This Monday, marked the 20th anniversary of the ADA, which President George H. Bush signed into law. It was a hard fought battle, and it wasn't clear how long it would take to implement it into reality. It's now 2010, and our struggles to become full-fledged members of society has borne some fruit. And yet many people are still struggling with the most basic needs. Let's begin with the ones I know the best; The struggle in California to keep the in-home supportive services for the elderly, and younger people with disabilities: The IHSS budget takes less than 1.5 percent of the entire budget, and yet, Arnold Schwarzenegger has sought to cut the program from the first day he took office, long before the economic downturn. He also went after the Regional Centers which provide additional support for those with developmental disabilities like cerebral palsy, autism, Down Syndrome. These cuts would have meant that THOUSANDS would either end up in nursing homes, or being endangered in their own homes, or becoming homeless. And that does not take into account the home care workers who provide individualized support for all the people on the rolls. Last year the Governor was set to cut 90% of IHSS consumers off the rolls. That would have meant that over 300,000 care providers would lost their jobs! And that would mean they would need to apply for unemployment, if not they would have ended up becoming homeless!
Not only that, but Governor S. tried to criminalize the disabled and the elderly by requiring us to be fingerprinted and photographed by roving social workers in vans with specialty cameras being used to fight the drug war on American borders, and being used by the military in Afghanistan and Iraq. Those cameras cost $5,000 each! The total bill would be $40 million! Yes folks! The state is so broke we can't afford to pay the In-home care providers, but we can afford $40 million to "root out those wicked" consumers ripping off the system or whatever numbers his highness comes up with. You'll have to pardon the sarcasm!
Bear in mind there is no evidence at all to support the outrageous claims! After all, the consumer isn't the one getting paid! As my friend and fellow advocate, Maggie Dee noted in a recent posting, it doesn't make any sense. The social workers at each IHSS office, have a mind-boggling caseload. In the 1990s, I asked my social worker about her caseload. She told me she had over 900 consumers! I imagine it must number in the thousands now. As Maggie asked, do you really think they're going to inspect each time sheet for each consumer for matching fingerprints? Are they going to train each payroll clerk to read fingerprints? Talk about a witch hunt!
Another issue is the lack of beds in nursing homes! IF A.S. were to be successful, the State, is not prepared in any way to put any large numbers of people in nursing homes. Thank goodness for small truths like this.
Oh WAIT! Here's a nice kicker; A.S. gave the nursing home industry MILLIONS of dollars to build more nursing homes! When I heard this last summer, I was absolutely LIVID! Again; he was trying to get rid of us. It's a well known fact that nursing homes cost much more per person than paying for in-home care! The Terminator does not care one bit about us. He only cares about big business. The emperor wears no clothes and he has no heart. He also has no understanding of what the Supreme court Olmstead decision is about. We are not sick. We just need assistance, usually non-medical assistance. Nursing homes are always understaffed and do little in the way of keeping "patients" busy and happy. Why should somebody languish in a nursing home when they could and should be able to have a life with family, friends and choices like everybody else!
I honestly do not think our Governor cares about the hundred thousand he wants to cut. I say; If he really cared, if any of the politicians really cared; if they had the will, they would find a way. So far we have had to fight every step of the way to keep services. Thankfully, the legislature has rejected the $40 Million to use those cameras, saying that they never approved photographing or fingerprinting the IHSS consumers. So far so good, but we always have to pay close attention.
I'll tell you what I'd like to see; instead of looking at short-term goals and taking from the neediest citizens, I'd like to see a gathering of activists and people in many fields, finally coming up with long-term solutions to the many issues we face. That is what we were doing in Berkeley on that traffic strip. For four weeks my comrades kept a presence at this encampment called Arnieville. I will be so glad when A.S. leaves office. Just seeing his name causes me to feel nausea! I imagine that Meg Whitman will be no better.
No comments:
Post a Comment