By Pat Gogerty
Crosscut.com
Congress passed legislation at the end of April to put air traffic controllers back on the job, providing valuable insight into what our representatives, and by extension us, care about.
As it turns out, the most important thing in our lives is convenience.
Out in Spokane, there is a man named Jim. Jim is 90 years old. Jim fought in World War II. He was never rich, but when money was around Jim spent it helping his neighbors buy diapers, food and pay their rent. Though he remains fiercely independent, Jim’s limited sight, hearing and Parkinson’s disease have severely reduced his mobility. Today Meals on Wheels delivers Jim a hot meal every day. Without someone to prepare that meal, he would not eat.
The sequester subtracted a million dollars from senior nutrition programs here in Washington. The delivery portion of the program is carried out by tens of thousands of volunteer drivers. It is a great example of government cooperating with the general public to fill a service that allows people to maintain a shred of dignity during their last years.
(To read the full article, go to crosscut.com/2013/05/14/social-services-necessity-convenience)
Pat Gogerty is the founder and former Executive Director of Childhaven, a program for the care and treatment of abused and neglected infants and toddlers in King County. He has a 35-year background pioneering treatment for abused children and breaking the cycle of violence. He has seen firsthand the role our political system plays in the successes and failures in treating abuse.
