Rough Draft / Final Presentation

Scott Saxton

INTS 3900-01

Presentation Assignment / Draft

Being a Boomer

                We as humans have always found interesting, thoughtful, and sometimes provocative ways of categorizing each other. We make judgments about the people we come in contact with and the environment around us based on our experiences, education, and our individual places in the world. We look to find common ground and define our lives into communities where we have an identity as an individual as well as a member of the community with common beliefs, values, and ideas. We segregate ourselves into these communities and neighborhoods; sometimes by mere chance and sometimes by choice.  We do not chose the family, socioeconomic situation, race, ethnicity, or the time and place we were born; we do however chose what we make of the lives we are given.

                The start of the Baby Boomer generation came in 1944 with the end of World War II and continued until 1964. Those who were born during these years are in the community of the Baby Boomers. In 2009 the first of these baby boomers reached the retirement age of sixty five and ushered in the beginning of the largest cohort of people passing through time together in American history. Approximately 77 million Americans make up the community of Baby Boomers and will have a significant impact on the economy, healthcare, and the demographics of America for the next thirty or so years. Born in 1963 I am at the tail end of this Baby Boomer community and I already see both the positive and negative influences we as a community are and will have on the country. What will be the effect of the Baby Boomer generation on employment, the economy, and what are the psychological effects of an aging population having to work and provide for themselves much longer than expected?

                At the beginning of the twentieth century a man born in 1900 at average lived to the age of 48 and a woman born in 1900 lived to the age of 51. By the end of the twentieth century a man born in 1997 has a life expectancy of 74 years and a woman born in 1996 has a life expectancy of 80 years (PBS.org, 2013). In January of 1935 President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent his economic security bill to Capital Hill where it was introduced to congress by two senators, Robert Doughton from North Carolina and David Lewis from Maryland. A few months later congressman Frank Buck of California renamed the bill the Social Security Act of 1935. Later in August of the same year, after debate in both houses, the bill was past and signed into law by President Roosevelt on August 14^th, 1935 (Administration, 2013). According to the Social Security Administration: “Life expectancy at birth in 1930 was indeed only 58 for men and 62 for women, and the retirement age was 65” (Administration, Life Expectancy for Social Security, 2013). Based on the information available at the time I am of the opinion that the leadership of the day in 1935 could not have foreseen that life expectancy would increase so drastically. A short nine years passed from the signing of the Social Security Act of 1935 until the end of World War II; ushering in the Baby Boomer generation whose first are now entering into retirement. With 77 million members the community of Baby Boomers will dominate the older age population in the country for the next thirty or so years. Restating the question, what will be the effect of the Baby Boomer generation on employment, the economy, and what are the psychological effects of an aging population having to work and provide for themselves much longer than expected?

                Beginning with employment one needs to analyze why Baby Boomers want to work longer than those of previous generations. This idea is composed of both the desire to work and the necessity to work past the normal retirement age. For many of the Baby Boomer community the need to work longer than retirement age is a simple need for financial resources to care for themselves and their families. For others it is a need to continue contributing their knowledge and experience to the next generation. A recent health and retirement study done on older workers between 1992 and 2004 showed an increased report of those working past the age of 65 up from 27% to 33% (Mermin, 2007). The journal article illustrates the necessity to work coming in the form of the erosion of the employer sponsored retiree benefits and pension plans; forcing Baby Boomers to work longer than normal retirement age. The speculation in the article also points out that working longer will contribute to economic growth, more revenue for government, and improved financial security for older
Americans (Mermin, 2007).

                With a combined membership of 77 million the community of Baby Boomers is a force of strength for not only change but for securing the needs of an aging population. According to an article by Equal Opportunities International there is much being done to support the older workers of the Baby Boomer generation. The article points to organizations such as the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), the National Council on Aging, and the American Council on Aging; as just a few that lobby for the Baby Boomer community and their respective needs. The article states that recently the nation Council on Aging launched a 100,000 job campaign to assist and provide employment opportunities for older workers, many who have past the age of retirement (Schwartz, 1999). Many of those in the communities of generation X and generation Y will have to compete for available jobs with those of the Baby Boomer generation of older workers. According to Equal Opportunities International, “the aging worker today will experience a larger variety of employment opportunities depending on their employment industry, their chosen occupation, and their education/skill level attainment” (Schwartz, 1999).

                The Baby Boomer community as of 2008 makes up approximately 25% of the American workforce. In a 2009 article in People and Strategy the effects of older workers on the economy and employment are discussed. One of the critical topics covered concerns the stereotyping of older workers and whether or not this stereotyping will have an effect on or negatively impact businesses. Many employment experts point out that unless many of the Baby Boomer community have a willingness to work past the age of retirement; American business will not have enough qualified workers to fill the needed positions, and that there are not nearly enough workers to replace them. The article also points to the negative effects of stereotyping older workers and the divisions that such stereotyping causes within the organizations (Stark, 2009).

                The 77 million that belong to the Baby Boomer community have a considerable effect on the economy. In the Journal of Targeting, Measurement & Analysis for Marketing, the idea that the Baby Boomers have an active positions in life and tend to be potent employees and consumers; and are a critical part of the countries economy. Making the investment to retain them in the workplace and designing marketing methods that are personalized to this large segment of the population makes sound business sense. The article points out that much more research and study into the attitudes, interests, and opinions of the Baby Boomer cohort is not only necessary but important for the economic growth of the future (Coleman, 2006).

·         More to come:

•       How the Baby Boomers took their children’s future
•              Aging Boomers / revolutionize retirement and transform America

 Psychology of the Baby Boomers

•        The emerging issue of Baby Boomers and substance abuse

• Boomers facing drug addiction
• Taking good care of yourself mentally and physically

      Conclusion, the after-effect / when the Boomers are gone

•        The silver tsunami / preparing to meet the next wave of America’s under-served
•              Baby Boomers will be mostly gone in the next twenty years 

References: 

Administration, S. S. (2013, November 27th). Life Expectancy for Social Security. Retrieved from SSA.GOV: http://www.ssa.gov/history/lifeexpect.html

Administration, S. S. (2013, November 27th). Social Security History. Retrieved from SSA.GOV: http://www.ssa.gov/history/tally.html

Coleman, L. H. (2006). The Baby Boomer Market. Journal of Targeting, Measurement, & Analysis for Marketing, 14(3), 191-209.

Mermin, G. j. (2007). Why do boomers plan to work longer. The Journals of Gerantology, 62B(5), S286-94. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/210154286?accountid=27045

PBS.org. (2013, November 27th). Infant Mortality and Life Expectancy. Retrieved from The First Measured Centruy: http://www.pbs.org/fmc/timeline/dmortality.htm

Schwartz, D. &. (1999). The Relationship Between Age and Employment Opportunities. Equal Opportunities International, 18(5), 105-110.

Stark, E. (2009). How Age Stereotypes Impact Older Baby Boomers Who Still Want to Work. People & Strategy, 32(4), 58-64.

Note: I still have at least 6-8 references to add to the presentation.....

One word that popped into my mind while reading this week and considering the question of whether community is dying, thriving, or just bumbling along; I thought of the word reincarnation. I think that neighborhoods and communities are doing all of those things, they are being born, bumbling along, living, and dying; then remarkably they are being recycled and reincarnated into something different than they once were. For example we learned of the Cabrini-Green housing project, which once housed nearly 15,000 low income people, that became so violent and corrupt that the only solution was to tear it down, to kill it. Cabrini-Green was born, lived, bumbled along, then died, and now is reborn into something different. From a Chicago Sun Times article by Maudlyne Ihejirika I found this of interest: “A 150,000-square-foot, three-story Target bringing 200 jobs — 75 reserved for public housing residents — would sprout on 3.6 acres at the corner of Division and Larrabee in July 2013, sharing with new condos and town homes the land on which once stood the Cabrini-Green development’s William Green Homes” (Ihejirika, 2013).

What is a 21^st century neighborhood? I think this depends on the individual’s perspective based on many different factors. Much of our discussions have been about Chicago’s problems with crime, racial differences, and poverty. If you are born into an African American single parent family living in Cabrini-Green; it is nothing short of survival of the fittest, and at best a living hell. If you are born into a white family living in Gold Coast on Chicago’s North side; you are living the American dream. Most of us reside somewhere in the middle of these two extremes where we feel relatively safe and have many things that make life good.

I think for me and my family the 22^nd century will look much like this one. Most of the time children inherit the attributes of the families they grew up in and find a way to live a life that is equal to or better than that of their parents and grand parents.

One last quote by Thomas Jefferson…

“When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe.” Perhaps our third president knew that crime, violence, and poverty are problems that stem out of large urban areas, and that these issues are nothing new; just history repeating and recycling itself.

References:

Ihejirika, M. (2013, November 10th). Chicago Sun Time. Retrieved from suntime.com: http://www.suntimes.com/business/5134480-420/vision-for-cabrini-target-unveiled.html

Before analyzing the condition of Chicago in the aftermath of the Great Recession, as it is being called, fist we should look at the condition of Chicago prior to the recession. To put things in perspective according to University of Illinois Chicago’s Rebecca Hendrick; the recession started in December of 2007 and comes to an end in June of 2009. She works in the department of public administration and with a few of her colleagues put together an interesting study. Stated in the research she says the following:

"…the Great Recession is not solely responsible for the city’s current budget deficits or its’ long term financial problems. Fiscal policies and practices that existed prior to the recession have contributed greatly to its current financial condition. One such policy is the budgeting of operating deficits and draw-down of its fund balances from 1998 to 2008 which created a significant structural imbalance even prior to the recession. Another is its practice of permitting an accumulation of unfunded pension obligations by making annual pension contributions based upon the statutory formula instead of an actuarially determined contribution. A third fiscal policy is the dedication of property taxes, a more stable revenue source than others, entirely to pensions and debt service. As a result, its general operations are now funded by relatively volatile revenue sources that are sensitive to changes in the economy. However, the revenue structure is also more diversified than what likely exists in other cities" (Hendrick, 2010).

References:

Hendrick, R. L.-T. (2010). The Great Recession's Impact on the City of Chicago. 7-9: October.

My two emphasis areas are psychology and business. I am confident that there is a psychology component, or at least an easier tie, to each of these scholarly peer reviewed articles. First, let me say how awesome the Summon search is. I am interested in how the private sector can contribute to upward mobility and doing more to elevate people out of poverty. I am also interested in what government and the private sector share in common and how they are different (this also has a political differentiation). In these articles I found good information on poverty. I found one in particular fascinating because it speaks of how we have lost the war on poverty. In another article it brings up the idea that many of our seniors are living in poverty; that got me thinking about the baby boomers (the largest cohort passing through time in history) and their possible fight against poverty as they live longer than previous generations. The final article shows how job creation creates upward mobility.

I think I am off to a good start but need to narrow the focus to something more specific and more measurable. I believe in our capitalistic free enterprise system and that the private sector is the best hope for helping people out of poverty. I hope to find proof of my beliefs in the research...

Cynthia Christensen, Elaine Gates, Poverty: An Iowan perspective, Journal of Vascular Nursing, Volume 26, Issue 2, June 2008, Pages 34-36, ISSN 1062-0303, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jvn.2007.09.001.

(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S106203030700101X)

In this scholarly, peer reviewed article healthcare in Iowa is examined. Iowa ranks number one in the number of citizens over 80 years old and in the top ten for citizens over the age of 65. What I find interesting is the number of citizens in Iowa that are below the nation median income and at the same time the number of citizens in their senior years. As the baby boom generation continues to retire and at the same time live substantially longer than past generations; what will these facts contribute to poverty in the future. Can older Americans keep up with the costs of living and keep themselves out of poverty, or are the increasing numbers of our senior citizenry in for a life of poverty?

Hanson, F. (1997, Fall97). How proverty lost its meaning. CATO Journal. p. 189.

http://fp8lj8vm6d.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=How+poverty+lost+its+meaning&rft.jtitle=The+Cato+journal&rft.au=Hanson%2C+F.+Allan&rft.date=1997&rft.pub=Inst&rft.issn=0273-3072&rft.eissn=1943-3468&rft.volume=17&rft.issue=2&rft.spage=189&rft.epage=209&rft.externalDocID=261167537&paramdict=en-US

“After decades of dashed hopes and expenditures that have produced no tangible benefits, the nation seems tacitly to have acknowledged that we fought a War on Poverty and poverty won (see Sawhill 1988: 1085). Many see a brave title--the "Personal Responsibility and Employment Opportunity Act of 1996"--as merely papering over a wearied and frustrated withdrawal from the War on Poverty.

It has been possible to withdraw from the War on Poverty partly because the poor exercise very little political clout. They are a minority, many of them do not vote, and they do not otherwise participate in political life. Thus, when Congress was revamping poverty policy, the halls were empty of lobbyists arguing the case for the poor (Clymer 1996).”

While reading this article I found the premise interesting. Who will fight for the poor? The article suggests that when legislation is brought forth there exist few lobbyists to fight for the poorest among us. The article also shows some political difference of opinion related to poverty and how it should be handled.

Fullwiler, S. T., & Meyeraan, S. (2010). Confronting Poverty with Jobs and Job Training: A Northeast Iowa Case Study. Journal Of Economic Issues (M.E. Sharpe Inc.), 44(4), 1073-1084. doi:10.2753/JEI0021-3624440411

http://fp8lj8vm6d.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Confronting+Poverty+with+Jobs+and+Job+Training%3A+A+Northeast+Iowa+Case+Study&rft.jtitle=Journal+of+Economic+Issues&rft.au=Fullwiler%2C+Scott+T&rft.au=Meyeraan%2C+Susan&rft.date=2010&rft.pub=M.E.+Sharpe%2C+Inc&rft.issn=0021-3624&rft.eissn=1946-326X&rft.volume=44&rft.issue=4&rft.spage=1073&rft.epage=1084&rft.externalDocID=mesjeciss_v_3a44_3ay_3a2010_3ai_3a4_3ap_3a1073_1084_htm&paramdict=en-US

“This paper discusses a local, privately-run and federally-funded program for all individuals able to demonstrate their income is at, or below the poverty line. This free Certified Nursing Assistant training program enables successful participants to obtain appropriate employment in local hospitals. The program is complementary to job guarantee proposals promoted by a number of economists, and provides an example of how local job creation programs can incorporate job training to improve prospects for upward mobility.” This article starts with aspects of the individual’s responsibility to lift themselves out of poverty by obtaining employment and activating upward mobility. Furthermore the article shows that earlier poverty programs did not succeed as they failed to provide either jobs or education.

Prior to reading chapter fourteen this week I always thought of the leadership elite as the top movers and shakers of a given community. I usually thought of the elite as the political and influential business people that make the rules and set the tone for the community.  After reading the chapter this week I came to think of the leadership elite as more than just the top people in politics and business, and started to see what Sampson meant by the elite. He explains that the elite are “a group of persons who by their virtue of their position exercise power or influence in the community” (Sampson, p. 331). When the scope is widened to this size the elite could include so many other people and Sampson suggests the list includes police captains, school board superintendents, business leaders, and even community religious leaders. These are the ones, according to Sampson, that do the heavy lifting for the more visible of the leadership elite. One does not have to look to deep into any top political person’s career to find examples of the network of top leadership elite that carry the candidate into office. I am reminded of the old cliche, it is not what you know but who you know that makes the difference. Being connected to the network of leadership elite is how things get done in the community. Local political leaders must have this network of support to get anything done and must also be connected to their respective constituents. The private sector is very much dependent on the leadership elite and most corporate entities have their own networks to work through. In any community resides the network of the influential and leadership elite. Connecting to the network and being able to make ties is important when trying to get things done. I find it interesting that the elite we see most often rely on the multiple layers of leadership below then to fulfill their message. Building the network of leadership support on these lower levels are critical to success.

As I consider ideas for my end of term presentation and how to connect to the neighborhood and community; I find the concept of leadership elite interesting. With my emphases being business and psychology I could use many of the examples Sampson describes in chapter fourteen. Business relies heavily on a solid network of connection to the leadership elite and often business leaders are themselves part of the network. My psychology emphasis is much easier to apply to neighborhood and community. We have talked a lot about poverty and the many reasons for the problems of urban America and I would like to tie both the business and psychology emphases together to address the issue of poverty.  I think that private sector business is the solution to poverty and business must be willing to re-invest into the urban areas. I also think that the political and business leadership elite need to come together to find the solutions that are good for everyone.

I welcome any comments and suggestion…

Mobility...

Moving to a new neighborhood is all part of the American Experience. While there are some, I believe  very few by comparison, that are born, live, and die in the same neighborhood; most of us experience change in this way. Depending on the situation many of us choose a new neighborhood based on the economic factors happening in our lives at the time. Upward mobility allows one to choose a nicer or better neighborhood meeting our needs as income allows. Many have fallen on hard times during the last recession and found themselves in a downward mobility trajectory. Unfortunately there are those born into poverty that never are able to break out of the cycle and remain unable to experience upward mobility. Income, education, and employment opportunities often dictate this mobility. A young couple marries, begins a life and starts out in a small apartment. Perhaps they are finishing school or starting a new job. Some time goes by and as their situation changes they make the decision to move to a different place. After graduating school or advancing in a careers; this give rise to more income and more available choices for neighborhood selection. 

I found the reading interesting in that African Americans experience this mobility differently. Upward mobility within the black community still leaves the neighborhoods they exited the same as they left it. In most cases the vacancy is filled by another African American. The area they move to is more likely to be another, perhaps better situation, black neighborhood. Whites and Hispanics statistically do not have the same types of issues.  I was left thinking that without diversity something by way of upward mobility is lost, even if collective efficacy is gained. 

While reading I also found a few sites that were interesting:

• https://www.russellsage.org/sites/all/files/Duncan_Murnane_Chap1.pdf
• http://www.pewtrusts.org/uploadedFiles/wwwpewtrustsorg/Reports/Economic_Mobility/PEW_SHARKEY_v12.pdf
• http://www.iom.edu/~/media/Files/Activity%20Files/Children/ChildMobility/9%20Sampson.ashx

I believe that making a difference comes down to more than one individual for change in the neighborhood setting. If collective efficacy is high than losing a member may not be felt as much as if collective efficacy is low and the best of the neighborhood leaves. While there are some examples of extraordinary people; it takes the collective of all to really make a difference. This is shown in many of Sampson's example throughout the book. Transformation for the good takes work, transformation for the bad just requires neglect. 

Looking at the information I found it easy to find parallels matching my psychology emphasis but had more difficulty tying information to my business emphases. the best way to look at mobility is to look at the economic factors and reasons people move to tie to business. 

With my two emphases being psychology and business I am interested in how poverty effects psychological development and what role private sector business can contribute to elevating people out of poverty. While these two ideas are on the surface miles apart I think I can find a way to draw them together. I believe that poverty is every American's problem and one that will take the collective effort to solve. I also believe that our civic choices, particularly political choices, play a major role and bear much of the responsibility for poverty. 

The effects of poverty on the mental, emotional, and behavioral health of children and youth: implications for prevention.

Abstract:

"This article considers the implications for prevention science of recent advances in research on family poverty and children's mental, emotional, and behavioral health. First, we describe definitions of poverty and the conceptual and empirical challenges to estimating the causal effects of poverty on children's mental, emotional, and behavioral health. Second, we offer a conceptual framework that incorporates selection processes that affect who becomes poor as well as mechanisms through which poverty appears to influence child and youth mental health. Third, we use this conceptual framework to selectively review the growing literatures on the mechanisms through which family poverty influences the mental, emotional, and behavioral health of children. We illustrate how a better understanding of the mechanisms of effect by which poverty impacts children's mental, emotional, and behavioral health is valuable in designing effective preventive interventions for those in poverty. Fourth, we describe strategies to directly reduce poverty and the implications of these strategies for prevention. This article is one of three in a special section (see also Biglan, Flay, Embry, & Sandler, 2012; Muñoz, Beardslee, & Leykin, 2012) representing an elaboration on a theme for prevention science developed by the 2009 report of the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22583341

Theories of Poverty and Anti-Poverty Programs in Community Development

Abstract:

"In this paper I explore how five competing theories of poverty shape anti-poverty strategies. Since most rural community development efforts aim to relieve causes or symptoms of poverty, it makes a difference which theory of poverty is believed to be responsible for the problem being addressed. In this paper five theories of poverty are distilled from the literature. It will be shown that these theories of poverty place its origin from 1) individual deficiencies, 2) cultural belief systems that support subcultures in poverty, 3) political-economic distortions, 4) geographical disparities, or 5) cumulative and circumstantial origins. Then, I show how each theory of poverty finds expression in common policy discussion and community development programs aimed to address the causes of poverty. Building a full understanding of each of these competing theories of poverty shows how they shape different community development approaches. While no one theory explains all instances of poverty, this paper aims to show how community development practices that address the complex and overlapping sources of poverty more effectively reduce poverty compared to programs that address a single theory."

 http://www.rupri.org/Forms/WP06-05.pdf

Generating Skilled Self-Employment in Developing Countries: Experimental Evidence from Uganda

Abstract:

"We study a government program in Uganda designed to help the poor and unemployed become self-employed artisans. The program targeted people ages 16 to 35 in Uganda’s conflict-affected north, inviting them to form groups and submit grant proposals to pay for vocational training and business start-up. Funding was randomly assigned, and treatment groups received unsupervised cash grants of $382 per member on average. The government’s main aims were to increase in-comes and thus also promote social stability. The treatment group invests some of the grant in skills training but most in tools and materials. After four years half practice a skilled trade. Relative to the control group, the program increases business assets by 57%, hours of work by 17%, and earnings by 38%. We see no corresponding impact, however, on individual social cohesion, participation, anti-social behavior, or protest attitudes and participation. Based on individual earnings alone we estimate 30 to 50% annual returns to investment from the program. We also see evidence that the treatment group grow their enterprises and hire labor, extending the employment impacts of the program. Impact levels are similar for treatment men and women, but are qualitatively different for women — both because women begin poorer (meaning the impact is larger relative to their starting point), and because women’s enterprises and earnings stagnate without the program but take off after a grant. The patterns we observe — high rates of investment, new business start-up, and returns on investment — are consistent with able but credit-constrained young people."

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2268552

Many Americans blame ‘government welfare’ for persistent poverty

Abstract:

"Two decades after President Bill Clinton promised to “end welfare as we know it,” Americans blame government handouts for persistent poverty in the United States more than any other single factor, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. Lack of job opportunities” was the second most popular answer, at 18 percent, followed by “lack of good educational opportunities” and “breakdown of families,” with 13 percent apiece."

http://www.marfdrat.net/2013/06/12/poll-many-americans-blame-government-welfare-for-persistent-poverty/#.UlNugdLkuLI

References:

Bradshaw, T. (2006, February). Rural Poverty Research Center. Retrieved from Theories of Poverty and Anti-Poverty Programs in Community : http://www.rupri.org/Forms/WP06-05.pdf

Christopher Blattman, N. F. (2013, September 27). Generating Skilled Self-Employment in Developing Countries: Experimental Evidence from Uganda. Retrieved from Social Science Research Network: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2268552

Marfdrat. (2013, June 12). Poll: Many Americans blame ‘government welfare’ for persistent poverty. Retrieved from Marfdrat.com: http://www.marfdrat.net/2013/06/12/poll-many-americans-blame-government-welfare-for-persistent-poverty/#.UlS-gtLkuLJ

Yoshikawa H, A. J. (2012, May-June). The effects of poverty on the mental, emotional, and behavioral health of children and youth: implications for prevention. Retrieved from NCBI Pubmed.gov: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22583341