Joan Vennochi’s Column in the Boston Sunday Globe puts the human face on what should be important to us as a society and to our government and politicians:
Go read it, but here is the final line which rings so true:
My Birthday wish for him is a happy and productive life and a world willing to pay more than lip service to help him live in it.
As a society we can disagree about what should be functions of government but it should be obvious that helping folks, like James, is a function of government that all of us would agree with.
Its not.
Folks seem able to disconnect the reality of budget cuts from the real effect it has on the lives of individuals. The typical response I get from conservatives when I put a specific face on a particular spending cut is: “Oh not him- i'm not advocating cuts effecting him” and I expect that's the response they will have about James.
But of course - budget cuts DO effect him.
It doesn't seem that long ago that I sat in Senator Browns Boston office, with my son Tim and a number of folks protesting his vote against the extension of unemployment benefits. Browns' stand also held up some $500 million in medicaid funding for the state of Massachusetts and, in turn, funding for the disabled. We held vigil in his office to put a human face on his decision.
Senator Brown was quoted in articles from that time ( emphasis added ):
“ I have great compassion for those programs, and have kept everybody informed as to where everything stands so they can plan,” Brown said in an interview this morning. “The issue is it’s going to raise taxes, it’s going to increase the deficit and there’s no way to pay for it yet. But they’re working towards it. They’re doing better. We’ll just see.”
And there you have it. Even while his waiting room was full, day after day with the faces of those citizens whom he “had compassion for” he still bowed down to the Tea Party alter of “no taxes” and smaller government. Despite protesting his compassion he still was opposed.
Its hard enough to get the funding needed to support the disabled, even in a progressive state like Massachusetts. Each year it is a battle, even with a democratic governor and legislature. It is even harder when your Senator is beholden to a right wing ideology that calls to reduces federal spending on the very programs the disabled depend on.
I originally was moved to post this simply because it was a wonderful portrait of James who needs and deserves our support as he turns 22.
And then i couldn't help but think of that day I spent with my son Tim at Scott Browns office fighting for what should be obvious.
Elizabeth Warren won't need a vigil in her office to fight for the obvious.
