Over 55 and jobless, Americans face tough hunt, By Susan Heavey, May 15, 2012, Chicago Tribune: “Jean Coyle, 67, has a new kind of ministry. The former professor had just begun a career as a Presbyterian minister in Virginia when the economic downturn forced her church to let her go in 2007. After that, she found only temporary work. She relied on savings while job hunting, but at 64, had to dip into her Social Security benefits. She officially retired in 2010. For spending money, she plans to start teaching a water aerobics class to earn $40 a week. ‘I’m not going to get wealthy on that,’ she said. ‘It’s not really the ministry I expected to have.’ Coyle is among the many unemployed, older Americans who, while struggling to reenter the workforce, have growing worries that their retirement security is at risk. The number of long-term unemployed workers aged 55 and older has more than doubled since the recession began in late 2007. Getting back to work is increasingly difficult, according to a government report being released on Tuesday…”
Day: May 15, 2012
American Community Survey
Survey for health, poverty benefits threatened in Congress, By Elizabeth Landau, May 15, 2012, CNN.com: “Americans needing health insurance or disability services could be overlooked by their local governments if a bill now being considered by the Senate passes. It would eliminate a survey that some call a vital source of information about health indicators of millions of Americans, but which House Republicans say is too expensive and raises privacy concerns. It’s called the American Community Survey. The Census Bureau surveys about a quarter of a million Americans every month. Community officials, academics and businesses rely on this information to understand the markets they operate in and the needs of individual localities. The House last week passed a Republican-backed bill that would cut the survey altogether, citing costs and privacy issues…”
Earned Income Tax Credit – Michigan
Michigan League for Human Services says Saginaw workers will lose most with reduced Earned Income Tax Credit, By Kathryn Lynch-Morin, May 14, 2012, Saginaw News: “Working families in Michigan could see a tax increase from the reduced Earned Income Tax Credit , and Saginaw workers could be hit the hardest, according to the Michigan League for Human Services. A report released Monday by the organization estimates working families in Michigan will see their taxes increase by as much as $244 million in 2013 as the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit is reduced from 20 percent to 6 percent…”