Longing for a New Welfare System渴望新的福利救济制度.docVIP

Longing for a New Welfare System (Longing for a New Welfare System) A welfare client is supposed to cheat. Everybody expects it. Faced with sharing a dinner of raw pet food with the cat, many people in wheelchairs I know bleed the system for a few extra dollars. They tell the government that they are getting two hundred dollars less than their real pension so they can get a little extra welfare money. Or, they tell the caseworker that the landlord raised the rent by a hundred dollars. I have opted to live a life of complete honesty. So instead, I go out and drum up some business and draw cartoons. I even tell welfare how much I make! Oh, Im tempted to get paid under the table. But even if I yielded to that temptation, big magazines are not going to get involved in some sticky situation. They keep my records, and that information goes right into the governments computer. Very high- profile. As a welfare client Im expected to bow before the caseworker. Deep down, caseworkers know that they are being made fools of by many of their clients, and they feel they are entitled to have clients bow to them as compensation. Im not being bitter. Most caseworkers begin as college-educated liberals with high ideals. But after a few years in a system that practically requires people to lie, they become like the one I shall call Suzanne, a detective in shorts. Not long after Christmas last year, Suzanne came to inspect my apartment and saw some new posters pasted on the wall. Whered you get the money for those? she wanted to know. Friends and family. Well, youd better have a receipt for it, by God. You have to report any donations or gifts. This was my cue to beg. Instead, I talked back. I got a cigarette from somebody on the street the other day. Do I have to report that? Well Im sorry, but I dont make the rules, Mr. Callahan. Suzanne tries to lecture me about repairs to my wheelchair, which is always breaking down because welfare wont spend the money maintaining it properly. You know, Mr. Callahan, Ive heard that you put a lot more miles on that wheelchair than average. Of course I do. Im an active worker, not a vegetable. I live near downtown, so I can get around in a wheelchair. I wonder what shed think if she suddenly broke her hip and had to crawl to work. Government cuts in welfare have resulted in hunger and suffering for a lot of people, not just me. But people with spinal cord injuries felt the cuts in a unique way: The government stopped taking care of our chairs. Each time mine broke down, lost a screw, needed a new roller bearing, the brake wouldnt work, etc., and I called Suzanne, I had to endure a little lecture. Finally, shed say, Well, if I can find time today, Ill call the medical worker. She was supposed to notify the medical worker, who would certify that there was a problem. Then the medical worker called the wheelchair repair companies to get the cheapest bid. Then the medical worker alerted the main welfare office at the state capital. They considered the matter for days while I lay in bed, unable to move. Finally, if I was lucky, they called back and approved the repair. When welfare learned I was making money on my cartoons, Suzanne started visiting every fortnight instead of every two months. She looked into every corner in search of unreported appliances, or maids, or a roast pig in the oven, or a new helicopter parked out back. She never found anything, but there was always a thick pile of forms to fill out at the end of each visit, accounting for every penny. There is no provision in the law for a gradual shift away from welfare. I am an independent businessman, slowly building up my market. Its impossible to jump off welfare and suddenly be making two thousand dollars a month. But I would love to be able to pay for some of my living and not have to go through an embarrassing situation every time I need a spare part for my wheelchair. There needs to be a lawyer who can act as a champion for the rights of welfare clients, because the system so easily lends itself to abuse by the welfare givers as well as by the clients. Welfare sent Suzanne to look around in my apartment the other day because the chemist said I was using a larger than usual amount of medical supplies. I was, indeed: the hole that has been surgically cut to drain urine had changed size and the connection to my urine bag was leaking. While she was taking notes, my phone rang and Suzanne answered it. The caller was a state senator, which scared Suzanne a little. Would I sit on the governors committee and try to do something about the thousands of welfare clients who, like me, could earn part or all of their own livings if they were allowed to do so, one step at a time? Hell, yes, I would! Someday people like me will thrive under a new system that will encourage them, not seek to convict them of cheating. They will be free to develop their talents without guilt or fear or just hold a good, steady job. 渴望新的福利救济制度 人人都觉得福利救济对象是在骗人。 我认识的许多坐轮椅的人面临与宠物猫分吃生猫食的窘境，都会向福利机构多榨取几美元。 为了能领到一点额外的福利款，他们告诉政府说他们实际上少拿了200美元的养老金， 或告诉社会工作者，说房东又提高了100美元的房租。 我选择了过一种完全诚实的生活，因此我不会那样做，而是四处找活，揽些画漫画的活。 我甚至还告诉福利机构我赚了多少钱！ 噢，私下里领一笔钱当然对我也挺有吸引力， 但即使我抗不住这种诱惑，我投稿的那些大杂志也不会去给自己惹麻烦。 他们会保留我的记录，而这些记录会直接进入政府的电脑。 真是态度鲜明，毫不含糊。 作为一名福利救济对象，我必须在社会工作者面前卑躬屈膝。 社会工作者心里知道许多救济对象在欺骗他们，因此他们觉得，作为补偿，他们有权让救济对象向他们点头哈腰。 我并不是故意感到忿忿不平。 大多数社会工作者刚开始时都是些大学毕业生，有理想，而且思想开明。 可是在这个实际上是要人撒谎的系统里干了几年后，他们就变得与那个叫苏珊娜的人一样了-一个穿运动短裤的侦探。 去年圣诞节，苏珊娜到我家来了解情况，看到墙上贴着新的宣传画， 便问：你从哪儿弄到钱来买这些？ 朋友和家人。 那么，你最好要张收据，真的， 你接受任何捐献或礼物都要报告。 她这是在暗示我：得哀求她了。但是我却将她顶了回去。 那天在马路上有人给我一根烟，我也得报告吗？ 对不起，卡拉汉先生，可是规定不是我制订的。 苏珊娜试图就修理轮椅的问题训斥我。由于福利部门不愿意花钱好好地修理，所以它总是坏。 您是知道的，卡拉汉先生，我听说您的那台轮椅比一般人用得多得多。 我当然用得多，我是个工作很积极的人，又不是植物人。 我住在闹市区附近，可以坐着轮椅到处走走。 我真想知道如果她突然摔坏臀部，不得不爬着去上班时，是什么感受。 政府削减福利开支已经导致许多人挨饿受苦，我只是其中之一。 但这种削减对脊柱伤残的人士更有特别的影响： 政府已经不管我们的轮椅了。 每次我的轮椅坏了，掉了螺丝，需要换轴承，或刹车不灵等，我都打电话给苏珊娜，但每次都要挨训。 她最后总会说：好吧，如果今天我能抽出时间的话，我会找医务人员的。 她该通知医务人员，由他来证明问题确实存在， 然后打电话给各家轮椅维修公司，拿到最低的报价。 接着医务人员就通知州府的福利总部， 他们再花几天时间考虑这件事。而这期间我只