Art Linkletter on the 2000 GOP Convention and senior concerns

In-Depth Coverage of the Republican National Convention

(CNN) – Art Linkletter’s best-known TV shows include "People Are Funny" and "Art Linkletter’s House Party." Named for another of his shows, his book, "Kids Say the Darndest Things," was one of the top 14 bestsellers in American publishing history. He's won two Emmys and has received four Emmy nominations, as well as a Grammy and 10 honorary doctorate degrees.

Chat Moderator: Welcome to the Allpolitics chat room, Mr. Art Linkletter.

Art Linkletter: Good afternoon everyone!

Chat Moderator: Mr. Linkletter, what brings you to the Republican Convention?

Art Linkletter: I am now, and have been for the last six months, a spokesman for the USA. USA is United Seniors Association, made up of 600,000 elderly people who are very much interested in knowing what is happening to their money: money in Social Security, Medicare and death taxes on their estates.

We are talking to congressmen and senators and administration officials about the need to reform the Social Security Act, which is celebrating its 65th birthday on August 14. During this time, a great many important and even revolutionary changes have occurred in the population growth of the United States. The longevity of the average citizen has gone up from 20 to 30 years beyond the estimate of the original framers of the act. And it's high time to make more changes to be able to guarantee the payments to seniors over the next 40 years.

Question from Mr. Linkletter: I remember you from my childhood. Welcome. How important is a prescription drug plan to the seniors? How is the Republican plan different from the Democratic plan?

Art Linkletter: The USA feels that the prescription problem should be handled by the people who are getting the benefits or by a company set up to handle that, such as an insurance company, rather than the government. We also feel very strongly that the federal employee plan, which serves nine million government workers, would be a very satisfactory one to give to the seniors.

The Democratic plan favors government administration while the USA favors the Republican plan, which works towards returning more control to the individual citizen and more choice.

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Question from Patriot: What change would Mr. Linkletter like to see in the Social Security Act?

Art Linkletter: I would like to see, and USA would like to see, a change made so that a portion of Social Security would be given into the private decision-making power of the seniors and that this would be invested in equities in the market. About 50 percent of the population in America now invests in equities; it has proven to be the highest paid act of any kind of investment over the past 50 or 60 years.

We would also like to see some changes made so that retirement is a goal at 69 or 70 years of age, because people should and would work longer. Their lives are now up to 20 or 30 years longer than 65 or 70 years ago.

In order to keep the Social Security plan workable over the next half century, we are going to have to either raise the taxes on the workers up to almost 30 percent or we're going to have to cut the benefits below where they are promised.

Today, instead of 17 workers being taxed to support one retiree, figures are closer to four or five. This will be going down to two or three, or even one on one, if current indications continue. Something has to give.

Question from Virgil: Do you know if AARP advocates the same? If they do so, have you talked to unite efforts?

Art Linkletter: From what I have been told and read, the AARP is much more on the liberal side of putting the responsibility in the hands of the government rather than the individual. They are also against liberalizing some of the laws that have to do with people who are employed in their later years.

In short, the USA favors the Republican plan for returning controls to the individual and individual choices for doctors.

Chat Moderator: Do you have any final thoughts for us?

Art Linkletter: I feel that the tremendous growth of seniors in the next 50 years is going to require that the money surplus in the budget now, above payments needed, must not be spent for other government projects. Giving seniors IOUs with a low interest rate and no ownership to leave to their heirs is wrong.

Chat Moderator: Thank you for joining us today, Mr. Linkletter.

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