“Every time I recite the 31-word Pledge I am moved by it. Remove the words “Under God” and the tone and texture changes dramatically,” says Pat Boone, spokesman of the 60 Plus Association.

“Like most Americans, I have little patience with busybodies, whether they’re nosy neighbors, strangers conducting dinner-hour phone surveys, local police playing “gotcha” with red-light spy cams, or big brother in Washington,” says Jim Martin, President of the 60 Plus Association.

According to the American Hospital Association, 126,000 nursing jobs are vacant at American hospitals right now.

Given the litigious society we live in, Americans in recent years have become all too familiar with the various warnings we receive everyday. “Handle with care,” “keep out of reach of children,” and “don’t try this at home” have entered our lexicon. Sadly we may soon be seeing another warning label that reads “This medication may be hazardous to your health” on packages of prescription drugs.

“As a kid growing up, I remember touch football games in the street…and nobody I knew was ever hit by a car. I recall playing atop heaps of landfill at what was then called the city dump…and none of us was ever sicker than the average child. I used to routinely ride perilously perched atop the handlebars of my uncle’s bicycle through the streets of Philadelphia. I hopped my fair share of moving trains…” recalls Ed Fulginiti, Communications Director of The 60 Plus Association

James L. Martin, President of the 60 Plus Association, celebrates Memorial Day: “This coming Monday, we’ll celebrate Memorial Day for the 32nd time since it was officially made a federal holiday in 1971.

Considering what we celebrate when we mark this event, it goes without saying that no one year is ever more important than another. For each time we commemorate those who gave their all in support of this great country and what we hold dear, we remember a lot of sadness and pain. Every year’s celebration is a hurt; freedom’s toll is a heavy burden.”

“If Republicans are smart (and the book is still open on this), they’ll do everything they can over the next two years to entice Democrats to attack the GOP’s Social Security reform ideas,” says Hugh C. Newton, a veteran Washington communications executive, and a political consultant to many conservative policy groups including the 60 Plus Association, a grassroots senior citizens’ lobby and BAMPAC, Black America’s Political Action Committee.

“Enemies of Medicare modernization are just as adept at psychological warfare as the U.S. military — maybe even more so, since they have more actual field experience. If there was some good reason, beyond nostalgia, for preventing reform of the creaking health-care system for America’s seniors, their behavior might be understandable. But Medicare is a financial catastrophe and human tragedy in the making,” says 60 Plus Association President, Jim Martin.

Judicial Nominees Should Be Assessed For Application Of Law, Not Ideology.By James L. Martin

Just over 25 years ago, when my 86-year-old mother was a sprightly 61, and working full time, Jimmy Carter called for the elimination of federal taxes on dividend income, as President Bush has just done. That was long before the great surge in stock ownership spawned by several Reagan-era tax changes, which enabled millions of Americans to set aside money for their senior years in individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and 401(k) investment plans. So President Bush’s proposal to end the double taxation on dividends should be welcome news to all of the estimated 84 million Americans who own stock, either directly or in retirement accounts. If they have children or stay-at-home or retired spouses, it should be good news to them as well. As a group, senior citizens should be the most thankful of all.