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The Paradox of Social Need
For many years I have worked for a public agency that provides assistance to children and families in need. The assistance comes in the form of cash aid, food stamps and free medical care. Over these years I have identified a pattern in the agency's ability to meet that need. Every six to eight years, there is short fall in the state budget and as a result, a shortfall in the local agency's budget which relies on the state for funding. There is a cruel paradox in how this affects the lives of the neediest children and families. When the economy is bad, when there are fewer jobs and more layoffs, when the number of homeless increases and those without medical insurance climbs higher, that is the same time that the agency's ability to meet this need is at its lowest. The state budget is a product of revenue flowing in from various forms of taxes and fees, including income tax and sales tax. Obviously, a higher unemployment rate and lower salaries reduces the amount of income tax flowing into state coffers. At the same time, people tend to cut back and spend less thus reducing the amount of sales tax revenues. To me this seems to be backwards. When the need is the greatest is when the agency's ability to meet that need should be the greatest. They should be in alignment. Of course, the poor children do not have much political power. As a society we make choices as to who should receive assistance and who should not. It all depends on what kind of society we want to be. There is a strong value today of self help and responsibility. You shouldn't depend on government handouts--get a job, go back to school, stop smoking, and by the way, are you in this country legally? At the same time, there is a value that young children should not starve, or not receive critical medical care just because their parents are low income (or no income). There will always be a certain level of public welfare to the neediest sector of the population. The size of that sector grows and shrinks depending on who is in power. But we will continue to experience this paradox of public assistance unless we change how the funding is structured. Just as families put money away for emergencies, the state needs to create a fund dedicated to providing aid to poor children and families. They are your neighbors, your relatives, your coworkers, your fellow citizens. We are all in this together and we need to help each other. When the economy is strong and the revenue is pouring in to state coffers, the fund will grow larger and larger. When there is an economic downturn, it will be available to provide assistance that would normally not be there due to a shrinking budget. What this really means is that if you pay income tax and sales tax, you will pay a bit more. Corporations will pay more as well. Homeowners may have to kick in more property tax. It might cost more to register your car. To avoid this pattern of budget crises and create stable funding for poor children, to me it seems like a pretty good deal. It is the kind of society I want to live in anyway. |
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This intel was contributed by pechka
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May, 2012
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