ShAARP Session: Observations from AARP

Results tagged “stimulus” from ShAARP Session

Oct '09 7

Correy Robertson | 9:59 AM | 0 Comments

Yesterday, AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond made AARP's stance on age discrimination known: AARP fully and "vigorously" - according to the New York Times - backs the proposed legislation Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act.


The legislation would overturn a four-month-old Supreme Court ruling that makes it difficult for workers to win age discrimination cases. In the case, Gross v. F.B.L. Financial Services, the court established a different burden of proof for age discrimination than that of discrimination based on race or gender. For age discrimination, the burden of proving that age was the deciding factor in a demotion or layoff now fell upon the employee instead of the employer.


And, with the growing unemployment rate of Americans over 50 that we've discussed, the decision came at the most inopportune time for those seniors trying to find work.


LeaMond said, "Unless Congress passes this bill, too many older workers who have been victims of arbitrary age discrimination will be denied their day in court."


Read AARP's press release on its endorsement of the bill.


Other big news of the day includes discussions of another stimulus (but don't call it a "stimulus"!) - and the unemployment rate is the big issue here too. With unemployment nearing double digits, Roll Call reports that House Democrats are trying to find a balance between a "bailout-weary public" and the "ranks of the jobless." Read more commentary from the Washington Post here.


Apr '09 20

David Goldstein | 10:03 AM | 1 Comments

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A major part of President Obama's plan for the country's economic recovery is infrastructure spending. While many people think of highways and buildings when they think if infrastructure, the President has envisioned a major expansion of high-speed rail services as part of his plan to stimulate the economy and create jobs. Though rail travel has never caught on in the U.S. the way it has in Europe and Asia, the President hopes that new rail projects and increased funding will lead to a boom in rail travel in the country. What do you think about expanding train service throughout the country?

Mar '09 3

Alejandra Owens | 9:15 AM | 0 Comments

Looks like sunny California isn't as sunny as it seems. New research conducted by UCLA Center for Health Policy Research found that 47% of California residents aged 65 and older are unable to pay for basic needs. The Mercury News reports:


The new data reveal far deeper poverty rates among seniors than was previously known. According to the decades-old standard of measuring poverty, only 9 to 10 percent of California seniors were considered poor, that is, earning less than $10,000 a year. Researchers note that amount is peanuts in high-cost California, failing to reflect the true cost of survival.

"For us, what's striking is that these numbers are not even taking into account the latest economic crisis," said co-author Susie Smith, a program director at the nonprofit Insight Center for Community Economic Development. She noted the report used 2007 census data. "We can only imagine when we update this information next year, what the numbers are going to look like."

While Obama's stimulus will provide temporary relief to SSI recipients who are blind, elderly or disabled, stronger initiatives needs to be taken in-state to track poverty rates among older people so appropriate local action can be taken. Assemblyman Jim Beall, D-San Jose, has introduced a new bill, the Elder Economic Dignity Act of 2009, which calls for California to track seniors in poverty, but by using new measurements. Believe it or not, officials currently use a 50-year old federal measure to decide who is above or below poverty.

"There are a lot of hungry seniors, a lot of seniors who have suffered economically over the last decade," said Beall, "So to use a measurement that goes back to the 1950s is clearly not appropriate."

Can't get much clearer than that! Sheesh. Let's cross our fingers that this bill gets picked up.


Feb '09 27

David Goldstein | 2:32 PM | 0 Comments

all of the big talk for health reform, one of the major initiatives discussed has been the implementation of health IT. Now the claims are that health IT will allow health care to be more efficient, better organized and cheaper through the use of technology. This sounds like a great idea and it is one of the many concepts that will be getting funding through the stimulus package. Of course, this all begs the question, how will doctors use it? It will certainly take time for doctors to adjust from all-paper records to a completely digitized work environment. However the payoffs, now with government incentives, seem to make it a worthwhile endeavor.

Feb '09 23

David Goldstein | 10:19 AM | 4 Comments

Last week Congress and the President pushed the huge stimulus package into law. With all of that money, flying around it's important to know what's in it for you. A few highlights from the bill include a $400 payroll tax credit for those earning under $75,000, a $25 raise in unemployment checks, which you can now collect for a longer period of time. Also, if you collect Social Security, you're in line to receive a one time payment of $250 dollars and you won't even have to file any paperwork to get it. Federal programs such as Medicaid will also get a big financial boost. There's a lot in this stimulus package so it really pays (literally) to do your reading to make sure the government shows you the money.

Feb '09 19

David Goldstein | 11:37 AM | 0 Comments

Yesterday President Obama announced his plans to address the mortgage crisis. It is the second phase of an all out effort to fix the troubled economy. This comes after Congress voted to pass the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the President signed the bill into law. AARP and our 40 million members were declared a "key vote" in this decision. Hurray! Nancy LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President, released this statement:

"Unprecedented job loss, loss of savings and investments, and rising numbers of uninsured individuals has forced every American to take notice of this dire moment in history. The passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is a critical moment for Americans young and old and a vital jump start to our ailing economy.

AARP is pleased to see that Congress included a $250 economic recovery payment for older Americans, veterans and people with disabilities who are not eligible for the Make Work Pay credit."

Read the whole statement here, as well as a list of the most important pieces in the legislation that will benefit older Americans. In the meantime, keep an eye on AARP's government watch site to check out how your officials voted on the legislation.

Dec '08 18

Alejandra Owens | 2:50 AM | 38 Comments

While it’s been quite a dramatic year, older Americans have had many victories to celebrate as 2008 comes to an end. Here are a few reasons we have to celebrate:

With that being said, there’s obviously a lot of nervousness about larger looming problems for the new year, such as the future of the economy and the health care crisis. With the new Obama administration to focus on change for this country, what should be America’s resolutions for 2009? More specifically, what issue means the most to you? Take our poll and let’s open up the discussion in comments!