbed her number to mask the bad guy’s real number and lo and behold, you pick up and the connection is made, like it or not. Could be a telemarketing scam, could be pornography, could be just about anything! Bad stuff!

I’m an old direct mail guy…snail mail, if you will…and after 40 years, probably know as much or more about the direct mail business as most. Could the direct mail business get pretty shoddy? Of course it could BUT the recipient wasn’t electronically connected; and they were in the privacy of a home or office, able to dispose of the literature opened or unopened and the matter was over and done with. That’s not the way today. And as more of my seniors with 60 Plus get “Internet” savvy, as telephones and cell phones become “smartphones” and ooze into every facet of our personal and business lives, the opportunity to be scammed only goes up.

I’ll be perfectly candid with you here: we at 60 Plus have not received what you might consider an alarming number of complaints on this issue. But it’s only a matter of time. This is a stink that’s coming and we want to be proactive. So, for example, in the next edition of our national quarterly magazine, Senior Voice, I plan to post this very testimony I’m delivering today and publicize these important hearings.

But let’s face it, while we seniors have slowed down some, we still would like to think we’re quick enough to handle the telephone or surf the Net with some dispatch — and we have a right to expect fair play on the other end. If not, then we have a legitimate right to ask our elected officials to step up to the plate and do the right thing: pass tough, no-nonsense laws that severely penalize those who would wish us harm.

In closing, I’ll tell you testifying at events like these make me pretty hungry. I don’t mind telling you I’m looking forward to lunch this afternoon; I’m going to have some “Spam”…the food staple I’ve known for decades…followed by a few “bytes” of a some “cookies”…really, munch down on some Oreos…brought to me by a “server”…you know, a real waiter…and I’ll wash it all down with some “Java”…honest-to-God coffee!

Well, there’s my two “bits”….pun intended.

Seriously, I thank you for your allowing 60 Plus to weigh in on this important matter to seniors. It’s my hope that this committee will do whatever is necessary to ensure the scammers get nailed for stealing senior’s passwords, usernames, bank information, credit card data and more.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention how I appreciate Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA) introducing this important legislation…H.R. 5304, the Preventing Harassment through Outbound Number Enforcement Act …and acknowledge his consistent service to senior citizens, observing he served as Chair of the Pennsylvania Committee on Aging when he was in the state Senate there.

Well, I see my time is up…I thank you, most sincerely, for yours.

Jim Martin Addresses Groups In Houston, Norfolk And Atlantic City

“I’m Jim Martin, President of the 60 Plus Association, a 15 year old national senior citizen’s advocacy group. I’m pleased to speak this afternoon on their behalf…about 5 million senior citizens representing every state and every Congressional District in the U.S.

Ladies and gentleman, the message today is simple: Seniors — and for that matter every segment of American society — are painfully witnessing first hand the negligence… quite frankly, the disregard over this nation’s mandate for serious energy exploration.

This nation has the wherewithal to fulfill energy supply right here where we live…but we only seem to be willing to let only the demand increase.

Gasoline to drive our cars, heating oil to keep our homes warm, electricity to power the stores we shop in…everything is on the increase, cost-wise. Senior’s on fixed incomes are the least able to keep up with runaway rising energy costs.

As senior activists, we at 60 Plus are pleased to weigh-in on whatever our supporters tell us is on their minds. They care deeply about Medicare, about prescription drug costs, about their monthly Social Security checks, about the permanent repeal of the confiscatory death tax — but I must say that lately, I’m hearing more and more about their concerns over rising costs of energy.

I’m proud to be working elbow-to-elbow with 60 Plus Co-Chairman, the Honorable Roger Zion from Indiana, who served four terms in the House, 1967-1975. Roger was appointed by then Republican Minority Leader Gerald Ford to be Chairman of the Congressional Task Force on Energy in 1973 during the Arab oil embargo. Back when Congressman Zion was in office, foreign oil imports accounted for “just” 37 % of America’s annual total. Today the figure is closer to 60% and rising! In today’s terribly troubled world, Congressman Zion says reliance for energy sources at such levels from outside our borders is not just dangerous, it’s irresponsible.

I’m equally proud to be working with legendary entertainer Pat Boone, the 60 Plus Association’s National Spokesman. Pat recently wrote a wonderful opinion piece entitled “More Oil Than Wisdom.” Pat’s call was then what my call is today — we need more energy sources and more investment in energy infrastructure.

Seniors have long memories. We fondly recall cheap gas and boundless energy supplies. I, for one, am proud to be the son of a Kentucky coal miner and vividly recollect the sight and smell of my dad’s carbide lantern many mornings as he left before dawn for the coal mine. His industry way back then is nearly unrecognizable today. Now, we have sound technologies that ensure energy exploration and production with diminished environmental risk. The $50,000 question is: do we have the will to roll up our sleeves and do it?

I hope so. Seniors hope so.

Let me conclude with a few general remarks.

A. I believe we need all forms of domestic energy that we can produce and this includes coal, natural gas, nuclear and renewables such as wind and solar.

B. Any limits to domestic exploration (whether offshore, drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, etc.) at a time when international supplies are so uncertain is not good for this country. We must wean ourselves from our dependence on unstable foreign oil supplies.

C. In re-assessing this country’s energy policies, 60 Plus, with well over 80% of our supporters veterans of military service, now considers this not only an economic issue but also a national security issue following 9/11 and the brutal war we’re engaged in.

D. I believe the environmental movement, while important, simply

cannot play a stronger role in energy production than it does — and enjoys doing — today. Energy can be produced, responsibly, and I believe it is imperative that we bridge this divide between those who claim the environmental mantle and those who are responsible for providing our energy needs. Maybe it’s about time for the environmentalists and the energy industry to come together and find a common ground…sort of what Secretary of State Henry Kissinger called “détente.”

E. Seniors who support the 60 Plus Association tell me of their difficulty trying to juggle high energy costs with buying food or medicine while on a fixed income. They tell me they have difficulty reconciling the failure of Congress to allow drilling especially in light of the fact that Cuba, under the provisions of a treaty it signed with Mexico and the US, is now developing offshore oil and gas leases only 45 miles from Florida.

Seniors are constantly asking me why we in the United States can’t drill off the coast of Florida, while Communist Cuba is developing their resources. They’re perplexed over why we are not allowed to develop this nation’s resources, but we are out buying energy from other nations. They don’t understand it; but I can tell you, they are upset about it.

In sum, ladies and gentlemen, we need more domestic energy, more sources of domestic energy and senior citizens and all Americans will benefit. On behalf of the 60 Plus Association, I strongly support efforts to ensure reasonable energy prices through access to our nation’s abundant offshore oil and natural gas resources in all areas of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

And we need these measures sooner, not later.

Thank you.”

By Pat Boone And Jim Martin

“We seniors (yes, we’re both in that club) have any number of things to be concerned about in our later years, things that go to the welfare and happiness of our children and grandkids, prevention of identity theft, what to do in case of power outages owing to natural phenomena like hurricanes or floods, whether there will ever be a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, sales scams via telemarketing or on-line fraud, home security and the like.

What we don’t need in our advanced years are phony worries or political hocus pocus, like what is happening all over the media these days as the 2006 mid-term elections come, thankfully, to a conclusion.

I’m referring to the oldest tactic in the book: one political party scaring seniors into the voting booth by falsely claiming the other party will “take away your Social Security,” a despicable tactic used every election cycle. It’s time to stop using senior citizens as political footballs.

The reason these terrible tactics are used is simple: senior citizens are more reliable voters than any other demographic, at or about the 25% mark of all voters for recent national elections. Furthermore, studies suggest senior citizens over the age of 65 are even more reliably likely to vote in non-presidential year elections such as this one in November; younger voters are not as motivated unless a presidential office is also in play.

So what are we to believe here, that the reward for citizenship, ideals and loyalty that so many senior citizens possess is the very reason why they’re hammered with so many lies and so much deceit come election cycles? We have to say from our personal viewpoints, seniors we know are getting plenty sick and tired of this false drumbeat.

For example, Jim Martin has just returned from a 12-state tour across the U.S. where he presented our Guardian of Seniors’ Rights award as well as our Benjamin Franklin award (to abolish the “death” tax) to incumbents, challengers and candidates for elected office who are “senior friendly” in their legislative outlook. For the 60 Plus Association, that means non-partisan, free market, limited government and lower taxes. That means office holders who will pledge to protect Social Security and to strengthen the system for future generations, as well as vote for permanent repeal of the onerous, confiscatory estate or “death” tax.

Jim happened upon senior after senior who bristled over the negative tone of campaign advertisements. And they were especially peeved over how they could be dismissed as easy targets for slanderous come-ons. “We ain’t stupid!” said one disgruntled gentleman in Montana. And he continued, “I’m just sick to death of it.”

The 60 Plus Association is today, as it has been for 15 years, an advocate for senior citizens and a non-partisan organization that strives for honest, fair and open debate of the issues. From time to time we believe it’s important to step into the fray whenever senior citizens are used as political pawns and this opinion piece is just such an occasion.

As clearly as it can be stressed, no politician — Democrat or Republican — is going to take away anyone’s Social Security. This malicious and phony charge, however, has been dressed-up and trotted-out wherever and whenever votes are counted, and simply calling a spade a spade, it has been the Democrats’ modus operandi more often than not.

We’re reminded of the response by the late liberal Democrat from New York, Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who when asked why Democrats always make these false Social Security claims in every election cycle, Moynihan replied “because unfortunately, it garners votes.”

Sleazy politics and false messages by politicians and their boosters may be shameless but we “seasoned citizens” will no longer allow ourselves to be scared into the voting booth. Stop the hypocrisy.

Washington, DC — “On behalf of the 60 Plus Association and senior citizens all across America, I am pleased to note that H.R. 1898 sponsored by Rep. Gary Miller (R-CA) has gained its 218th cosponsor this week, marking an historic opportunity for the 109th Congress to once and for all repeal the 3% federal excise telephone tax — a tax we’ve referred to for years now as the highly regressive ‘tax on talking.’

This outdated tax hurts the poor and disadvantaged and is certainly an impediment to senior citizens, especially those on fixed incomes.

Look at your next phone bill. The ‘Federal excise tax’ is the smokescreen tax imposed to pay for the 1898 Spanish-American War.

The Spanish-American War was waged at a time when telephones were considered a luxury and as is always the case, the ‘rich’ were taxed for this luxury. (Shades of the estate, nee ‘death’ tax, imposed as a temporary tax to finance war efforts!) Can any clear thinking person today consider the ubiquitous telephones, cell phones or internet access we enjoy — as a “luxury” or something only enjoyed by the so-called “rich”? Of course not. Everyone pays this tax, but the heaviest burden falls on the least-able.

The 60 Plus Association calls for its permanent repeal immediately — or until such time as the Spanish-American War flares up again. As a personal aside, my recently-deceased stepfather who passed on at a remarkable 105 years of age, quipped to me once how he’s paid this tax 85 years! He said, ‘Jim, all those dollars could have paid for a lot of prescription drugs’ and he’s certainly right about that!

In 2000, similar legislation was offered by former Congressmen Rob Portman (R-OH) and Robert Matsui (D-CA) but was vetoed by then President Clinton. That was a shame, for it was a true bi-partisan effort with repeal embraced by the overwhelming majority in the House 420-2. Today, I’d think H.R. 1898 offers a chance for Congress to pass legislation supported by both sides of the political spectrum, void of all the partisan rancor so common on the Hill today. In that regard, 60 Plus also commends Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) for sponsoring companion legislation, S. 1321.

Having worked on Capitol Hill for over 40 years, I’ve seen lots of taxes come but precious few go. Surely the time has come for this tax to go. Further, I congratulate Americans for Tax Reform for leading this most recent charge up San Juan Hill, so to speak, to abolish this tax.”

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April 9-15, 2006

Senior’s group embraces Iraq Liberation Week. Special week, April 9-15, lauds servicemen and women.

Arlington, VA — “The mainstream media and their left-leaning tilt on the war in Iraq tends to circumnavigate all the good news, the hard-won victories and clear signs of progress in our mission there … while simultaneously down-playing what the clear majority of Iraqi’s themselves see as better days ahead.” So said 60 Plus Association President Jim Martin.

In a recent ABC News poll in Iraq taken in conjunction with Time magazine and other media partners, seven out of 10 Iraqi citizens said their own lives are going well, and nearly two-thirds expect things to improve in the year ahead. The poll suggested surprising levels of optimism with living conditions improved and expectations for the future high. But how often does the mainstream media report such findings?

Families of American troops are requesting that major media outlets like the Boston Globe, the New York Times, the Washington Post, ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC recount how April 9, 2003, was such a critically important day for the development of democracy in the Middle East. That was the day Saddam Hussein fled Baghdad and his statue was toppled, an anniversary that is certainly worth remembering.

Martin, himself a Marine veteran, said, “The mainstream media may have lost faith in what the United States is trying to do in places like Iraq but senior citizen’s I’m proud to represent haven’t. They support our troops and our President for fighting a war unlike any this country has ever been engaged in before. We salute them and laud their cause of trying to free a people from oppression. 60 Plus is proud to be a small part of remembering Iraq Liberation Week.”

For additional information, check out: http://www.familiesunitedmission.com/

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