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NewswireTODAY - /newswire/ -
Greenwich, CT, United States, 2006/08/23 - The AARP is keeping seniors from knowing about Phil Maymin, the only candidate to support repealing estate taxes, abolishing FDA bans on medical treatments, and offering tax exemptions for those opting out of Social Security.
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Because of the exclusionary policies of AARP Connecticut, seniors aged 50 and over may not be provided all the information necessary to making an informed decision in this November’s tightly contested three-way race in Connecticut’s Fourth Congressional District, said Phil Maymin. Maymin is the Libertarian candidate, running against ten-term incumbent Republican Christopher Shays and two-time Democratic challenger Diane Farrell.
Maymin called the AARP to ensure his answers were included in the AARP Connecticut Voter’s Guides. John Erlingheuser of AARP Connecticut told him that Maymin would not be included in the guides, to be published by the end of August, unless an “independent polling organization” shows results of at least five percent in “official polls.” When asked to specify a single official poll that showed Maymin did not have at least five percent, Erlingheuser could not specify one.
“I am the only candidate who is completely against estate taxes so that retired people could leave more of what they own to who they want, not who the government wants,” said Maymin. “I am also the only candidate who would move to abolish the FDA’s restrictions on what drugs and medical treatment people can receive. It should be up to the individual in consultation with his physicians to decide the best course of treatment for his disease, not the government. Sick people may not have enough time to wait until the government approves the treatment that they need. There is no reason why Americans should have to fly to foreign countries to have procedures or treatment that Washington bureaucrats haven’t gotten around to approving yet.”
Maymin is running as a third-party candidate against the established and repeat candidates from the 2004 elections. Election rules in Connecticut forbid third parties from appearing on the ballot unless they collect signatures equal to one percent of the total votes from the previous election and file an endorsement letter from the party. Maymin’s campaign was required to collect 2,909 signatures. They successfully collected more than 5,000 two weeks before the deadline and filed the endorsement letter three months ago. According to the Secretary of the State’s office, Maymin is officially on the ballot alongside Farrell and Shays.
“If a non-partisan organization wishes to organize a debate, it should abide by the laws of the State that were passed to determine the eligibility of candidates,” said Maymin. “If they create additional obstacles to those approved by the people and the legislature, they are effectively inviting people at their whim, bending to the pressure from the status quo establishment, and are no longer truly non-partisan.”
The AARP Connecticut office refuses to allow seniors the opportunity to read Maymin’s answers to the four questions asked of the other candidates in the district.
“Not only are they hiding a viable and legitimate voting option from the seniors, they are hiding the candidate who is probably every senior citizen’s best friend,” said Maymin. “My opponents want to continue to grow the intrusive government into their personal and private lives. I am the only candidate looking for alternatives to help senior citizens be free.”
One example, said Maymin, in addition to the repeal of all estate taxes and the abolition of the FDA’s ability to ban medical treatments, might be to offer complete tax exemption for life to those seniors who permanently opt out of all federal support from the government, including Social Security and Medicare. “Whoever chooses to remain with the current system is able to do so,” said Maymin. “But whoever wishes to run his own life will be able to do so too.”
Under that proposal, seniors would be able to work without paying federal payroll or income tax. They would also be exempt from the gas tax, dividend tax, and every other federal tax. “Seniors would be able to work and receive every penny they earn,” said Maymin.
AARP Connecticut is reportedly also scheduling debates in October and are attempting to invite only Farrell and Shays and excluding Maymin. They are likely to cite the five percent independent polling rule to justify the exclusion, even though there have been no independent polls of the three candidates yet.
Maymin offered to pay for a poll immediately to show the AARP Connecticut that he had the support of more than five percent of the voters, but was rebuffed. Erlingheuser told Maymin that if he or the Libertarian party sponsored a poll, it would not matter, presumably even if more people polled supported Maymin than Shays and Farrell combined.
Maymin (mayminforcongress.com) is currently scheduling town meetings and inviting his opponents to debate him. His first town meeting is Tuesday, August 29, at 8pm in Greenwich Town Hall to discuss the question “Should we set a fixed withdrawal date for Iraq?” and related issues. Maymin is the only candidate to favor a fixed date, and he has called for July 4, 2007 deadline.
He is scheduling a debate on issues affecting senior citizens in September. Details will be posted to his campaign website at MayminForCongress.com when they become available.
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campaign[.]mayminforcongress.com 
