There’s nothing like kicking someone who’s down. That is precisely what Marion Barry and Yvette Alexander are proposing in a new bill that will impose a five-year lifetime limit on all forms of public assistance. The fact that Barry and Anderson are proposing this controversial bill is rather puzzling, seeing that they represent D.C.’s two poorest wards, with high levels of unemployment. This bill may be an attempt to reduce the budget gap, but at the expense of the District’s needy population. Citing that he wants to “break the generational cycle of poverty,” Barry seems not to realize that the implications of the bill are likely to be devastating to persons receiving public assistance, and that breaking out of poverty is not something that everyone can do.
This sort of political maneuver clearly was not the will of the constituents of Barry’s and Alexander’s wards. However, it’s after the election now. Clearly they do not care who gets harmed. Obviously, they have not been in a position of needing assistance for survival, or they would not have made such a proposal.
The bill will affect children as well as adults. It will affect persons caring for an elderly and/or disabled family member as well. Persons with disabilities, whether physical or mental, will not be immune, regardless of whether the disabilities are permanent or short-term. Housing assistance is also on the table to be restricted, which will put many people at risk for homelessness.
It would be a grave error not to voice opposition to this bill. Perhaps the other Council members are not aware to what extent the bill will wreak havoc on the lives of many needy D.C. residents. In the worst case scenario, they might view the bill as a simple fix for the economic troubles facing the District, but such a fix would create an even greater problem.
Whether or not the petition will prove effective remains to be seen. However, it is available for signing, and every homeless person in the District should express his/her opinion about it. For those persons who complain, “I don’t have a computer,” there are computer facilities available at the libraries and at CCNV’s computer lab that are free of charge and open to the general public.
What is even more frightening is the thought that this measure could be the forerunner of things yet to come. It makes a person wonder what kind of representative government the District has if council members propose bills that ignore their constituents and their needs. Let us hope that this bill is not passed for the sake of the needy population that may not be able to become self-supporting according to an arbitrary timetable
