Sink or Swim is Not a Solution

by Carolyn Zanders Eligibility Worker, LA County Assemblywoman Norma Torres told my local newspaper that the state should solve the source of its financial woes, not temporarily fix them. But we need a fair budget solution. I know that the state is in financial crisis, but a lot of us living here in California are in our own financial crisis. We’re just one layoff or salary reduction away from living on the streets. Now is not the time to get rid of programs to help people in the state who are down and out – not when we need them the most. The casualties of this budget “solution” will be huge–greater than we can even imagine. Instead of just looking at people as numbers on a balance sheet, the governor and legislature have to recognize that we are all human beings, many with families, working hard to get by. They can’t just throw people overboard and hope we can swim without some help.