About the American Seniors AssociationAmerican Seniors AssociationASA_eb3a6dc8-55ae-11e4-af79-599466263f6eAmerican Seniors Association is the new voice of America's seniorsAmerica's SeniorsASA Board of DirectorsJohn HigginbothamChief Executive Officer and Board of Directors Member -- John graduated Magna Cum Laude from Rice University, he spent several years consulting as a forensic accountant. Prior to that he was managing director of an oil and gas services company.Loretta HigginsChief Financial Officer and Board of Directors Members -- Loretta is an experienced CPA with over twenty five years of accounting experience in both Public Accounting and Industries including Energy, Manufacturing, Logistics and Construction. Ms. Higgins' professional work has expaned tp include: General & Financial Accounting , Financial Statement Reconstruction, SEC Reporting, Management Reporting & Analysis, SOX Implementation Processes, FAS 133 Accounting Processes, Microsoft Access advanced skill set and GAAP / SEC Research. Ms. Higgins's involvement with the Daughters of Liberty, Houston Chapter of Texas Republican Women's, along with her involvement with Arrow Ministries in domestic adoptions has allowed her to focus on many of issues facing families in Houston, Texas.Carlos A. RyersonBoard Member -- Carlos has over thirty-nine years of diverse experience in legal counseling and structuring of ventures, projects, trade, and investments in the United States and abroad, with particular emphasis on Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean Basin. Mr. Ryerson has expanded his professional work to China, Singapore, and other countries of the Pacific Rim, where Mr. Ryerson has developed strong business and professional associations. Mr. Ryerson is Director and President of Ryerson & Associates, P.C. Mr. Ryerson's involvement with Mexico and Peru spans his entire professional career, and he has counseled multinational companies on a variety of large energy projects (including a $2.5 billion natural gas purchase agreement with Pemex and the Mexican government, and construction and equipping of the related natural gas transmission pipeline); Pemex and Luz y Fuerza del Centro in connection with U.S. transactions; a large U.S. utility in connection with an electricity purchase/sale contract with CFE; the Petroleum Worker’s Union in connection with complex transnational litigation involving more than one billion dollars. Mr. Ryerson currently serves as official counsel to the General Consulate for the Republic of Equatorial Guinea in Texas. Mr. Ryerson also represents the Government of Ecuador in specified matters. Mr. Ryerson has headed his Firm for the last twelve years. Prior to that, he was senior counsel in the International Energy Section of Jackson Walker, LLP, a Texas based law firm, handling international energy projects. Prior to his tenure at Jackson Walker, Mr. Ryerson worked at Enron Corp. and was responsible for the company’s power and energy projects and development activities in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. In such capacity, Mr. Ryerson headed the company’s legal team in complex workouts involving both local and U.S. governments, project lenders, and various international organizations, and also was the lead lawyer in the company’s participation in privatizations, development of LNG terminals and power plants, purchase and sale of barge mounted power plants, and corporate structuring in connection with power projects. Mr. Ryerson also had active involvement in assisting government agencies in electric sector privatization matters, including the drafting of resolutions, regulations, and proposed legislation. Prior to that, Mr. Ryerson served as co-head of the international department of the Houston office of Adams & Reese, began his career at Baker Botts. Mr. Ryerson earned his A.B. in Political Science from Stanford University and his J.D. from Southern Methodist University._eb3a6fc6-55ae-11e4-af79-599466263f6eTo make sure our members have the choices, information, and services they need to live healthier, wealthier lives. _eb3a70b6-55ae-11e4-af79-599466263f6eFinancial SecurityThe foundations of financial security for America's seniors are at risk. American Seniors Association (ASA) is leading the charge to protect the promise of security for America's seniors by advocating standards and policies that protect and enhance the lives of America's seniors.StandardsPoliciesNational ValuesRebuild National Values Respecting America's Seniors_eb3a717e-55ae-11e4-af79-599466263f6e1America's seniors should always be free to live a vibrant, active life filled with choices in employment, retirement, health care, lifestyles and housing. Their freedom and independence should always be paramount. America's seniors should always be free to live a vibrant, active life filled with choices in employment, retirement, health care, lifestyles and housing. Their freedom and independence should always be paramount. America's seniors should always feel safe for their persons and their personal property. Our laws and community standards should always seek to protect them and provide for their safety. America's seniors should have access to education, information and products that provide them with the ability to live freely and with confidence. America's seniors should always be free to pursue a full, healthy, wealthy life. Social SecurityReform Social Security_eb3a7232-55ae-11e4-af79-599466263f6e2American Seniors believes that Social Security is becoming anything but secure. As America's looming retirement security crisis builds, and our aging populations grows, many Washington politicians are becoming more reckless with Social Security dollars. American Seniors believes that the time to act is now! The foundations of Social Security must be protected, and its funding structure must be adequate and certain. America's workers and rising seniors must be given the ability to build retirement security through incentivized, voluntary, self-funded retirement accounts that provide Americans with choices, flexibility and security. Congress must simplify retirement savings plans and related taxes. Americans need access to automatic enrollment, self-directed IRAs and employer-sponsored IRAs. We must make sure that all Americans have the ability to make retirement security and savings a life-long process. The nation's immigration policies must protect American seniors that have worked and contributed to Social Security throughout their lives. Individuals in the United States illegally should not be granted benefits from Social Security.MedicareReform Medicare_eb3a72d2-55ae-11e4-af79-599466263f6e3American Seniors believes that Medicare mismanagement is wasting critical health care dollars that should be spent on improving the health care opportunities for America's seniors. The President and Congress need to reform Medicare in order to protect the health and security of America's seniors. American Seniors supports Medicare reforms that give America's seniors the ability to make health care choices, selecting from plans offering benefits and options that best fit their individual needs. American Seniors believes that Washington politicians and bureaucrats should be blocked from raiding Medicare funds to finance reckless spending experiments._eb3a7386-55ae-11e4-af79-599466263f6eTax CodeReform the Tax Code_eb3a7458-55ae-11e4-af79-599466263f6e4American Seniors believes that America's income tax system is a mess and is a significant contributor to insecurity for America's seniors. Washington needs to make a top-to-bottom reform of the tax code a top priority. America's tax code is one mountain of a mess. In fact, it is more than 72,500 pages of a mess. This one fact alone is proof of its instability and unfairness. An unstable tax code produces an unstable revenue and collection process. An abusive tax code inhibits the economic development that creates jobs and opportunities for all workers, young and old alike. All of these factors contribute to insufficient or unstable funding for Social Security and Medicare. Retirement funding plans and the related tax code must be simplified. It shouldn't be a guessing game that forces retirement planning into disjointed tax options with varied limits. Everyone should be able to make life-long retirement plans with few contribution limits and low taxes on retirement savings._eb3a7516-55ae-11e4-af79-599466263f6eGovernment SpendingControl Government Overspending_eb3a75c0-55ae-11e4-af79-599466263f6e5When our government is consistently spending more than it receives in taxes, and debt service becomes the nation's largest budget item, there is no security for American seniors, for workers or for anyone who ever hopes to retire. This is not a partisan issue - it is an American issue. Government overspending is destabilizing our economy, our finances and our workforce. It is impossible for anyone to plan for a retirement while government overspending wrecks financial markets, ignites inflation and restricts the flow of capital. Each day the news is the same - government agencies treat our tax dollars like toy money. So much government overspending is wasteful and silly. The wasting of our tax dollars must stop. American Seniors will relentlessly demand that the government stop ridiculous and wasteful spending. The United States has not passed a budget since April 29, 2009. Is it any surprise that our national finances are out of control? This recklessness is negatively impacting America's seniors. We must pass a budget and get our fiscal house in order._eb3a7692-55ae-11e4-af79-599466263f6e2014-10-16http://www.americanseniors.org/?page=missionphilosophyOwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net