Blog

Oct 28 The Recession and Older Americans

By: Jintana Lityouvong

"Inelegantly, and without my consent, time passed." - Miranda July

Whether I'm enjoying it or not, I have to face the fact that I'm getting older. I'm paying bills, I get judged when I order Happy Meals, and after I graduate I have to worry about securing a job in the real world and become a contributing member to society. Gross.

And of course as I'm getting older, so is the society and everyone in it around me, whether it's enjoyable or not.

This year, the first wave of Baby Boomers turned 65 years old. Millions upon millions of them are rushing toward the retirements which they’ve been entitled to, only to find out one huge problem: we don't have any money. The 2007-2009 recession has left us with growing unemployment, the collapse of the housing market, and a large drop in lifetime savings that has greatly affected the retirement security of older Americans.

Aug 18 Social Security Turns 76!

By: Ivy Ngo

This week, Social Security turned 76 years old, an age at which the program itself would have been receiving a monthly stipend. As a celebration of the life and longevity of the program, read on to learn about some of Social Security’s achievements throughout its industrious career, and its undeniable benefits for the Southeast Asian American community.

Dec 20 Congress Approves the Middle Class Tax Relief Act

By: Ivy Ngo

Last week, the House passed the Middle Class Tax Relief Act, a bill that would extend the Bush tax cuts for an additional two years. The House vote came one day after the Senate approved the $858 billion plan by a margin of 81 to 19. 139 Democrats and 138 Republicans voted in favor of the bill - one of the highest showings of Congressional bipartisan agreement since President Obama took office in 2009.

The bill itself can be considered a mixed bag, a combination of good and bad provisions.