untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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With higher water bills, rising fuel costs, and increasingfood costs, how are many seniors going to make their basic expenses. Many don't make it now. A recent article in the Detroit newspapers detailed how this proposal would hurt the very poorest of the seniors and the very low income the most. It also gives tax breaks to the higher income.
I hear many seniors are considering leaving Flint out of concerns over safety and financial survival. Statistics have shown a population increase in many parts of the south fueled by African-Americans returning and young white couples looking for a more affluent place to raise children. Those who live in the south and other places are insisting their parents move to be with them. I am being told the recent lowering of assessments has a significant number of these seniors considering just abandoning their homes.
There are many sections of the city where seniors are the majority of the residents. The new census, when released, will give us a clearer picture of what the percentage of seniors live in Flint.
This issue presents a clearer picture of whether the senior millage truly benefitted Flint seniors. Did Flint see an increase in "Meals on Wheels" , Visiting Nurses and services provided by Valley area Agency on Aging. Or was the money diverted to the specialized units created by the county?
County Commissioner say Flint still does not report correctly and that is why Flint is the only community to have special rules. This millage was not properly thought out and the Genesee County Metropolitan Planning Commission revises the rules often. How is this impacting seniors in Flint?
Flint senior residents upset about possible pension tax
Published: Friday, March 04, 2011, 1:08 PM Updated: Friday, March 04, 2011, 1:49 PM
By Roberto Acosta | Flint Journal
View full sizeRoberto Acosta | Flint JournalState Rep. Jim Ananich, D-Flint, sits with senior residents at Brennan Community Center to discuss a possible state tax on pensions.
FLINT, Michigan -- Jean Adams-Anderson worked 36 years for General Motors on the production line at Flint North.
With a proposed tax on her pension and other retirees in the state, the 68-year Flint resident said many senior residents "won't have the ability to take care of their basic needs" like food, gas, home and vehicle expenses.
Adams-Anderson was one of several residents on hand during a presentation by state Rep. Jim Ananich,D-Flint, at Brennan Community Center on the proposed tax in Gov. Rick Snyder's budget.
"It's just a corporate tax break for special interest," Ananich said of the proposed tax that could raise $900 million to offset part of a $1.8 billion budget hole the state is facing this year. "It's absurd."
Adams-Anderson said many seniors already have to budget "down to the penny." She pays more into health car costs after GM cut her dental and vision coverage and is struggling with costs after her husband Solomon had a recent heart attack.
She said it's "a fact" that Snyder was dishonest to voters not mentioning the pension tax during the 2010 election and it will affect many residents.
"All the planning I did was worthless," said Adams-Anderson. "This is devastating to me." She added the move wouldn't allow her to travel, help her children or give back to the community.
Ananich said he is "not going to pay for a corporate tax cuts on the backs of seniors" and both parties in Lansing need to "reach across party line to create a business environment" that will bring in jobs and keep residents in-state.
62-year-old Flint resident Claire McClinton said the possible move by Snyder following cuts to her health care benefits "is just one thing after another" senior residents are dealing with financially of late.
An electrician for 30 years at Flint Metal Center, McClinton said "You don't have any breathing room from being under assault economically."
Despite the hits to pensions and health care, McClinton said people are resilient in the face of the current economic situation.
"If we as a nation and as a state is committed to a higher standard of living and quality of life, we're going to have to do whatever we can do to get that," she said. |
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