In Some States (including Michigan), Working Poor Could Pay More Taxes

Several states want to scale back or eliminate a tax credit for the working poor, as they try to balance their budgets. Anti-poverty groups say some of these same states also want to cut taxes for businesses.

Governors say they're trying to balance the need to promote jobs with deficit reduction. But advocates say the poor are being asked to bear an unfair share of the burden.

The tax break is called an earned income tax credit, or EITC. About half the states offer residents an EITC on top of a similar credit available from the federal government.

Ramona Spencer is a single mother of five who lives in Lansing, Mich. The state's Republican governor, Rick Snyder, has proposed eliminating the Michigan EITC, which is 20 percent of the federal credit.

"Four hundred dollars may not seem like a lot to a lot of people," Spencer says. "But when you are already living on the bottom rung of society, you feel the difference."

www.npr.org/2011/04/11/135320299/in-some-states-working-poor-would-pay-more-tax

It's Everybody's Business to Invest in Early Childhood Development Programs

"For every dollar spent on early childhood development we save $17 on the cost of juvenile homes, jails, welfare, or remedial programs."

"Investing in our children between the ages of zero and five is one of the most important uses of our limited resources that we can make."

The United Way of Southeast Michigan has prepared the following short video on early childhood education:

Diverging Pathways: How Wealth Shapes Opportunity for Children

Racial disparities in households with young children are dramatic:

•• In 2007, 32% of white households with young children were income-poor and 14.2% had no assets. In sharp contrast, 69% of Latino and 71% of blacks were income-poor, and 40% had no assets.

Racial disparities in child outcomes start early and grow over time:

•• At nine months, all children start out with fairly similar scores on a standard child development test, but by two years of age, racial disparities emerge.

The wealth gap widened for households with children:

•• Between 1994 and 2007, the wealth gap between white and black households with children
increased by $22,000 -almost doubling from $25,000 to $47,000.

•• In 2007, black households with children held only 4% of the wealth of white households.

•• From 2005 to 2007, black households living with zero or negative net worth (debt) grew from
35% to 39% while it stayed constant at 15% for white households.

Maternal education matters, but alone cannot eliminate racial wealth disparities:

•• For every dollar of wealth owned by a white mother with a bachelor’s degree or higher in 1994
a black mother owned 64 cents. By 2007, it had fallen to 13 cents.

•• The wealth gap between white and black mothers with a bachelor’s degree or higher grew five
times larger between 1994 and 2007 to an astonishing $128,000.

The above are from a new report by the Insight Center for Community Economic Development. The full report is located at:

insightcced.org/uploads/CRWG/DivergingPathways.pdf

Senior Health Fair in Calhoun County: "It's a Really Nice Thing"

A dozen amateur performers exchanged smiles as they filled the gym with the rumble of hand drums.

It was hardly what Cathie Davids expected when she set out for the Marshall Area Senior Health Fair on Thursday morning.

"I liked it," she said simply. The therapeutic drumming class she took part in was just one of the unique aspects of the second annual health fair at Marshall Middle School.

The morning-long, free event featured exercises and activities, 57 vendors giving out small gifts, and several local politicians, whose speeches were largely ignored by the perusing senior citizens.

A cheerful accordion player strolled among the display tables, and seniors were fed and given free health checks.

Mamie Gamble, celebrating her 84th birthday, got her blood pressure and eyes checked at the event.

"I was surprised about a lot of things," Gamble said. "They got some of everything -- food, (health) checking, and free things. I enjoy it. It's a really nice thing."

But the lighthearted, social surface of the fair didn't mask its emphasis on issues facing seniors in the county, organizers said.

"For some, physically, their capabilities for finding resources are limited," said Karin Gallagher, director of marketing for Maplewood, an assisted living community in Marshall.

www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20110408/NEWS01/104080312/1002/Fair-highlights-senior-health

Sitting Bull Descendent to Visit Niles Museum

The last surviving great-grandson of legendary Lakota leader Sitting Bull will make another visit to Niles.

The Fort St. Joseph Museum will host Ernie LaPointe Saturday, April 9. He will be available to sign copies of his book “Sitting Bull: His Life and Legacy” and his DVDs about the story of Sitting Bull. The book and DVDs will be available for purchase for $20 each at the museum.
Sitting Bull, a Lakota chief and holy man, is famous for his involvement at the Battle of Little Big Horn.

LaPointe’s book is unique in that it tells Sitting Bull’s story from the Native American perspective. It’s the only biography of Sitting Bull written by a lineal descendent.


www.nilesstar.com/2011/04/01/sitting-bull-descendant-returning-to-niles/

Many Low-Wage Jobs Seen as Failing to Meet Basic Needs

Hard as it can be to land a job these days, getting one may not be nearly enough for basic economic security.

The Labor Department will release its monthly snapshot of the job market on Friday, and economists expect it to show that the nation’s employers added about 190,000 jobs in March. With an unemployment rate that has been stubbornly stuck near 9 percent, those workers could be considered lucky.

But many of the jobs being added in retail, hospitality and home health care, to name a few categories, are unlikely to pay enough for workers to cover the cost of fundamentals like housing, utilities, food, health care, transportation and, in the case of working parents, child care.

A separate report being released Friday tries to go beyond traditional measurements like the poverty line and minimum wage to show what people need to earn to achieve a basic standard of living.

The study, commissioned by Wider Opportunities for Women, a nonprofit group, builds on an analysis the group and some state and local partners have been conducting since 1995 on how much income it takes to meet basic needs without relying on public subsidies. The new study aims to set thresholds for economic stability rather than mere survival, and takes into account saving for retirement and emergencies.

“We wanted to recognize that there was a cumulative impact that would affect one’s lifelong economic security,” said Joan A. Kuriansky, executive director of Wider Opportunities, whose report is called “The Basic Economic Security Tables for the United States.” “And we’ve all seen how often we have emergencies that we are unprepared for,” she said, especially during the recession. Layoffs or other health crises “can definitely begin to draw us into poverty.”

www.nytimes.com/2011/04/01/business/economy/01jobs.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&src=un&feedurl=http://json8.nytimes.com/pages/business/economy/index.jsonp&adxnnlx=1301749382-RlNKMmQ4mdbS65HciuvKew

Optimism for the Future: Dialogue 1 & 2

For me, it is encouraging when I see young people engaged and active in the political process. The year I turned 18 was the first year that 18-year-olds could vote. The first time I voted in 1972 was an important experience.

It is easier for young people to be involved when there is a presidential election. The news, whether it is on CNN, Fox News, NPR, John Stewart, or the local television and radio tends to focus more on Washington than Lansing.

Hopefully, young people will be engaged in 2012. In the meantime, I hope that they start their involvement this year by learning about issues at the federal and state level which impact programs that benefit the poor or near poor. Programs like the federal Title I program are up for review this year. Title I is the largest federal educational program which assists school districts with poor and near poor children.

In addition, many programs at the state level are being considered for reduction: including bilingual education program funding from the Michigan Department of Education, the earned income credit for the working poor through the State's income tax system, etc.

From my perspective, I have found two good sources for information on the state budget programs that impact programs for the poor and for children. These are:

The Michigan League for Human Services:

www.milhs.org/

and Michigan's Children:

www.michiganschildren.org/

There are, no doubt, many other good sources of political information.

In the meantime, I encourage our young adults to be active in politics. You can and do make a difference.

In 1972, as a young 18-year-old, we sang along to this song when we thought we could make a difference:

"Are you optimistic 'bout the way things are going?"

"No, I never ever think of it at all"

"Don't you ever worry
When you see what's going down?"

"No, I try to mind my business, that is, no business at all"

"When it's time to function as a feeling human being
Will your Bachelor of Arts help you get by?"

"I hope to study further, a few more years or so
I also hope to keep a steady high."

"Will you try to change things
Use the power that you have, the power of a million new ideas?"

"What is this power you speak of and this need for things to change?
I always thought that everything was fine."

Or as Chicago once sang it:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItsZ_0mbnW4&feature=fvst

Poor Air, Poor People, Poor Health

Berrien and Cass counties rank in the bottom third of Michigan counties when it comes to health, according to a national study released today.

And the news offers little surprise for the area's public health officials.

"The No. 1 contributor to your health is your wealth," said Dr. Frederick Johansen, medical director for the Berrien County Health Department.

And Cass and Berrien are not rich counties.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute did the nationwide study for the year 2010. It shows that Ottawa County (Holland) is Michigan's healthiest, while Clare County in central lower Michigan is its least healthy.

Berrien ranks 65th, and Cass 59th. Van Buren County ranks 51st, and Allegan 21st.

Theresa Green, the Berrien County Health Department's director of health planning, said the study is important because of the broad range of factors used in ranking counties.

The study analyzed socioeconomic factors, behavior, access to clinical care and environment - ranging from air quality to the number of liquor stores per 10,000 people.

www.heraldpalladium.com/articles/2011/03/30/local_news/4106095.txt

Motel Kids

Homelessness takes many forms. Many in our community use shelters, some live in the woods, in abandoned homes or perhaps on the streets. Many are doubled up, living on the sofa or floor of a friend or relative. As illutstrated in this CNN story, some are Motel Kids, living in one room with mom and dad, brother and sister. Whereas the "hero" here is the chef who prepares meals daily for these children in need, the bigger issue is how to help them move to a place to call home. Studies show that homeless living in shelters struggle for many reasons, and communities pay twice as much for sheltering then it would cost to subsidize housing vouchers. A long term solution is imperative, if kids are to succeed. Read/Watch more here

The Struggles of the Long Term Unemployed in Michigan

When Tim Zaneske lost his information technology job in June 2009, he never dreamed that he would be unemployed for months and months and months.

Today, nearly two years later, the Flushing Township resident is still looking for permanent work. His lengthy job search has taken its toll, forcing the father of two young children to file for bankruptcy. Last month, Zaneske finally got some relief: a part-time contract job.

"You get job leads, but nine times out of 10, it's nothing," the 44-year-old said. "It's beyond frustrating."

Last year, 36% of Michigan's 590,000 unemployed workers had been searching for a job for a year or longer, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That was the third-highest rate in the country, behind only New Jersey and Georgia...

Some labor market experts, including Timothy Bartik, a senior economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research in Kalamazoo, say they believe that the federal government should establish a temporary job creation program.

Bartik said hundreds of thousands of unemployed workers could be put to work performing public service jobs at small nonprofit organizations, doing everything from repairing schools and renovating parks to cleaning up abandoned properties.

Long-term joblessness can damage a country's long-run economic productivity, Bartik warned. And it's no secret that people who are out of work for long periods usually experience a number of negative effects, including a decline in job skills, reduced self-confidence and mental and physical health problems.

"A lot of economists believe long-term unemployment can permanently reduce the productive capacity of some people," Bartik said. "It's not in the interest of society to throw away that long-term productive capacity."

www.freep.com/article/20110327/BUSINESS06/103270499/Jobs-Michigan-Hunt-work-an-endurance-test?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE