||| FROM BEA VON TOBEL ||| 


Even though I’ve been officially retired for 10 years, my mind continues to ponder life on this island of residence, and has prompted several observation/questions. Some of them may be way out in left field, but because we’ve lived on Orcas for more than 30 years, it’s been my privilege to see things from several perspectives.

A while back, I read Men Without Work, by Nicholas Eberstadt. That’s where the current thoughts come from, but as someone who spent a long time in education (teaching, counseling, some adult ed), in the common blue-collar workforce, as a ‘business executive’ in a local taxing distict, an elected official, and a volunteer with a few island nonprofits, I can say that I’ve seen lots of the economy from various viewpoints.

To start off, let me say that somewhere along the line, male children are suffering. Whether it is from a lack of two-parent homes, economic circumstances, life experiences, later maturation which seems to make school irrelevant in its present constitution, I don’t know. What I do know is that according to the aforementioned book, a substantial percentage of males between the ages of 26-54 are NILFs (not in the labor force). Some have incarceration records which make finding employment difficult, some have sincere disabilities (physical/mental), some have given up the long haul of finding employment, and some exist within the largesse of government programs, families who support them, or even women who are breadwinners, etc.

This island, as frequently mentioned in the releases from various organizations, is generous in its support of those who are in need. There’s housing (OPAL, etc), food (OI Food Bank), services (Orcas Family Resource Center, Orcas Senior Center), and several other groups who regularly provide their generosity in various formats. And the OICF funds many community needs through its 100+ 501(c)(3)nonprofits.

So here’s an observation: with the US budget currently under intense scrutiny, and with the possibility that some of the government largesse being targeted for reduction/elimination, the island groups currently providing help may/will be stretched and perhaps broken by their mission to help.

From a current outside observer, here’s a question or two:

—what is the makeup of those who are being helped? Are they predominantly legally-constituted families; are they single-parent families; are they unmarried males (the predominant figure from the book); are they employed; are they looking for work; do disabilities prevent work; are they NILF by choice . . .

—the invasion of privacy in ascertaining this information is foremost, so gathering any information will be difficult no matter how it is accomplished, so is the gathering of information even possible . . . and would it even give an accurate picture of the situation . . .

I am not a statistician, and would not know from whom to gather such information so as to protect the integrity of those from whom it was gathered, but I am inherently curious about those who partake of this community’s largesse, and greatly curious whether they contribute back to the community at large, or just exist as takers . . .

Well, there it is in a nutshell. Don’t know whether it’s of interest to anyone out there who might be as curious as I am, but it’s been a conundrum of interest!


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