People across Walton County are scratching their heads about who is “behind” the election advertising being placed by the shadowy Washington, D.C., group “Our Generation.”
We’ll probably never know. But do we need to?
Our Generation’s history as an organization should have Walton County voters very uncomfortable about trusting anything that this group has to say — regardless of who is paying for the mailings, online videos and spam emails and text that are bombarding Walton County voters.
Specifically, Our Generation has been rocked by allegations that it runs complicated schemes to “scam” senior citizens of their retirement money — with proceeds totaling millions of dollars. Newspapers in the state of Washington, Tennessee, California and Illinois have all written about Our Generation’s tactics. According to these reports, the group sends official-looking mailers to senior citizens asking them to send donations to save “the senior center,” or to pay to complete a “National Census” survey — with all proceeds apparently going right back to the organization’s coffers, not to a local senior center or government entity.
One newspaper described these tactics as a “financial scam.” Another called it a “mail scam.” And yet another called it a “scam target(ing) senior citizens.” The Better Business Bureau has reported that these mailings are alleged “scare tactics,” and has given Our Generation a grade of “F” for horrible behavior.
Federal lawmakers have sharply criticized the group. One member of Congress described Our Generation’s mailers as a “poorly veiled attempt to trick seniors into providing their credit card information,” while another Congressman described the organization’s activities as a “scam.”
Why would an organization do this? The answer is: It’s all about money.
Publicly available financial reports show that the organization uses funds from their mailings simply to raise more money. Money raised by a mailing goes directly to fundraising companies that are owned by individuals who serve (or served previously) on Our Generation’s board. For example, one company that is owned by a leader of Our Generation was paid $2.3 million by the organization in just one year. They raise money from seniors so that they can keep making money for the purpose of raising more money. A vicious circle that generates an endless money loop with very little public policy involved.
A review of Our Generation’s “Changing the World” blogs on its website shows some of the only public policy changes the group advocates are giving clemency to imprisoned drug dealers and advocating senior citizens’ use of marijuana. Is this the sort of Washington, D.C., group we need “informing” us how to vote in Walton County?
Given this information, Melanie Nipper and Bill Fletcher, the Walton County Commission candidates who are benefiting from Our Generation’s largesse, should consider sending cease-and-desist letters to the organization demanding that they stop their activities and they should publicly renounce the organization’s advertisements — both the positive advertisements about themselves and glut of negative hit pieces on their opponents.
It’s time to look out for the next generation — not to believe the propaganda from “Our Generation.” Walton County voters will prove they won’t be scammed when they vote on August 30th.
Michael L. Weimorts, Esq., is a resident of Point Washington.
(Guest Column appeared in today's Sunday Paper by the NWFL Daily News.)
We’ll probably never know. But do we need to?
Our Generation’s history as an organization should have Walton County voters very uncomfortable about trusting anything that this group has to say — regardless of who is paying for the mailings, online videos and spam emails and text that are bombarding Walton County voters.
Specifically, Our Generation has been rocked by allegations that it runs complicated schemes to “scam” senior citizens of their retirement money — with proceeds totaling millions of dollars. Newspapers in the state of Washington, Tennessee, California and Illinois have all written about Our Generation’s tactics. According to these reports, the group sends official-looking mailers to senior citizens asking them to send donations to save “the senior center,” or to pay to complete a “National Census” survey — with all proceeds apparently going right back to the organization’s coffers, not to a local senior center or government entity.
One newspaper described these tactics as a “financial scam.” Another called it a “mail scam.” And yet another called it a “scam target(ing) senior citizens.” The Better Business Bureau has reported that these mailings are alleged “scare tactics,” and has given Our Generation a grade of “F” for horrible behavior.
Federal lawmakers have sharply criticized the group. One member of Congress described Our Generation’s mailers as a “poorly veiled attempt to trick seniors into providing their credit card information,” while another Congressman described the organization’s activities as a “scam.”
Why would an organization do this? The answer is: It’s all about money.
Publicly available financial reports show that the organization uses funds from their mailings simply to raise more money. Money raised by a mailing goes directly to fundraising companies that are owned by individuals who serve (or served previously) on Our Generation’s board. For example, one company that is owned by a leader of Our Generation was paid $2.3 million by the organization in just one year. They raise money from seniors so that they can keep making money for the purpose of raising more money. A vicious circle that generates an endless money loop with very little public policy involved.
A review of Our Generation’s “Changing the World” blogs on its website shows some of the only public policy changes the group advocates are giving clemency to imprisoned drug dealers and advocating senior citizens’ use of marijuana. Is this the sort of Washington, D.C., group we need “informing” us how to vote in Walton County?
Given this information, Melanie Nipper and Bill Fletcher, the Walton County Commission candidates who are benefiting from Our Generation’s largesse, should consider sending cease-and-desist letters to the organization demanding that they stop their activities and they should publicly renounce the organization’s advertisements — both the positive advertisements about themselves and glut of negative hit pieces on their opponents.
It’s time to look out for the next generation — not to believe the propaganda from “Our Generation.” Walton County voters will prove they won’t be scammed when they vote on August 30th.
Michael L. Weimorts, Esq., is a resident of Point Washington.
(Guest Column appeared in today's Sunday Paper by the NWFL Daily News.)
