Politics

Last fall, I engaged in an activity I haven’t done in a long time. I joined a bowling league.

But, not just any bowling league. It’s a Thursday afternoon league for seniors, appropriately called “Oldies, but Goodies.” Within the group I haven’t heard a peep about the presidential campaigns, and lives certainly don’t revolve around what the Idaho Legislature is doing.

Old geezers, such as myself, are in a pretty nice place. None of the presidential candidates can do much damage to those of us 65 and older; dismantling Social Security and Medicare are not a part of anyone’s platform. At the Idaho Statehouse, lawmakers will do a lot of huffing and puffing on a variety of issues. But they won’t blow down our houses.

Or do I have it wrong? Could these politicians running for president mess up our Social Security and Medicare? Tom Trail of Moscow, the state president of AARP Idaho and former longtime state representative, says seniors ought to be paying attention.

“At AARP, we’re telling our membership to ask our presidential candidates and congressional folks about their specific plans for Social Security and Medicare,” Trail said. “We’ve heard a lot of character assassinations in the debates, but we haven’t heard anything with depth.”

Trail says AARP likes Sanders’ ideas about means testing for Social Security.

“If you are earning $5 million a year, you really don’t need Social Security,” Trail says. “He’s done the math on this, and over time means testing could amount to considerable savings.”

On the Republican side, Trump makes bold pronouncements, such as cutting fraud and abuse, but there’s no underlying depth. As for Sen. Ted Cruz, Trail said, “I don’t have the slightest idea where he is.”

Trail has been at odds with one of Cruz’ campaign surrogates, Idaho Congressman Raul Labrador.

“I attended one of his meetings in which he was blasting Social Security as an entitlement. I told Raul he was absolutely wrong. We paid into the system, and it is an earned benefit. The problem is that both parties decided that to borrow money from the Social Security reserve, then not pay it back,” Trail said.

“I don’t know if some of our legislators are playing dumb, or are dumb on that issue,” he said. “Our membership needs to be telling candidates about the importance of Medicare and Social Security.”

Trail says about 250,000 Idahoans receive Social Security and about 25 percent of those list Social Security as their only source of income. For many others, Social Security represents the lion’s share of personal income.

There are other issues that the presidential candidates are not raising, including tax reform, Alzheimer’s research and diabetes care.

The most profound comments about tax reform has come from Cruz, who talks about shutting down the IRS and creating a flat tax -- old ideas that have gone nowhere in past presidential campaigns. “The idea might sound good in a campaign speech, but it won’t fly,” Trail says.

On the health issues, Trail says, Alzheimer’s is projected to be the leading cause of death for seniors by 2030, and diabetes isn’t far behind. “I’m not hearing anyone talking about those issues.”

Seniors also should be paying attention to what’s happening at the Statehouse. During his days in the Idaho House, Trail rankled some conservatives with his vote favoring a state insurance exchange – and he stands by that vote. If he were in the Legislature today, he’d be leading the charge for Medicaid expansion.

Trail, a Republican, never embraced partisanship. He was most effective when legislators on both sides of the aisle didn’t treat each other like poison ivy. “During my last year, 2012, a Republican that even said hello to a Democrat in the hallway was viewed with suspicion. I didn’t operate as well in that environment.”

When Trail was in the Legislature, he had a card on his desk that said, “Constituents First.” That approach applies to his position with AARP Idaho.

“Our membership is made up of seniors all the way from the left to the right,” he said. “But with issues like Medicare, Social Security, tax reform and Alzheimer’s funding, there is a common ground. That’s why I enjoy this role.”

If the 80-year-old Trail ever wanted to get on another kind of a “roll,” and wouldn’t mind traveling to Meridian every week, he’d be a great fit in the “Oldies, but Goodies” league. He’s certainly one of the good guys in Idaho politics.

Chuck Malloy is a native Idahoan and long-time political reporter and editorial writer. He is a former political editor with the Post Register of Idaho Falls and a former editorial writer with the Idaho Statesman. He may be contacted at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.