Alliance for Retirement Prosperity

The Alliance for Retirement Prosperity (ARP) is a "501(c)4 initiative whose purpose is to lead and coordinate the legislative and grass roots efforts essential to achieving the goal of aggressive Social Security reform that will enable working Americans to retain and invest in a private retirement account at least half the 12.4% FICA tax they now pay." 

The web site states that "President Bush opened the door for Social Security reform in the State of the Union 2004 where he stated his goal to allow American workers to retain and invest a portion of their Social Security taxes. It is upon us now to put forth our best efforts to assure that this reform be done right, so that Americans are not shortchanged. We need to ensure that working Americans will be able to invest a large portion of their current payroll tax obligation, without concern of risking the minimum benefits they now are promised." 

The Plan
The ARP Plan--"A Progressive Proposal for Social Security Personal Accounts" by Peter Ferrara--is published on the Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) web site. Also see full report and Peter Ferrara's December 1, 2004, Wall Street Journal Op-Ed "Eureka, Big Personal Social Security Accounts Work" in support of the plan.

ARP says that "The Chief Actuary of the Social Security Administration recently scored this plan and reported that, if implemented, 'the Social Security program would be expected to be solvent and to meet its benefit obligations throughout the long-range period 2003 through 2077 and beyond.'"

ARP Staff

 * Jack Kemp, Co-chair
 * Dick Armey, Co-chair
 * Dorcas Hardy, Co-chair (former Social Security Commissioner)
 * Larry Hunter, Executive Director (chief economist at Empower America)

Announcements
On February 2, 2004, Jack Kemp announced the ARP's launch in the article "An idea whose time has come" published by Townhall. Kemp said that "Joining me, Armey and Hardy as founding partners in this effort are some of the countries most influential conservative leaders and organizations, including CNBC commentator Larry Kudlow, Grover Norquist and Americans for Tax Reform, Steve Moore and the Club for Growth, David Keene and the American Conservative Union, Art Linkletter and the United Seniors Association, Social Security guru Peter Ferrara with the Institute for Policy Innovation, the 60-Plus Seniors Organization, the National Tax Limitation Committee, the American Civil Rights Union, the Black American Political Action Committee, the Small Business Survival Committee, the Leadership Institute, Wall Street financial analyst Don Luskin along with Star Parker and the Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education."

According to the March 13, 2004, edition of the Los Angeles Times, the Alliance for Retirement Prosperity is a new group to be led by Jack Kemp and Dick Armey. The Times reports that this has irked the AARP, "an advocacy group for people age 50 and older that opposes diverting Social Security taxes into private accounts" due to the fact that the new organization carries a similar name and is also "advocating the changes." 


 * "'Gee, what a coincidence,' commented AARP's John Rother."

Contact
As of January 9, 2005, the Contact Page only provides an email form. No address or phone numbers are provided.

ARP's website has a blog at http://www.arpnow.org/blog/

Website notes
The Alliance for Retirement Prosperity's website is at http://www.arpnow.org/.

As of January 9, 2005, the domain name arpnow.org was registered to financial analyst Donald Luskin, chief investment officer of Trend Macrolytics LLC.

Alliance Partners

 * 60 Plus Association
 * American Conservative Union
 * Americans for Tax Reform
 * Black America's Political Action Committee (BAMPAC)
 * Center for Freedom and Prosperity
 * Citizens Against Government Waste
 * Citizens for a Sound Economy
 * Club for Growth
 * Coalition on Urban Renewal & Education (CURE)
 * Discovery Institute
 * Empower America
 * Institute for Policy Innovation
 * Leadership Institute
 * National Tax Limitation Committee
 * The Small Business Survival Committee
 * United Seniors Association

Related SourceWatch Resources

 * U.S. Social Security
 * U.S. Social Security privatization
 * FreedomWorks