“We understand why they’re proposing a freeze,” Sloane said. “We are concerned about the effect on critical agencies.”
Social Security and Medicare benefits would fall outside the freeze. But the Social Security Administration, for instance, could find itself without enough staffing to provide services to older Americans because it’s already underfunded, Sloane said. “They’re trying to squeeze blood out of a turnip.”
Sloane said he’s worried about programs that help low-income people pay for housing, home heating, Meals on Wheels, and inspection programs for drugs and medical devices.
“Those nuts-and-bolts programs are going to get hurt,” he said. “There are a lot of discretionary programs that affect low-income senior citizens.”
But Obama also signaled support for funding increases in certain highlighted programs. About $102.5 million would be set aside to help the “sandwich generation,” which is caught between caring for kids and older parents. The money would beef up respite care for families caring for their older members. About 200,000 caregivers would get help if it passes Congress. And older Americans also would get more help with transportation, adult day care and other assistance designed to let them stay in their own homes.
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Interesting article. Relevantly, “Sandwich Generation” is not an actual generation, but rather a term which has been used for over 30 years to describe the “sandwiched” life stage which various actual generations (e.g. WWII Gen, Boomers, etc.) pass through.
ReplyDeleteImportantly, most of those who are currently part of the “sandwich generation life phase” are not Boomers, but rather are part of Generation Jones (born 1954-1965, between Boomers and Gen X). It is crucial to distinguish between the post-WWII demographic boom in births vs. the cultural generations born during that era. Generations are a function of the common formative experiences of its members, not the fertility rates of its parents. Many experts now believe it breaks down more or less this way:
DEMOGRAPHIC boom in babies: 1946-1964
Baby Boom GENERATION: 1942-1953
Generation Jones: 1954-1965
Generation X: 1966-1978
As numerous top national commentators have pointed out, GenJones voters might well decide the 2010 midterms, so it’s not a surprise to see the Obama administration targeting GenJonesers with these new proposals.