To All Inquisitive Minds.
Becoming totally blind at the age of 29, married with a 2 year old
daughter and a mortgage, I signed up for Aid to Dependent Children.
Welfare!
Back in those days the Legislature voted a set amount of dollars to
cover the projected applicants. If more than the expected number
applied for benefits, the money was redivided by that new number, and
Grants were reduced accordingly. My Grant allowed $60 per month for
rent or house payment. But we had a 10% increase in applicants, and a
10% reduction in our individual Grant. My house payment was a modest
$65 per month, 5 dollars above the allowance. With a 10% reduction I
was now allowed $54. And so it went. Food allowance, utilities,
clothing, and just to add insult to injury there was even a
recreational allowance. That meant that the fixed expenses had to be
met from somewhere. If anyone was caught accepting help from family
or friends, that money plus a penalty was deducted from the next
month's grant. Of course those of us who wanted to live, cheated.
The fixed costs were covered by using money from the food allowance.
In place of adequate funds, Surplus Food was provided. The problem
was not with the quality of the foods provided, but rather with the
amount. We received about enough to feed our family for one week.
But while our relatives were squeezing out money for powdered milk,
powdered eggs and margarine, we received real butter, cheese and whole
milk.
So we took in children, under the counter...the money, not the
children. And I sold Fuller Brush door to door. And, under the
direction of my Vocational Rehab Counselor, I applied and received
Unemployment Compensation. This came back to bite me in the backside.
I had never been unemployed since I graduated from high school, during
which years I had worked at part time jobs and then, following
graduation, full time. Now, not being totally ignorant, I thought we
were getting by a bit too well, living high on the hog, with both
Welfare and Unemployment coming in. But that was what I believed my
VRC had advised. One fine day an Inspector came around. He asked
some pointed questions, and explained that we were Welfare Cheaters,
double dipping. We were overdrawn by about $3,500, which we would
need to repay.
By this time I was a student in the training center for the Blind and
was headed back to college. I was told that I had a 3 year grace
period before repayment had to be made.
3 years later I was still in school. A letter arrived demanding full
repayment, or my first born would be held for ransom...or some similar
threat. The letter suggested that I, a Welfare Cheat and Deadbeat,
had refused to return their requests. I assured them that I still
lived in the same house, had the same phone number, even had kept my
original name, and my two year old daughter was now six. So I called
my VR Counselor and asked his advice. "You should have known you
couldn't draw both Unemployment and Welfare at the same time".
"But" I whined, "You were the one who told me to apply for
unemployment". Fortunately, through no help from my VRC, I learned
that in certain situations the state could forgive such
transgressions. I typed a three page letter and within two weeks the
$3,500 was made to disappear.
I've never felt remorse over having begged off that debt. For one
thing, I've been paying taxes for nearly half a century since then,
and during part of those years it was at a pretty hefty level. But at
the same time I felt that I had done my best to follow the law...well,
except for the Fuller Brush and Child Care under the Table...but at
the time I was a practicing Christian, and I prayed hard for God to
understand that we really, truly needed that extra little dribble of
money. But I did, and still do blame the "VR Counseling" I was given.
My VRC, a really decent fellow, carrying a heavy load of cases, had
become careless in his job. Later we called our intake process,
"Informed Choice". New clients were to be given all the options, and
then helped to develop a Plan. And by the way, that Informed Choice
policy was as bogus as the hit and miss system it replaced. "Informed
Choice" can only occur if the VRC is totally knowledgeable of *All
choices. And if you ever wonder what the "Deer in the Headlights"
means, just have a VRC dump a pile of booklets, forms, brochures,
pamphlets and "literature" on your lap.
Before I end this long winded dissertation, I want to make it clear
that I believe my own, and all VRC's are just as much a victim of the
System as am I, and all blind people.
The state legislature went over our budget proposal each year with a
fine tooth comb, demanding cuts any place they felt we were showing
too much "fat". Our VRC's were carrying case loads of around 180
clients each. In my program I could not afford a substitute
instructor to fill in when staff took vacation or were ill. Usually I
would fill in for my instructors, which made the students really
appreciate their teachers when they returned.
But, like the Veteran's Administration, Public Education and the Post
Office, once strong programs were being nickel and dimed to death.
And the wrong trumped up reasons are being given, fingering those
hopelessly weary workers who are buried under a growing bureaucratic
pile that is beyond their control.
Cordially,
Carl Jarvis
On 9/29/18, Andy Baracco via acb-chat <acb-chat@acblists.org> wrote:
> for over 40 years, my employment was to help homeless vets to reenter the
> world of work. One of my biggest barriers was the fact that often the jobs
>
> for which they were qualified would net them less than the government
> benefits they would receive when you considered the total picture of cash
> assistance, pensions, etc., housing subsidies, food assistance, free medical
>
> care, and on and on, and the psychiatrists and social workers who would
> counsel them to just take the benefits.
>
> Andy
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bob Hachey via acb-chat" <acb-chat@acblists.org>
> To: "'General discussion list for ACB members and friends where a wide range
>
> of topics from blindness to politics, issues of the day or whatever comes to
>
> mind are welcome. This is a free form discussion list.'"
> <acb-chat@acblists.org>
> Cc: "Bob Hachey" <bhachey@verizon.net>
> Sent: Saturday, September 29, 2018 9:20 AM
> Subject: Re: [acb-chat] Tax Policy was RE: where are the warehouses for
> children located
>
>
>> Hi Bob,
>> Thanks for the update on the tax cuts. I don't think the dems have or have
>>
>> had much of a chance to take the senate given that most of the senators up
>>
>> for election this time around are democrats and some in red states.
>> I would be surprised if the Republicans keep the House. So, the
>> Republicans will likely have the same small majority for future SCOTUS
>> fights.
>> AS for being magnanimous, if Jeff Flake hadn't threatened to oppose
>> Kavanaugh in the Floor vote, I doubt we'd be having an investigation this
>>
>> week. IMHO, the dems are merely following the lead of the Republicans who
>>
>> lurched way to the right beginning in 2010 with the predominance of the
>> tea party.
>> If the Dems want to be successful going forward they really do need to do
>>
>> a better job looking out for the middle class, especially those who work
>> with their hands.
>> Heck, I'd say I have more respect for the folks who work with their hands
>>
>> whom I believe tend to work harder than many who work with their minds. I
>>
>> say shame on those lefties who don't hold all types of wwork in high
>> regard; I'd put the Clintons at the very top of that hall of shame.
>> Bob Hachey
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Bob via acb-chat [mailto:acb-chat@acblists.org]
>> Sent: Saturday, September 29, 2018 11:15 AM
>> To: General discussion list for ACB members and friends where a wide range
>>
>> of topics from blindness to politics, issues of the day or whatever comes
>>
>> to mind are welcome. This is a free form discussion list.
>> Cc: Bob
>> Subject: Re: [acb-chat] Tax Policy was RE: where are the warehouses for
>> children located
>>
>> Hello:
>>
>> The tax cuts were extend yesterday by the house. Now, it is up to the
>> senate.
>> After this current fiasco, the Dems will never take the senate, there is
>>
>> some question whether they will even take the house.
>> Americans are sick and tired of this obstruct and delay tactic.
>> There is going to be a FBI investigation because the Republicans chose to
>>
>> work together. Can you say the same about the extreme left which the
>> Democratic party has become?
>>
>> Bob Clark
>>
>>
>> On 9/28/18, Andy Baracco via acb-chat <acb-chat@acblists.org> wrote:
>>> I am a registered Democrat, but I don't think I've ever felt more
>>> disalusioned than I do now. I voted for Clinton in the last election
>>> only because there was no way I could have voted for Trump, but I
>>> might have voted for one of the other Republicans, except perhaps for
>>> Cruz.
>>> I think that Hillary threw workers, seniors and the middle class under
>>> the bus, in pursuit of minorities. I would have voted for Stein except
>>> that i feared that she would help Trump by taking votes away from
>>> Clinton. I don't
>>>
>>> know if Stein garnered enough votes to actually make that happen.
>>> I think I agree with Thomas jefferson who said that the government
>>> should be
>>>
>>> dissolved with each new generation.
>>> My comment about voting for Republicans applies only to candidates in
>>> California because the Dems here will never address the issue of taxes.
>>> Andy
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Bob Hachey via acb-chat" <acb-chat@acblists.org>
>>> To: "'General discussion list for ACB members and friends where a wide
>>> range
>>>
>>> of topics from blindness to politics, issues of the day or whatever
>>> comes to
>>>
>>> mind are welcome. This is a free form discussion list.'"
>>> <acb-chat@acblists.org>
>>> Cc: "Bob Hachey" <bhachey@verizon.net>
>>> Sent: Friday, September 28, 2018 6:06 AM
>>> Subject: [acb-chat] Tax Policy was RE: where are the warehouses for
>>> children
>>>
>>> located
>>>
>>>
>>>> Hi all,
>>>> Hi Andy and all,
>>>> I am sick to death of hearing from those who continue to pine for
>>>> lower taxes. Actually, those in the middle like yourself get screwed
>>>> badly by a
>>>>
>>>> system that should probably feature lower taxes for those making
>>>> between
>>>> $50,000.00 and $100,000.00 per year. Rather than complaining about
>>>> those poorer than yourself and immigrants, you ought to aim your
>>>> anger squarely
>>>>
>>>> at those who take in over $500,000.00 per year. The way it is now,
>>>> neither
>>>>
>>>> party looks out for the interests of what is left of a shrinking
>>>> middle class. Note that the recently passed Republican tax cuts come
>>>> in two
>>>> flavors:
>>>> a. Those cuts that benefit members of the middle and lower classes.
>>>> These
>>>>
>>>> cuts expire after 2020.
>>>> b. those cuts that benefit corporations and the highest income
>>>> individuals. These cuts don't expire at all! IF you vote for
>>>> republicans,
>>>>
>>>> you will be helping the very wealthy and probably not middle class
>>>> folks like yourself. Also, I can see why you don't want to vote for
>>>> democrats.
>>>> More proof here that we need to dissolve both badly corrupted parties.
>>>> Bob Hachey
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> acb-chat mailing list
>>>> acb-chat@acblists.org
>>>> http://www.acblists.org/mailman/listinfo/acb-chat
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> acb-chat mailing list
>>> acb-chat@acblists.org
>>> http://www.acblists.org/mailman/listinfo/acb-chat
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> YOUR HEALTH IS YOUR MOST IMPORTANT PERSONAL ASSET!!!
>> TAKE THE CHALLENGE AT:
>> HTTP://BOB-CLARK.COM
>> Telephone: 800-345-9760
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
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>
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