Hospital Room (“Krankenzimmer”), Photo by Tomasz Sienicki (“tsca”)
We do not use the term “heart trouble” much anymore. We discuss cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and atherosclerosis knowledgeably. We can tell the difference between “good” and “bad” cholesterol. We know the signs of a heart attack.
Though we may talk about it less, heart trouble continues to be a factor in our lives. Its symptoms include helplessness in the face of overwhelming illness; worry over a lost job, past-due mortgage or backlogged medical expenses; that clutching sensation in the chest accompanying fear for a loved one’s safety. Read more…
We are examining the question whether public moneys should be set aside for those in need, despite the knowledge that an unprincipled few will benefit from aid programs dishonestly.
Today we explore the arguments surrounding such aid. The USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly “Food Stamps”, serves as our case study.
Arguments for Aid
A. Spiritual
Scripture informs us that those giving from a generous heart will be blessed in the hereafter:
“ ‘But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just’ ” (Luke 14: 13-14).
B. Public-Spirited
There is no indication in Scripture that those in a position to render aid will be reimbursed monetarily [1]. Along with bringing spiritual rewards, however, largesse is recognized as benefiting society as a whole.
If the Bible is not sufficiently persuasive: It has been a mark of civilization since the Neanderthals that the able-bodied and well-off help their less fortunate brothers and sisters. Aside from being compassionate, this preserves for the community the knowledge and wisdom aged individuals or those not constantly engaged in labor may have acquired.
Though the benefit to society may not always be quantifiable on a dollar for dollar basis – how would one quantify the musical talent of a boy like Beethoven, born into poverty – that benefit is, nonetheless, “real”.
SNAP, for instance, provides a direct and indirect fiscal boost during economic slumps. A food purchase by a SNAP program participant not only impacts the store where food is bought, and the trucker who delivered it, but the warehouse that stocked it, the plant that processed it, and the farmer who produced it. Each $1 billion increase in SNAP benefits is estimated to create or maintain the equivalent of 18,000 full time positions.
The value of “food security” to a family is incalculable. Read more…
As legal professionals, we are faced with countless decisions. Even when we seek the Lord’s guidance, we do not always “feel” certain we have made the right choice. So many factors to be weighed, so many intangibles…and so much riding on the outcome.
We’d prefer the certainty of the burning bush, a neon sign pointing to the correct course of action. Read more…
Auction (1830), Source Specimen of Printing-Types, and Ornaments, from the Letter Foundry of J. Howe & Co. (https://archive.org/details/specimenofprinti00jhow/page/n177/mode/2up), (PD)
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedom, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” — Abraham Lincoln
We are rapidly losing something precious in this country. Before our eyes, representative government [1] is being transformed into a silent auction. Already eroded is the belief in representative government, the belief that people — fallible, breathing human beings — have a right to select their own leaders.
Influence
Influence over our representatives is today bought and sold — out of the limelight, away from prying eyes. That statement is not a blanket allegation of fraud. It is rather an observation that the electoral process has been corrupted by funding, with the result that lobbyists spend more time with our elected officials than ordinary citizens do, and have greater influence.
The ball is in play, but we cannot tell the score.
Promises
This being an election year, we are currently bombarded by political ads. These carefully crafted grenades may or may not contain a kernel of truth. We can be reasonably certain the campaign promises made will last as long as soap bubbles.
Cost
The combined cost of presidential and congressional campaigns in 2012 is projected at a record $5.8 billion. Yes, that is a “b”.
Citizens United. v. Federal Election Commission thrust the knife home against representative government. That damaging decision — holding that corporations have a First Amendment right (unfettered by monetary constraints) to support or oppose a candidate — deserves an article all its own.
Meanwhile, unfounded allegations of fraud are being used as a ploy to reduce the number of real people allowed to exercise their right to vote.
Without Representation
This all matters because the vote matters. It is more than an empty exercise; it is nothing less than the cornerstone on which this nation was built. (Does the phrase “No taxation without representation” perhaps ring a bell?)
Men and women have shed their blood, given their very lives to secure and protect the right to vote. Every voice should be heard; every vote should count.
If we tolerate these abuses, we are complicit in them.
[1] Though democracy may be traced to the Magna Carta, an argument can be made that the Bible served as one inspiration for the concept. The Israelites met at their tabernacle to address issues involving the nation (Num. 8: 9, 10: 3). People met at a city’s gates to address issues involving that city (Ruth 3: 11, 4: 1-4; Deut. 21: 18-21). With the elders serving as their representatives, the people sought a king from the prophet, Samuel (1 Sam. 8: 1-9). See, Mercer Dictionary of the Bible.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed
Woman with her disabled grandson, Author AnikaMeyer, (CC BY-SA 4.0 International)
There has been a great deal of public discussion lately about the funding of government programs for the aged, impoverished, and disadvantaged. This has left many with the impression that fraud is rampant, and all those seeking aid are intent upon “milking” the system.
The reverse is true. By far the vast majority of aid recipients are children, the elderly, the disabled and/or those genuinely living in poverty.
But the question of whether money should be set aside for those in need, despite the knowledge that some unprincipled recipients will be cheats, is worth examining.
Data from the USDA Food and Nutrition Service’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as “Food Stamps”, will be used here to explore the problem.
Scope of Need
As of 2011, SNAP helped feed nearly 45 million men, women, and children in the United States – 1 in 7. Participation – based on low income and limited financial resources – has risen to over 46 million this year.
- The maximum monthly benefit for a family of four is currently $668 (less than $1.90 per person per meal).
- 47% of program participants are children under the age of 18.
- About 16% of households include an elderly member; about 20% include a disabled member.
- About 41% of program participants live in households with some earnings.
- 75% of program participants receiving benefits for a year or less live in households with some earnings.
- Only 4% of program participants are noncitizens (legal immigrants, permanent resident aliens, and refugees).
SNAP participation closely tracks poverty in America. As the number of persons living in poverty rises, so does SNAP participation. As that number falls, so does SNAP participation. SNAP likewise expands in times of recession, and retracts in times of economic growth. Read more…
Rarely, are we lawyers at a loss for words. For the most part, we enjoy the sound of our own voices, offer our opinions whether invited to or not, and relish a good argument whichever side we take. Educated, authoritative, and generally well off, we expect our views to be heard and taken into account.
But there are enormous numbers of men, women, and children in our nation and across the globe whose voices will never be heard, unless we intervene for them. For them, our words are a matter of life and death. Read more…
Landfill at Fresh Kills, Staten Island, NY, Photo by Chester Higgins for the EPA, Source National Archives and Records Administration (NAI 548348)
WARNING: Graphic Images
“For the Lord will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord…” (Is. 51: 3).
Covering 2200 acres and taller than the Statue of Liberty, the Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island, NY can be seen from space.
At one time the primary waste disposal site for the City of New York, Fresh Kills was closed to dumping early in 2001, but reopened to process the 2 million tons of debris from the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
Mass Destruction
“You could not comprehend the massive destruction [at Ground Zero]. Even though there was an enormous amount of toxic debris and smoke, your skin was on fire you couldn’t breathe your eyes were tearing, you just kept going on and on. You didn’t care – you just wanted to find somebody [1].”
– former EMS Paramedic, Freddie Noboa, now suffering from PTSD, asthma, and many other illnesses
Twisted girders, broken concrete, bricks, glass, shredded paper, and human remains were shipped by truck and barge to Fresh Kills.
A Miniature City
Work at Fresh Kills went on 24/7 consuming over 1.7 million man hours. A miniature city grew up to accommodate the NYC Police Department, FBI, 25 state and federal agencies, and 14 contractors sorting through the material.
Though recovery workers at Ground Zero toiled without respirators, those at Fresh Kills landfill were provided them, along with safety gear which included protective suits and gloves; goggles; hard hats; and steel-toe boots.
In view of the high stress environment, psychological counseling was, also, made available.
Like Being in Hell
“We found 150 full bodies and 20,000 body parts. It was like being in hell down there – arms, legs, people cut in half – a gruesome job. There were guys down there spitting up blood [1B].”
– former FDNY Deputy Chief, Jim Riches, who found his son’s body on “the pile” at Ground Zero in March 2002
Under strict security protocols, piece after piece of material was passed along assembly lines and closely examined. Thousands of fragmentary human remains were recovered from which 300 persons were identified. More than 1600 personal effects were retrieved.
Toxic Debris
The toxic debris from the collapse of the Twin Towers was found to contain more than 2500 contaminants. These included glass and other fibers, asbestos, lead, and mercury.
About 70% of first responders developed cancers and serious respiratory conditions. Along with EMS and firefighters, construction workers, health care professionals, clergy, and others continue to suffer from medical issues a decade later. Read more…
NYFD Deputy Chief Joseph Curry at Ground Zero Three Days After the Terrorist Attack, Photo by Navy Officer 1st Class Preston Keres, Source http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=1466
The events of 9/11 were seared into the national consciousness. Ordinary people impacted by extraordinary evil; senseless tragedy on a monumental scale.
Yet the days, weeks, and months which followed demonstrated that ordinary people are capable of extraordinary good. The darkness that seemed to reign for a moment could not overshadow the countless of acts of courage and compassion.
We will, each of us, experience evil in some form during our lives. Grief and loss need not be inflicted by terrorists to tear at our confidence, undermine our faith. Read more…
Sometimes we go through periods of drought in our lives. What we have loved seems dry and lifeless. We feel as if we have nothing more to give, and nothing to sustain us.
On occasion, we discard the familiar in the desperate hope that something new will fill the void within us. As if drinking sand could slake our thirst. More often than not, we stagger on, amazed that we can stand at all. We go through the motions, pay our bills, meet our commitments.
Then suddenly one day joy is restored to us. As simply as that, we can laugh again or appreciate the taste of a good hoagie.
God is with us through those arid times. We are never as alone as we may feel. His purpose may be beyond us, but He is not.
“ ‘I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert’ ” (Is. 43: 19).
Lord God, Most High, we praise Your name. You guide our footsteps, even when we know not. You guard and protect us, though we go astray.
Pour Your spirit out on us. Drench us.
Make a way where there was none. Lead us through the wilderness of this life to Living Water.
Amen
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
https://avoicereclaimed
“Second Coming of Christ”, Russian icon (c. 1500) (PD-Art l Old-70)
Christians in this day and age have cause for grief as well as joy, for fear as well as celebration. This Bible Study examines Scripture in light of the tumultuous times in which we live.
Still, we are the voice in the desert crying [1]
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make straight in the desert
A highway for our God’ ” (Isa. 40: 3).
Often, it feels as if we are the voice in the desert, the last remnant praising God. We long for Jesus’ return in a dry and weary land (Ps. 63: 1). When He comes again, the last shall be first, and the first last (Matt. 19: 30). The rough places will be made smooth, and His glory will shine for all to see (Isa. 40: 4-5).
No one but the Father knows the day or the hour, when that will be (Matt. 24: 36). Meanwhile, we cannot despair (2 Cor. 4: 8). We are to “defend the poor and fatherless, do justice to the afflicted and needy” (Ps. 8: 3) as long as God gives us strength.
“Prepare ye the way of the Lord!”
“In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!’ ” (Matt. 3: 1-2).
John the Baptist was assigned the task of preparing the way for the Messiah. John was the final prophet to precede the Lord, baptizing Him in the Jordan. Not long afterwards, John was martyred for his adherence to the truth (Mark 6: 18-19, 27-28).
Jesus said of John the Baptist that from among those born of women there was none greater (Matt. 11: 11). The Lord added, however, that the least in the kingdom would be greater than John. Astonishingly, that was a reference to us. The Lord knew that faith would be a challenge in our day.
Some speculate that John the Baptist may be one of the two witnesses in Jerusalem at the end of days, and Elijah the other. Whatever their identity, we are told the two witnesses – like Elijah earlier (1 Kings 17: 1) – will be given power “to shut heaven so that no rain falls” (Rev. 11: 6).
Behold He comes riding on the clouds
“ ‘…[H]ereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven’ ” (Matt. 26: 64).
Jesus made this reply, when asked by the high priest whether or not He was the Christ, the Son of the living God. For these words He was condemned. Yet we will see them fulfilled when He returns in glory. Read more…
A Lawyer's Prayers 