Generations United Responds to the State of the Union Address

In his State of the Union address this week, President Obama called on the nation to throw aside our differences and create an “America built to last”—one that revives the “basic American promise that if you worked hard you could do well enough to raise a family, own home, send your kids to college, and put a little away for retirement.” As our name implies, Generations United believes that we all must work together to revive America…because we’re stronger together.

Education

As President Obama noted, “A great teacher can offer an escape from poverty to the child who dreams beyond his circumstances…. Teachers matter. So, instead of bashing them…. Give [schools] the resources to keep good teachers on the job…” Generations United applauds the President’s recognition that investing in our education system is essential to the rebuilding process.

We believe that older adults can play a key role in that rebuilding process. Older adults are one of our nation’s few growing natural resources and can offer the individual attention and wisdom of experience that children need. A prime example is Experience Corps, an evidence-based program that engages adults over 55 to provide literacy coaching, homework help, consistent role models, and committed, caring attention to young people. Independent research has shown that Experience Corps boosts student academic performance, helps schools and youth-serving organizations become more successful, and enhances the well-being of older adults in the process. Currently, 2,000 older adults are involved in Experience Corps in 19 cities across the nation. Given the number of Baby Boomers now retiring, we could easily increase that number.

Older adults can play a critical role in promoting high-quality early education and care, as well.  While not highlighted in his address, President Obama is a strong supporter of early learning, a critical element of any rebuilding process.  Statistics have shown over and over that children who are exposed to high-quality learning early in life do better in school--and later in life.  That makes sense.  After all, 75 percent of brain development and 85 percent of intellect, personality, and social skills develop before age 5.  

Research has found that funding for early childhood education provides the greatest documented return for the expenditure.  That is why Generations United has rallied thousands of older adults to advocate on behalf of our children through our Seniors4Kids initiative.  These dedicated adults keep lawmakers focused on the need for and efficacy of early learning.

Along with revitalizing elementary education and investing in early learning initiatives, we must also focus on higher education. As the President rightly noted, “Higher education can’t be a luxury—it’s an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.” At the same time, he acknowledged that the cost of college can be daunting for today’s students. While we applaud the President’s support for extending the tuition tax credit, Generations United urges Congress to do more to assist particularly vulnerable young people, those whose parent(s) are diseased or disabled. One way is by reinstating the student benefit under Social Security. That provision would help young people who have lost a parent or whose parent is disabled to receive survivor benefits through the age of 22 as long as they are enrolled in college. Social Security survivor and disability benefits can be a deciding factor in whether or not these young people can continue their education.

Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, Health Care

“I will not go back to the days when health insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your policy and deny your coverage.” With those words, President Obama reaffirmed his commitment to the Affordable Care Act that will extend health care coverage to millions more Americans when it is fully implemented by 2014. We applaud his determination to ensure the program is preserved and continues to provide new critical health care coverage and protections to our nation’s younger and older people.

We are also heartened by the President’s statement that, “I’m prepared to make more reforms that rein in long-term costs of Medicare and Medicaid, and strengthen Social Security, so long as those programs remain a guarantee of security for seniors.” But, we urge President Obama to ensure he—and Congress—do not overlook the critical role Social Security also plays in the lives of nearly 7 million children today who receive part of their family income from it. The Social Security program is sound because, like America, it was “built to last.”

Economy

Appealing directly to lawmakers of both parties, the President said everyone must work together to renew Americans’ belief that we can solve today’s economic and social challenges. The answer, he said, is in a “…return to the American values of fair play and shared responsibility. [This] will help us protect our people and our economy.

“Tax breaks either add to the deficit or somebody else has to make up the difference –like a senior on a fixed income; or a student trying to get through school; or a family trying to make ends meet. That’s not right. Americans know it’s not right. They know that this generation’s success is only possible because past generations felt a responsibility to each other, and to their country’s future, and they know our way of life will only endure if we feel the same sense of shared responsibility. That’s how we’ll reduce the deficit. That’s an America built to last.”

We couldn’t agree more. We ardently believe that we cannot achieve recovery by placing an even bigger burden on those who need our protection the most: our children, youth, and older adults. Giving tax breaks to the wealthy and protecting corporate tax subsidies only shift the burden to the middle class. Rather, as the President noted, our fellow citizens’ well-being should “…guide us as we look to pay down our debt and invest in our future.”

Investing in our future means ensuring Americans have an adequate safety net of programs and services that can help them get back up on their feet and moving forward. It means looking out for each other and, together, creating an America built to last. Because we’re stronger together.

Unemployment Struggles Affect All Ages

High unemployment in today’s economy is an issue that touches all ages. In fact, young adults and older adults are facing many of the same challenges in today’s marketplace, reinforcing the age-old saying, that we really are “in this together.”

Young adults are struggling to enter the workforce, while older adults are struggling to re-enter the workforce, some long after they planned to be working at all. Both generations are having great difficulties finding employment. In fact, unemployment among older adults practically doubled from the beginning of the recession in 2007 to 2010, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Young adults faced similar circumstances; in 2010, young adults ages 16-29 experienced the lowest employment rate since the end of World War II.[i][ii] Even the summer job market for teens seemed to evaporate.[iii]

How has this affected teens, young adults, and older adults? Believe it or not – the generations are more alike than they are different in this area as well. Both groups faced increasingly long periods of unemployment or underemployment. For instance, recent studies show that more than half of older adults ages 50+ were unemployed for more than six months.[iv] Similarly, these long periods of unemployment or underemployment left many young people[v] and older adults feeling very discouraged and in need of motivation to continue their job search.

The needs of both groups are strikingly similar as well. To advance in their careers, teens and young adults need opportunities to gain the work experience they lack, while older adults may need opportunities for additional training to hone the skills they have developed.

Teens, young adults, and older adults are all striving to become or remain financially self-sufficient and independent, to take care of themselves and their loved ones. These are values that cross all generations.

In the upcoming weeks, as the Senate considers introducing pieces of the American Jobs Act, we urge you to contact your Members of Congress, and to remind them that unemployment touches every age group, and that job creation is vital for the prosperity of all generations.

This article is the second installment in Generations United’s Blog Series on the Economy

For more on how families are faring in this tough environment, register to attend Family Matters: Multigenerational Families in a Volatile Economy on December 6, 2011.

 

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[i] The Deterioration in the Labor Market Fortunes of America’s Young Adults During the Lost Decade of 2000-2010.

[ii] Unemployment Among Older Adults Stuck Near Record Highs. Ken Schwartz. NCOA Responds with Employment Programs, Benefits Counseling for Economically Stressed Seniors

[iii] The Continued Collapse of the Nation’s Teen Summery Job Market: Who Worked in the Summer of 2011?

[iv] Urban Institute. Retirement Security Data Brief. Number 2, February 2011. How Did 50+ Workers Fare in 2010? http://www.retirementpolicy.org

[v] The Deterioration in the Labor Market Fortunes of America’s Young Adults During the Lost Decade of 2000-2010.

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Poverty in a Volatile Economy—How it Affects all Generations

Since the Great Recession, our families and our society have become increasingly more vulnerable. Poverty, food insecurity, and hunger all go hand in hand. In the face of the current economic recession, rates of hunger and food insecurity have significantly increased. The poor economy has resulted in more families living in poverty and having to choose between paying the mortgage and buying groceries.

In September, the Census Bureau released new figures that show a large number of children and older adults living in poverty. The number of people in poverty in 2010 (46.2 million) is the largest number in the 52 years for which poverty estimates have been published.  Figures released yesterday from the supplemental poverty measure show that figure is actually more than 49.1 million when you take into account rising medical costs and other expenses.  The data confirm that millions of Americans continue to cope with the Great Recession’s enduring effects. It also shows the strength of our country’s safety net programs and argues against cutting these critical programs.

What is the effect of the Great Recession on children and older adults?

• More than one out of every five children is living in poverty (16.4 million children)
• One in six seniors is living in poverty.*

*According to official statistics, less than ten percent of the nation's 38 million seniors are living in poverty. But, once medical care and other costs of living are factored in, the number of people 65 and older living in poverty jumps to nearly 16 percent, according to the Census Bureau Supplemental Analysis.

Safety net programs give needy families a leg up when they fall on hard times.
One of the key programs that lowers the poverty rate among seniors is Social Security. Last year more than 14 million seniors were kept out of poverty because of Social Security, our nation’s most successful income protection program.

Unemployment insurance, which provides critical support to the jobless and stimulates economic activity, kept 3.2 million Americans out of poverty in 2010.

Medicaid provided health care to 48.6 million seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income children and families, many of whom would otherwise be without access to health care.

An alternative poverty measure that tracks the impact of the earned income tax credit shows that the EITC kept 5.4 million people, including 3 million children, from slipping below the poverty line last year.

How are families faring?
Though some families have decided to come together and live in multigenerational households to prevent poverty, the problems of a weakened economy still persist in our country. More families in poverty means fewer consumers for goods and services, greater unemployment, and a less-educated workforce.

Generations United urges Congress continue to protect these vulnerable populations by strengthening our social safety net programs that are helping to keep millions of Americans afloat. In order to emerge from the economic downturn, we must protect vulnerable populations and expand economic growth. The outcome of these investments will mean stronger families that have opportunities for success; a step towards breaking the cycle of poverty.

This article is the first installment in Generations United’s Blog Series on the Economy

For more on how families are faring in this tough environment, register to attend Family Matters: Multigenerational Families in a Volatile Economy on December 6, 2011.

Applauding SCHIP and Staying Vigilant on Economic Recovery Act

Legislation is moving at a fast place on Capitol Hill and each day brings its own opportunities and challenges.

Yesterday, a vital expansion of the Children’s Health Insurance Program was signed into law by the President Obama. The new law will provide health insurance to four million uninsured and vulnerable children. This is a crucial victory for children and the country, particularly during this economic downturn. During the signing-ceremony President Obama said providing health care for children was the, “duty of any decent society.” I couldn’t agree more.

Today, the news was decidedly different. The Senate is debating the economic recovery plan to kick start the economy and provide for long-term investments that will grow our economy for years to come. While no bill is perfect, especially one that has almost a trillion dollars of spending in it, I believe that funding initiatives like Head Start and school construction are the epitome of what Congress should be trying to pass. These initiatives provide tremendous intergenerational opportunities that should be promoted rather than pared.