Entitlement Or Just Being Lazy, A serious discussion

So much talk these days goes on about the Disabled Citizen and Entitlements but do you as a Disabled Citizen feel Entitled or do you see other Disabled Citizens as just lazy and only want what they can get?

Here is the gist of why this issue comes to my mind.

I have been Disabled for as long as I can remember but I always tried to help others from the time I was very young,not asking much if anything in return but if that they asked my advise to please at least try what I suggested. Due to all of my wanting to help others in this way I have been extremely blessed all of my life with many things and not the greatest of wealths but God has certainly taken care of me far more than and beyond I feel I have ever deserved.

I look around me though at other Disabled Citizens and see they do not want to do much for others and have to ask myself why?

Well as you can guess with my Disabilities of the Mind I have dealt with all of my life I start to look at this issue and disect it and examine it like a skilled Surgeon would disect a body for Autopcy.

First I had too look at my part in the matter and were my own expectations higher than should be for any type of a Disabled Citizen who might be able to do the simplest of work ie: just sitting around taking names on a sheet of paper at a community event as a volunteer or giving directions on which way to go if somebody was asking directions around a hospital.

I found my expectations were not over bearing in any way as these are the simplest of jobs for even the most Physicaly Challenged Disabled Citizen to do,even myself if I could not move any of my body except my head.

That was the Physical side of the examination I thought deeply about.

I next had to look at the Mental Illness side of the examaination and this is another aspect of this issue I had to examine deeply and see once again if my expectations where over bearing or out of line with the simplest of jobs that could be done.

Jobs such as the two descibed above plus a entire host of others that even if I were less functional than most or confined to a wheel chair or power scooter I myself could do in all reasonabilty. I found that even if I was less functional I could probably manage to get or be able to do something useful for others around me.

Yes there are those cases of the Disabled Citizen who obviously cannot fall into the situations lined out above and these Special Disabled Citizens we all know are put here by God Himself as our examples of how it could have been us too.

The reasons all of this keeps sticking into my mind is that my own father contacted Polio at the age of 15 and his doctors told him he would not walk out of the hospital.

His response to that was “watch me” and that is what he proceded to work on was being able to walk out of that hospital which one year later he did. Later he went to college and took Archetectual and Mechanical Drawing classes and graduated with a Degree in each. It was not easy for him but he did it. My father disected problems in the same way he taught me to by his examples and this helped him to lead some what of a nice life of helping others around him.

He also volunteered a lot of his time asking not much of anything in return but that if you asked his advise to at least just try his suggestions and see if they work.

The point is that both of us have loved to help others and have asked not much in return if anything and we have both been very blessed beyond what either of us have probably deserved. Neither of us have been Saints by far in any reasoning of the word.

The key point here is we have gone out to help others and not asked much if anything in return.

You have to give to receive and first though you have to be willing to give. That is the biggest thing is the willingness to give and not to take.

I see my fellow Disabled Citizens around me daily and they have gotten into this “Entitlement Syndrome” of “I am Disabled so I am Entitled” which I find to be very sad if not pathetic in nature. They will not go out of their way to volunteer their time. They will rarely lift a finger to help anybody. They complain about the pettiest of things. They make everybody around them miserable and it is obvious they have forgotten the God they claim who loves them and His words of “If you do unto the least of these”.

In our economy and society there is so much calling for a lot of the Disabled Community to be literally kicked off the system or “the dole” as some call it and yes I agree there needs to be reform but not to the radicalness some in this country want.

There is a better solution.

I do feel there needs to be “mandatory volunteer time” policies enacted by our Government for those on either Social Security Disability and Social Security Income to the point of sending in valid paper work monthly that they at least completed 40 hours a month of “volunteering” for a community organization,501c3 or other similar type of agency and that only the main official of said agencies can sign off on the time sheet to avoid any and all abuse that might be perpetrated by those trying to cheat the system. The cut off age could be 65 or even 70 for this madatiory program.

40 hours a month is nothing in the world of volunteering and it comes out to one day a week at an 8 hour day or even two days a week at 4 hours per day or an equivilant amount to equal what it takes to get their 40 hours each month. That is not much at all.

Then if these Disabled Citizens refused to do any volunteer time at all they could be put up for a serious case review with qualified doctors,nurses,vocational rehab specialists,mental health care workers,expert lawyers in the Disability Community itself so their cases could be reviewed in a timely and expert manner.

The point is that even the modest functionally Disabled Citizen whether Disabled through a Physical Event or a Mental Event can do some form of volunteer type of work unless it is quite obvious that it really is beyond their capabilities and that is where true and caring professionals as described above come into their expertise for these case reviews.

The Disabled Citizen in the Global Community is the most over looked source of volunteer who can still perform of the simplest of labor needs in this entire nation that is over looked and the fullest potential not truly evaluated and put into motion nor given real opurtunities in our nation as a whole to fill jobs that could be staffed by volunteers from the Disabled Community itself.

This is the over haul we need for some real “Change We Can Believe In” that would be completey fair to all Citizens Disabled or not across this entire nation and would also help to pacify those screaming bloody murder that those “on the dole” be literally kicked out into the streets.

Yes I am a Disabled Citizen in this Disabled Global Community calling for this type of change due to I am sick and tired of my fellow so called Disabled Citizens who refuse to step up as I do daily in volunteering in any little way to help others less fortunate or even more fortunate than they are.

There needs to be change that is fair to us all either Disabled or not as we are all in this together last I checked.

So are you the Disabled Citizen who is willing to go out to volunteer and help others on a daily basis as you can by what your abilities allow you to do or are you the type of Disabled Citizen who wants and believes you are “Entitled” to everything with out giving anything to help others in your community?

There is a huge difference between a Citizen and a Resident.

The Resident sits around with their hand out crying daily about what they do not have and wanting it all done for them.

The Citizen is the one who goes out of his or her way daily to help others in any way they can asking nothing in return,sacrificing their own personal time and receiving the real blessings due to their self sacrificing in their willingness to help others.

Are you a Resident or a Citizen is the real question. Don't lie to others around you either about this as everybody knows already which category you fall into.

We need more Citizens.

Sometimes you just have to wonder

I thought we needed to put some laughter into this site and be able to look at others as well as ourselves and be able to laugh a little bit. Enjoy.

Sometimes while wondering the net and reading others comments and stories you wonder if it is actually possible to just make this stuff up or if it is truly real life occurrences.

This site here just makes you really wonder.
FMLife.com

It would seem some people should never get out of bed.

Housing authority gets Paquin funds

The Columbia Housing Authority was awarded nearly $1.8 million in stimulus funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to make energy-saving improvements to Paquin Tower, allowing it to save nearly 42 percent of its energy and water consumption.

The rehabilitation to the 200-unit, 137,400-square-foot tower will include replacing boilers, modifying the heating and cooling system, replacing certain light fixtures and installing low-flow shower heads, faucet, and toilets.

“These improvements will greatly increase the quality of life for residents of Paquin Tower and greatly extend the life of the building,” said Phil Steinhaus, CEO of the Columbia Housing Authority, which runs the residential complex for people with disabilities. “Our aging boilers and system of pipes and radiators constantly need repair and are not very energy-efficient. Currently, residents are unable to control the heat in their rooms other than opening their windows when it gets too warm.”

Source:
http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2009/sep/24/housing-authority-gets-paquin-funds/

No you are not getting new air conditioners!! Those upgrades are more than likely to the main Central Air System that cools all of the hallways and common areas of the building.

Now fellow residents you are getting upgrades to your units and do not be getting upset when all of this is going on around you. It will be no different then when they did the air conditioners,windows or the refrigerators and stoves.

I am sure they will try to get all projects done in a timely manner with as little disruption to your lives and your homes.

Aaron Perkins, 1974-2009

Aaron Matthew Perkins, 35, of Columbia passed away Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009.

A memorial service, conducted by Dr. John Baker, will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, at Nilson Funeral Home. Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. at the funeral home.

Aaron was born Sept. 9, 1974, in Boone County, the son of E. Henry and Kathy Jones Perkins.

Aaron had a huge heart and spent a lot of his time giving to others.

He was active at First Baptist Church, Paquin Tower and New Horizons volunteering and spending time bringing joy to others.

He valued his friends and family and was always ready to lend a helping hand or listening ear.

He was loved and will be missed by all who knew him.

Survivors include his father, E. Henry Perkins and wife Jeannine; mother Kathy Jones Sherman and husband Roger; brother Brian Perkins and wife Janice; stepbrothers Chad Knowles and wife Lori, Chance Knowles and wife Norma, Chase Knowles and wife Mary, and Tim Sherman and wife Tracy; sister Kristen Perkins and fiance Charles Simco; stepsisters Courtney Redelfs, Annette Bennett and husband Mark, and April Kerr and husband Grant; 29 nieces and nephews; and several aunts and uncles.

Memorial contributions may be made to New Horizons, NYRA House, 1408 Hathman Place, Columbia, Mo., 65201.

Rest In Peace our Brother and our Friend whom we all shall miss.

Another story of Aaron's life:

Albert Tolbert 1953-2009

Albert Tolbert, 56, of Columbia died Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009.

He was born Feb. 9, 1953, to Albert Tolbert Sr. and Inez Tolbert. Albert was married to Lou Anne in 1972, and she preceded him in death.

Survivors include daughters Tye Anne and Amy; sisters Coreta Lee Vinson, Shirley Tollett and Penny Mastern; and four grandchildren.

Albert was also preceded in death by his parents.

Memorial contributions can be made to the American Cancer Society.

R.I.P. our brother and community family member of Paquin Tower. You will be missed.

Deaths are never easy at Paquin Tower

Over my five years now of living at Paquin Tower I have found knowing those who have died is never easy.

Over the years after you get to know somebody and then to have seen them one day and be gone the next is not easy on anybody in our vertical neighborhood we live in as they have become our family as in either a mother figure or a father figure or even as a brother or a sister and even just down to the casual friends in passing they have still become part of our family.

It is never easy as you saw them maybe walking their lil dog or cruising around in their wheel chair or walking with a cane or for that matter seemingly healthy and the next day they are gone.

No it is never easy for us here but that is one thing as a community family no matter how much we might not agree with each other,like each other,argue with each other or whatever one of the only things that really brings our community family together is the death of one of our own.

This to me is a sad thing because why can't we as a community family come together in all of the good times and just realize as community family we are going to have squabbles and such but that person you are squabbling with could be gone tomorrow.

Sad but true isn't it that is takes death to bring a family together when it should be life instead.

Think about it.

Peace out.

CHA to raise Section 8 rent Agency is facing budget squeeze.

Citing a budget shortfall, the Columbia Housing Authority has notified 963 families in its Section 8 housing program that their rent might be raised on Oct. 1.

The rent increases will average between $50 and $80 per month. Columbia Section 8 families have an average income of about $8,000 a year, according to CHA records.

CHA hopes to avert the rent hike if the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awards it $110,000 in one-time funding. However, housing authority CEO Phil Steinhaus sent out the letters to families this week warning them to be prepared for higher bills.

“We’re not the only housing authority caught in this bind,” Steinhaus said. “Housing authorities throughout the country are caught in this bind. We have submitted a request for additional funding that HUD has available to fill this gap, but we can’t count on that.”

Steinhaus said that, near the beginning of the year, CHA was hit with a one-two economic punch that crippled its finances. The cost of utilities went up by about 7.5 percent, he said, and the average income of Section 8 tenants dropped because of the economy.

Because Section 8 writes vouchers for rent based on a tenant’s income and pays a portion of utility costs, CHA had to shoulder a greater burden when incomes dropped and utilities rose. The amount CHA paid for each voucher increased about $34 over the first six months of this year to $486.71.

Exacerbating an already bad budget situation, Steinhaus said, was that CHA allowed the number of families on its program to increase by about 45 over the course of the year even though federal funding stayed flat.

Source and More:
http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2009/sep/01/cha-raise-section-8-rent/