Jobs Plan Concerns Seniors, Too

President Barack Obama is scheduled to address a joint session of Congress Thursday on jobs and the sluggish economy.

Voters across the country will be listening to hear what Obama has to say. So will Atlanta's senior citizens who are also anxious to know how the president's proposed jobs initiatives will affect them.

Rising costs of goods and services has forced some seniors back into the job market. Others have delayed their retirement plans and have continued to work past retirement.

At southwest Atlanta's Capitol City Bank on Lee Street, customers may have observed a new employee. Latise S. Reynolds retired from Wachovia Bank several years ago, but now works part time at Capitol City Bank.

Reynolds says, "I returned to work for several reasons, mainly to earn additional income and also to remain active."

The National Council on Aging reports that one in three U.S. seniors has a new retirement job or at least works part time. Many seniors work out of necessity, some to remain active, while others want to be of help to their financially strapped offspring.

Birnell Hatcher is currently employed as a substitute teacher, primarily at Mays High School. Hatcher retired from Delta Airlines as a marketing representative. She returned to work a year after retiring."

"I find working a different job fulfilling," Hatcher said. "The money that I earn enables me to travel more and afford things that I ordinarily couldn't. I also like remaining active."

With today's economic instability, Reynolds and Hatcher—like many other seniors—have found that working after retirement is often an economic  necessity as well as a way to remain physically active.

 Reynolds' husband John, has stated that he intends to work until he is seventy. Although the jobless rate appears fragile, many older Americans are optimistic that the president will offer some useful ideas and a sensible strategy when he speaks this week. Many will tune in.