Now What?: April

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Where's The Watchdog?

By Melinda Eppler

Former state senator John Burton (D-San Francisco) used to look out for, in his own words, “the faceless and voiceless,” and to be a little more cynical, but direly realistic, “those without a political action committee.”
    In plain terms? The disabled and underserved.
    In Burton’s absence, some disturbing negotiations took place that affect state populations most dependent on government-assistance programs.
    Apparently 1.2 million Californians received letters from the Social Security Administration just before Christmas, alerting them they would not be receiving a cost-of-living adjustment to their monthly stipend. The justification, such as it was (allegedly one of the worst examples of government roundabout verbiage) was that the governor and the Legislature had appropriated the federal entitlement to balance the state budget without raising taxes.
    The impoverished aged, blind and disabled are most impacted by this move.
    The federal and state governments ensure there is a minimum monthly income for anybody who fits under that unfortunate umbrella. If an individual doesn’t have enough outside income or Social Security to reach the minimum standard, the feds enable what is called Supplemental Security Income. States also have the option of adding extra money, which California does. It’s called the State Supplementary Program.
Continued...

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