Top Ten Facts About Social Security

1. Social Security is more than just a retirement program.  It provides important life insurance and disability insurance protection as well
2. Social Security provides a guaranteed, progressive benefit that keeps up with increases in the cost of living....

 http://www.offthechartsblog.org/top-ten-facts-about-social-security/

One woman's fight to end the cycle of poverty

Economic mobility for the Americans at the bottom of the income scale seems to be fading. Today more than 40 percent of children born into poverty stay in poverty as adults.

State of Opportunity's Jennifer Guerra profiles one woman trying hard to be on the right side of that statistic.   Guerra reports that although Keisha Johnson has already overcome a grim childhood she keeps a positive attitude and believes she can provide a better life for her family.

http://michiganradio.org/post/one-womans-fight-end-cycle-poverty

Election 2012: What about the poor?

One wants to strengthen the nation's existing safety net. The other wants to overhaul it.

President Obama and challenger Mitt Romney have vastly different views on how to help the 46.2 million Americans in poverty and the more than 30 million people who are near poor.  The president leans toward expanding the programs that exist, while the Republicans say they will set up a system that fosters economic opportunity instead of government dependency.

The ranks of the poor and the government programs that assist them swelled during the Obama administration, largely because of the Great Recession. The number of people in poverty jumped 16% between 2008 and 2011, while the Medicaid rolls jumped 23.5% over that time. Food stamp enrollment soared 46% during his term.

 http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/05/news/economy/obama-romney-poor/index.html

With Poverty Comes Depression, More Than Other Illnesses

Americans in poverty are more likely than those who are not to struggle with a wide array of chronic health problems, and depression disproportionately affects those in poverty the most. About 31% of Americans in poverty say they have at some point been diagnosed with depression compared with 15.8% of those not in poverty. Impoverished Americans are also more likely to report asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart attacks -- which are likely related to the higher level of obesity found for this group -- 31.8% vs. 26% for adults not in poverty.

 http://www.gallup.com/poll/158417/poverty-comes-depression-illness.aspx

51% Think Government Spends Too Much on Poverty Programs: Rasmussen National Poll

State and federal welfare spending passed the $1 trillion mark last year, more than is spent on Social Security and Medicare. Most Americans believe the government spends too much on poverty programs and that those programs increase the level of poverty in the country rather than decrease it.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 51% of American Adults think the government spends too much on poverty programs. That’s up 13 points from 38% in April 2011. Just 21% feel it doesn’t spend enough, while 20% say the amount spent is about right.

 http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/business/general_business/october_2012/51_think_government_spends_too_much_on_poverty_programs

Immigration and the Latino vote: Michigan Radio Interview

Recently, there was a protest rally in Southwest Detroit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement over raids and deportation, and what’s seen as overreach by ICE officials. Non-citizens can't legally vote, but how does the heightened sense of tension impact the Latino vote here in Michigan?...

Jennifer White talks with Laurence Garcia, an attorney, and the Chairman of the Hispanic Latino Commission of Michigan.

http://michiganradio.org/post/immigration-and-latino-vote

Hispanic American Council to hold meeting about Dream act in Michigan

The Hispanic American Council will hold a public meeting 6 p.m. Monday Oct. 22 at 930 Lake St. Kalamazoo. The meeting is largely in response to Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson's direction no to issue drivers licenses or state ID cards for the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals act. 
“We plan to inform the community at large about what people can do,” Lori Mercedes Interim Exuctive director of the Hispanic American Council said. “These kids want to be part of the American dream.”

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/10/hispanic_american_council_to_h.html

Tax Credits that Benefit Low-Income Families Also Face the Fiscal Cliff

Many low-income parents could see their tax bills jump by thousands of dollars next year if nothing is done to stop a series of tax breaks from expiring January 1.

Unless Congress takes action before the end of the year to extend tax cuts that were introduced under the Obama and Bush administrations, four important credits for families -- The Child Tax Credit, Earned Income Tax Credit, Child and Dependent Care Credit and the American Opportunity Credit -- will revert back to previous levels.

If this happens, many families will be worse off by hundreds -- or even thousands -- of dollars, said Roberton Williams, a senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center.

"If you have what it takes to qualify for these particular benefits, you will get hit," said Williams.

Some families will take a hit on several fronts if they qualify for more than one tax break. A low-income couple with three kids, for example, will lose as much as $1,500 from expiring provisions of the Child Tax Credit. If their income is low enough, they could also see a smaller refund from the Earned Income Tax Credit, and benefits from the Child and Dependent Care Credit could be reduced as well.

http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/11/pf/taxes/tax-breaks-parents/index.html?iid=Lead

Pretending to be poor can change your perspective

In America, we spend a lot of time imagining what it would like to be rich. Reality TV shows set in Beverly Hills, celebrity red-carpet stuff. Imagining what it’s like to be poor, however, is not such a national pastime. Understandable -- it’s not the stuff of escapist fantasies. But given that the number of Americans living in poverty has been growing, it’s worth thinking about. One approach? You could go to a Poverty Simulation.

Wait…a Poverty Simulation? Yes. These are half-day workshops, often sponsored by local charities, to help middle class folks get a better sense of what daily life is like on the edge. The workshops are usually geared toward people who work with low-income families on a regular basis -- social workers, teachers, law enforcement, customer service workers at hospitals and utility companies.

When I first heard about the concept, three questions crossed my mind.

1. Sounds well-intentioned, but what happened to good old-fashioned empathy?

2. Can you really simulate hunger pangs?

3. I’ve gotta see this.

http://www.marketplace.org/topics/wealth-poverty/pretending-be-poor-can-change-your-perspective

High pregnancy and infection rates help spur Benton Harbor school board to consider new programs

The Benton Harbor Area Schools board is considering new sexual education programs after hearing some troubling statistics about the district's students.

Russell Lardie, Benton Harbor High School's physical education and health teacher, told the school board this week that Benton Harbor's teen pregnancy rate is three times the state average and is 50 percent higher than Detroit's.

One in three of the school district's students who are tested for sexually transmitted infections are testing positive, Lardie said.

Board Trustee Jeffrey Booker was careful to point out during the Tuesday meeting that the statistic didn't mean one in three high school students were testing positive for STIs, but that one in three students who are tested at the high school's on-site clinic are testing positive. Lardie said that, according to a survey of the school district's freshmen and juniors, 67 percent are sexually active and, of those, 17 percent were sexually active before they turned 13.

http://www.heraldpalladium.com/news/local/troubling-sex-stats/article_b0d8699c-e4d8-5562-9caa-d06c9de79752.html