The prosperity associated with the thriving economy the country is enjoying may well transform Mendocino County into a land of milk and honey, but there will be precious little money for some of our less fortunate citizens because of a decision made a while back by the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors. On July 15th the board voted unanimously to limit General Assistance benefits to no more than three months in any twelve month period for persons deemed "employable." Now, were this the Great North Woods, teeming with nature's abundance, the prospective description of the county might still be apt, considering these folks could forage for moose milk and wild honey for the remaining nine months of the year, after their three month ration of General Assistance had been exhausted - and they were still unemployed. However, it's not, and they can't!
The Great Divide
Upon expressing concern to several persons of good standing in the community, I was assured I was on the wrong side of the social divide, that a majority of my fellow citizens profess scant sympathy for those receiving any form of public assistance, considering them creatures living off the county bounty while contributing little in return. A "lucky-to-get-anything" attitude is clearly in the ascendant.
What is General Assistance? It is a program of public relief administered by the Department of Social Services, for childless adults and couples, who are destitute and not eligible for other federal or state assistance programs. The maximum amount a recipient may receive is $297 per month, consisting of vouchers and cash, although the sum actually authorized is frequently less. It is funded entirely by the county and generally considered the aid program of last resort.
If the dependent underclass indeed qualify as legitimate objects of scorn, some of the salient characteristics of the General Assistance program will come as a pleasant surprise to those sharing that view. Although administered by county personnel of integrity and competence, it is nevertheless, a humiliating admixture of forms, vouchers, verifications, a minuscule grant (actually loan) level, interrogations, waiting rooms and the inevitable 3 R's (rules, regulations, requirements). It is well that many General Assistance recipients have already been reduced to a point where they retain very little self-respect, so that the program's impositions are often perceived as minor inconveniences in a downward spiral of futility, repeated failure, and even despair.
The Great Experiment
There are those that would describe my political orientation as tending toward the liberal end of the spectrum. (I prefer the more FDR'ish "progressive"). As with many LIBS, I harbor a secret preference to be ruled by conservatives - because of the intoxicating, creative tension induced by dissent and debate. I therefore appreciate the conservative tenor of our current board and consider it decidedly bad form when they refuse to stay in role.
For example, we LIBERALS are always being hammered for engaging in social tinkering and experimentation. However, for the board to remove all possibility of support from a segment of our population, with no other recourse, for nine months of the year, in a county of high, seasonal unemployment, strikes me as a decidedly dicey proposition; rather experimental in fact.
Certainly the time limit may serve its stated and unstated purposes: to drive this hated rabble into employment, or southern Humboldt County, or oblivion!
But those conducting an experiment should always allow for unpredictable consequences, and unanticipated results. Gainful employment, it's true, is a potential, hoped for outcome. However, other alternatives are possible as well, such as homelessness, stealing, hunger, family disruption, violence and severe stress. In addition to begging, of course.
Among the arguments advanced in favor of the proposal are that adjoining counties have instituted a three month time limit, and that the time limit is necessary because of projected growth in the General Assistance case load, due to recently enacted legislation at the federal level, that has resulted in termination of SSI benefits for alcoholics and drug addicts. The Wilson administration would prefer abolishing the General Assistance program altogether.
And lest I be accused of being an alarmist, let me acknowledge the board was assured by staff of the Department of Social Services, there are numerous exemptions from the time limit. Allowance is made for clients involved in drug and alcohol therapy, for seniors, for those participating in training programs, and those who are ill or incapacitated. It is anticipated the three month time limit will apply to less than half the 300 persons now receiving General Assistance. However, a reliable estimate of the number potentially affected could not be given. It leads one to wonder: are we dealing with a dozen, two dozen, or perhaps several score individuals? Essential information, I would suggest, to those experimenting ... with peoples' lives!
I hope it's apparent my intent is to be protective of our board and that I have a vested interest in assuring they maintain their conservative credentials. However, when they behave irresponsibly, without fully appreciating the consequences of their actions, it becomes difficult to shield them from the taint of liberalism and all its excesses!
Thus the curtain rises on welfare "reform" in Mendocino County. One awaits further developments with decidedly muted expectations.
Copyright Mendocino Environmental Center 1997
Permission granted to excerpt or use this article if source is cited