“Yet somehow our society must make it right and possible for old people not to fear the young or be deserted by them, for the test of a civilization is in the way it cares for its helpless members.” Pearl Buck, 1954.

“We have a duty to ensure that the elderly are felt to be valued and important members of our society.” Diana (Spencer), Princess of Wales, 1995.

Albert F. Spencer, similar to many other Federal and state candidates, is a senior citizen by some definitions (60 years of age). Unlike many candidates however, he does not come from a background of monetary wealth. He knows what it is like to be worried about paying for medical bills, groceries, and the costs of heating a small home or apartment.

Albert Spencer also has witnessed the great sorrow of an elderly parent feeling abandoned by their children. In 1998, Albert’s beloved father became critically ill and was hospitalized for one year in Houston, Texas. Although Dr. Albert F. Spencer was not rehired for his teaching position during that same year, he remained in Houston in order to visit his father rather seek employment elsewhere. He visited his father daily. After a few months, several nurses remarked to him that they were so happy to see his devotion to his father because nearly all of the other elderly critical care patients on that hospital floor had no one to visit them. Their sons or daughters would come very infrequently and sometimes, not at all. Learning of this situation, Albert F. Spencer spent the next nine months in that hospital visiting not only his father, but the other elderly men and women in that hospital as well.

Albert F. Spencer agrees with South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham in that Social Security, the most popular program in American history, is in need of restructuring. With the advent of many of the oldest of the Baby Boom generation retiring in less than five years, the number of social security beneficiaries will increase 65% by the year 2030. However, the working taxpaying population will increase only 8% in this time frame. In order to strengthen Social Security, President George W. Bush has proposed a plan that Albert Spencer supports. This plan includes:

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Expanding ownership of retirement assets
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Ensuring the individual’s freedom of choice to invest a portion in the stock market
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Minimizing risk through diversification
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Strengthening Women’s Retirement Security
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Helping Future Generations Achieve the American Dream.

Albert F. Spencer also supports the President’s plan to strengthen Medicare:

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Providing prescription drug benefits under Medicare
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Giving older Americans more health care choices to best meet their individual needs
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Provides screenings that will enable doctors and patients to diagnose and treat health problems early
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New Health savings Accounts which will enable Americans to pay out-of-pocket health care expenses through savings for their future health care