Welfare Cutback

Since last June during the Board of Supervisors’ deliberations on the county budget, I have been advocating reform of the General Relief welfare program. Whatever the reasons are for Supervisor Susan Golding joining the battle, and I admire her for doing so, they should not obscure the real need to tighten the criteria for eligibility to this program.

Given the fact that the Board of Supervisors cannot legally spend more money than we have available--nor should we--we are willing to make the tough decisions to prioritize the expenditure of local tax dollars. The county’s proposal is to limit receipt of General Relief by able-bodied adults without children to three months out of every 12 months. That gives recipients an opportunity to seek other sources of support and results in a cost savings to local tax payers of approximately $6.8 million.

People on welfare stay poor. The astronomical amount of money going into welfare programs for which people are categorically eligible precludes the use of these funds for programs like literacy, child care, employment training, drug and alcohol recovery, housing, mental health and other human services that help people rise out of poverty to full participation in our society.

Politicians do funny things during elections. One other candidate for mayor even proposed adding hundreds more police officers without any means to fund them. The reality is that entitlement programs and lawsuits are dictating government budgets at all levels. Yet experts in the field of human services are the first to point out that human needs are not necessarily best met through cash handouts. It is time to stop welfare misery and start funding human dignity and financial independence.

BRIAN P. BILBRAY, Supervisor, First District