Last week was a nationally designated week to recognize some really important and committed people. These people are called Direct Support Professionals and they do just that. They are the people who exist in every community providing necessary and real supports to people with developmental disabilities. Some of the people they support are very independent and need limited assistance. Others are in much greater need of supports for very basic needs relative to bathing, communications and all levels of personal care. Some of these Direct Support Professionals are in the state workforce and others work as employees of non-profit organizations who provide these services to the state as contract agencies. These folks deserve the recognition and our respect for the great job they do.
There is widespread recognition by the public, by government and very importantly by the courts, that people with all kinds of disabilities can and should be able to live as independently as possible in the community. This recognition has come through struggles by individuals and families over many years and even though those struggles aren't completely over, supporting people in communities in an inclusive manner is the norm. It couldn't happen without people willing to be part of this important support infrastructure.
A recognition week is nice and is generally accompanied by things like proclamations, special events, donuts, lunches and dinners. Thanks and awards are given sincerely by administrators and families and in some cases by the people receiving the supports. But there is plenty more that can be done relative to respect and recognition.
The reality is that many of these employees are on the lowest rung on the salary schedule. They work long hours with changing schedules, changing environments and rules. They become the lifeline for people they support. They become family and friends. It is no secret that there is substantial disparity between the pay for the same job of the state workforce and the private non profit providers and that needs to be rectified. But the really terrible truth is that many in the private sector are paid just above $10 or $11 per hour. This is because these services and supports are paid for by NYS through Medicaid rates that they send to the non profits. These rates don't allow for the $15/hr that the Governor of NYS is currently promoting in his call for economic justice.
If the Governor truly believes in economic justice, he should be the first to advocate for and provide the funding that would allow Direct Support Professionals to be paid a minimum of $15/hr with all of the necessary benefits. It will cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars but economic justice demands it. The people supported and the people supporting them deserve it.
A final thought on respect. The words Direct Support Professional say something and mean something. They are very clear. People who hire and support these people have to stop using lazy and disrespectful acronyms to define them. DSPs doesn't cut it and in fact helps to dilute the importance of the discussion about the importance of these employees. They are Direct Support Professionals and it isn't hard to use or type the words. Using the words educates and allows people to envision who these people are and what they do. Using the acronym allows and encourages politicians and the public to use the acronym and to understand less.
Finally, for whatever it's worth, I just want to add my thanks to all of those people who are out there, everyday, helping people to be as independent as possible and to be included in their communities with dignity and respect.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Friday, September 11, 2015
The Challenges We Face With Our Environment - Seneca Lake
Here's a topic that is way too big for a simple writer like me so I'm going to add some articles and quotes by others. I write this as the battle between Crestwood Midstream, a movement called We Are Seneca Lake, another called Gas Free Seneca and political as well as economic development leaders in the Schuyler County community continues and escalates. There are also other developments that play into all of this discussion. An out of service coal fired power plant in Yates County on Seneca Lake just north of Schuyler County is being reopened by a new operator (Greenidge) who has committed to using natural gas and bio mass vs coal. This is being presented as the clean alternative. In addition, within the past few weeks toxic blue-green algae has been discovered on the northeast shores of Seneca Lake and on other lakes in the Finger Lakes region.
With that back drop, the challenges are clear. Seneca Lake provides drinking water to over 100,000 people. It also adds about a billion dollars to the economy through recreation, tourism and agriculture. There is push and pull that occurs between the public, elected officials and economic developers. Corporations and businesses of many sizes also enter the mix. Economic growth is quickly part of any discussion. The idle power plant is one example. When it closed, millions of dollars were lost in tax revenue along with jobs in a community that needs them. So now, as a new owner steps up, many just look at the return of revenue and jobs without asking some critical questions about business plans, sustainability and environmental issues. That tends to happen a lot I think.
Then there's the storage of methane and liquid propane gas in abandoned, unlined salt caverns on the shores of Seneca Lake near Watkins Glen, NY. Those who support it talk about revenue and jobs. They dislike the 'outsiders' who protest the project and point to decades of similar use of the caverns, seemingly not able to recognize that the volume being proposed far exceeds any historical quantities. Those who oppose it point out risks related to both the storage and the transport of the products and point to the winery and tourist industries as the clean, safe industries that could be adversely affected by the gas storage and transport project. There are some contradictory issues that surface in the whole debate. On the one hand the politicians and developers express a desire for 'clean', 'light industrial' operations that are compatible with the rural nature of the area. They promote tourism and bringing people in from outside the region to visit, buy and consume. Yet when people come from neighboring communities or counties on or around the lake to protest or question they are rebuked as 'outsiders'. Now you just can't have it both ways. Tourists are most likely outsiders. Some will move here. They will have new and different ideas. That's the way it works.
The defenders of the lake also have some issues that need to be thought about and talked about and some of them are more urgent due to the appearance of the blue-green algae mentioned above. Farming and agricultural practices all around the lake add to the problem of algae growth and development. Much of that comes from the cultivation of the crops that people are promoting as the alternative and way of life they want to see in the area. The grape growing and wine industry has some major responsibility in helping to maintain the health of Seneca Lake through environmentally sound agricultural practices. The reality is that the environment of Seneca Lake is challenged by gas storage and agricultural practices that place nutrients in the water. A recent opinion piece by Rich Reiben in the Finger Lakes Times speaks to this issue and also offers good information on the blue-green algae. Take a look here Love Not In This Bloom.
The folks from We Are Seneca Lake have been utilizing and promoting Pope Francis' latest encyclical, Laudato Si', as an informational and directional learning tool. They are right to do so. There are critical important pieces to the document for water keepers, farmers, politicians, economic developers and yes, all of us. Catholic Workers have joined the We Are Seneca Lake defenders. There is a strong historical commitment by the Catholic Worker toward peace, nonviolence, economic and social justice along with environmental concerns. I am proud that I myself am affiliated with the Catholic Worker and someone who knew and worked with Dorothy Day in the '60's. She was a mentor and a strong leader with much wisdom. She was non violent and tolerant but she also had the right amount of anger at injustice. She was arrested numerous times in the cause of peace. She sat in the vineyards and was arrested with Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers in California. She was inducted and is a member of the Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls and has been proposed as a saint in the Catholic Church. So We Are Seneca Lake is in good company with the Catholic Worker and its traditions.
Thomas Reese has written an article in the National Catholic Reporter titled "Saving The Environment Through Dialogue and Transparency" about Pope Francis' Laudato Si'. Here is an important quote from the article by Reese:
With that back drop, the challenges are clear. Seneca Lake provides drinking water to over 100,000 people. It also adds about a billion dollars to the economy through recreation, tourism and agriculture. There is push and pull that occurs between the public, elected officials and economic developers. Corporations and businesses of many sizes also enter the mix. Economic growth is quickly part of any discussion. The idle power plant is one example. When it closed, millions of dollars were lost in tax revenue along with jobs in a community that needs them. So now, as a new owner steps up, many just look at the return of revenue and jobs without asking some critical questions about business plans, sustainability and environmental issues. That tends to happen a lot I think.
Then there's the storage of methane and liquid propane gas in abandoned, unlined salt caverns on the shores of Seneca Lake near Watkins Glen, NY. Those who support it talk about revenue and jobs. They dislike the 'outsiders' who protest the project and point to decades of similar use of the caverns, seemingly not able to recognize that the volume being proposed far exceeds any historical quantities. Those who oppose it point out risks related to both the storage and the transport of the products and point to the winery and tourist industries as the clean, safe industries that could be adversely affected by the gas storage and transport project. There are some contradictory issues that surface in the whole debate. On the one hand the politicians and developers express a desire for 'clean', 'light industrial' operations that are compatible with the rural nature of the area. They promote tourism and bringing people in from outside the region to visit, buy and consume. Yet when people come from neighboring communities or counties on or around the lake to protest or question they are rebuked as 'outsiders'. Now you just can't have it both ways. Tourists are most likely outsiders. Some will move here. They will have new and different ideas. That's the way it works.
The defenders of the lake also have some issues that need to be thought about and talked about and some of them are more urgent due to the appearance of the blue-green algae mentioned above. Farming and agricultural practices all around the lake add to the problem of algae growth and development. Much of that comes from the cultivation of the crops that people are promoting as the alternative and way of life they want to see in the area. The grape growing and wine industry has some major responsibility in helping to maintain the health of Seneca Lake through environmentally sound agricultural practices. The reality is that the environment of Seneca Lake is challenged by gas storage and agricultural practices that place nutrients in the water. A recent opinion piece by Rich Reiben in the Finger Lakes Times speaks to this issue and also offers good information on the blue-green algae. Take a look here Love Not In This Bloom.
The folks from We Are Seneca Lake have been utilizing and promoting Pope Francis' latest encyclical, Laudato Si', as an informational and directional learning tool. They are right to do so. There are critical important pieces to the document for water keepers, farmers, politicians, economic developers and yes, all of us. Catholic Workers have joined the We Are Seneca Lake defenders. There is a strong historical commitment by the Catholic Worker toward peace, nonviolence, economic and social justice along with environmental concerns. I am proud that I myself am affiliated with the Catholic Worker and someone who knew and worked with Dorothy Day in the '60's. She was a mentor and a strong leader with much wisdom. She was non violent and tolerant but she also had the right amount of anger at injustice. She was arrested numerous times in the cause of peace. She sat in the vineyards and was arrested with Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers in California. She was inducted and is a member of the Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls and has been proposed as a saint in the Catholic Church. So We Are Seneca Lake is in good company with the Catholic Worker and its traditions.
Thomas Reese has written an article in the National Catholic Reporter titled "Saving The Environment Through Dialogue and Transparency" about Pope Francis' Laudato Si'. Here is an important quote from the article by Reese:
Transparency is an essential element in the dialogue to find better ways of preserving the environment, according to the pope, especially transparency in the assessment of the environmental impact of business ventures and projects. Corruption, on the other hand, conceals “the actual environmental impact of a given project” and produces “specious agreements which fail to inform adequately and to allow for full debate.”
What is needed is environmental impact assessments that are “interdisciplinary, transparent and free of all economic or political pressure.” Only when scientific and political discussions are imbued with honesty and truth can all the different stakeholders reach a consensus on the alternatives available. “The culture of consumerism which prioritizes short-term gain and private interest, can make it easy to rubber-stamp authorizations or to conceal information.”
Pope Francis calls for a thorough investigation and discussion of any proposed venture. “What will it accomplish? Why? Where? When? How? For whom? What are the risks? What are the costs? Who will pay those costs and how?”
If a study finds that “serious and irreversible damage may result, a project should be halted or modified.” He recognizes that sometimes the evidence is disputable. In such cases, the burden of proof should be on the projects promoters “to demonstrate that the proposed activity will not cause serious harm to the environment or to those who inhabit it.”
The full article can be accessed here Thomas Reese Article.
So yes “What will it accomplish? Why? Where? When? How? For whom? What are the risks? What are the costs? Who will pay those costs and how?” These are the questions we have to be able to ask about the Crestwood Midstream project, the Greenridge plant and the blue-green algae problem. Experts and regulators like DEC and EPA should be asked to review and recommend but we should not abdicate to 'experts' where our environment is concerned. - JW
Little Stories Tell Bigger Stories
I woke up the other day being hit with local, national and international news stories that seemingly had great importance - a refugee and immigration crisis, presidential candidates insulting each other, themselves and the electorate, a Kentucky clerk refusing to do her job, people being arrested for blockading gates on Seneca Lake, a company refuting claims of a fire at their facility after smoke drifted for miles up the same lake. Lots to digest. Lots to think about.
But then, there it was. The report of a woman caught on surveillance tape stealing cans from a local recycling center. Police, the courts, the whole nine yards were involved in this event and capture. Obviously the local business can't have people taking items that they are collecting and processing but there is a bigger story in this little story on the police blotter. What kind of world and economy are we living in where people are even thinking about risking arrest for cans worth a nickel a piece? What kind of life is led by a person or family that supplements their income with money from recycled cans? What are we as a society offering when we see it happening? Is there an attempt to even find out what the bigger issue might be?
And then there's this. There are people in just about every community who go around, looking through trash cans, pulling out recyclables from municipal or private garbage. To some, including municipal authorities and police, they provide a service and have become fixtures in the street, accepted and protected. To others they are symbols of invaders and a part of society that are looked down upon. Some people even fight, yell and scream at these folks because they're making a mess of their trash, an interesting dilemma. But these trash pickers, panhandlers, collectors are just figuring out another way to survive and get the things they need or think they need. It could be anything. The things we may not approve of are always on the list - alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, lottery tickets, etc. But then there are other things - food, clothing, rent, the ability to go to a movie, etc. And in some cases it's done for the sheer joy and accomplishment of collecting.
As usual I don't have many answers but I do think this little story about an incident on our streets tells a bigger story that should make us think about what issues are facing others and what we can do to assist or accept.
But then, there it was. The report of a woman caught on surveillance tape stealing cans from a local recycling center. Police, the courts, the whole nine yards were involved in this event and capture. Obviously the local business can't have people taking items that they are collecting and processing but there is a bigger story in this little story on the police blotter. What kind of world and economy are we living in where people are even thinking about risking arrest for cans worth a nickel a piece? What kind of life is led by a person or family that supplements their income with money from recycled cans? What are we as a society offering when we see it happening? Is there an attempt to even find out what the bigger issue might be?
And then there's this. There are people in just about every community who go around, looking through trash cans, pulling out recyclables from municipal or private garbage. To some, including municipal authorities and police, they provide a service and have become fixtures in the street, accepted and protected. To others they are symbols of invaders and a part of society that are looked down upon. Some people even fight, yell and scream at these folks because they're making a mess of their trash, an interesting dilemma. But these trash pickers, panhandlers, collectors are just figuring out another way to survive and get the things they need or think they need. It could be anything. The things we may not approve of are always on the list - alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, lottery tickets, etc. But then there are other things - food, clothing, rent, the ability to go to a movie, etc. And in some cases it's done for the sheer joy and accomplishment of collecting.
As usual I don't have many answers but I do think this little story about an incident on our streets tells a bigger story that should make us think about what issues are facing others and what we can do to assist or accept.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Fences & Walls On Borders
No surprise I'm sure - I think fences and walls on borders are stupid and wrong. We've found plenty of other ways to discriminate against the race or nationality that turns us off at some moment in time through employment and housing practices, language, the legal system and plenty more. Fences and walls hurt the most vulnerable, the poor, the abused, political dissidents, the oppressed. The wealthy, including members of cartels, will always find ways around and through fences and walls.
Calling for walls makes great media theatre and there are those who just love to hear someone spouting off about their own bigotry. That's the show that we seem to be watching at this point. In Hungary there are barbed wire fences and thousands of Syrians are finding their way through them as they try to make their way to Germany for refuge from a regime that kills its own people. A huge wall or better fencing would keep them where they belong. Mexicans and others to our south continue to come to the US for a better life or to reunite with families. Our immigration system is flawed and can't keep up with desires and needs. A compromise on immigration was reached in the Senate but no one even thinks about it anymore. Walls and fences are a much easier approach.
As I write this, Mexican immigrants, documented or not, work the vineyards across the street from where I live in the last heat of the summer. They toil hard at work that others won't do. They sing and call to one another, laughing and waving at passers by. These people make me think about how hatred builds walls and fences, about how stupidity even calls for walls to the north. Perhaps a dome is the final solution once we get all of these walls built. But then what will we do about those pesky tunnels to and from China when we dig holes? Problems, problems, problems for those who want to keep the outsiders out.
I think I'll listen to Woody Gutherie:
Calling for walls makes great media theatre and there are those who just love to hear someone spouting off about their own bigotry. That's the show that we seem to be watching at this point. In Hungary there are barbed wire fences and thousands of Syrians are finding their way through them as they try to make their way to Germany for refuge from a regime that kills its own people. A huge wall or better fencing would keep them where they belong. Mexicans and others to our south continue to come to the US for a better life or to reunite with families. Our immigration system is flawed and can't keep up with desires and needs. A compromise on immigration was reached in the Senate but no one even thinks about it anymore. Walls and fences are a much easier approach.
As I write this, Mexican immigrants, documented or not, work the vineyards across the street from where I live in the last heat of the summer. They toil hard at work that others won't do. They sing and call to one another, laughing and waving at passers by. These people make me think about how hatred builds walls and fences, about how stupidity even calls for walls to the north. Perhaps a dome is the final solution once we get all of these walls built. But then what will we do about those pesky tunnels to and from China when we dig holes? Problems, problems, problems for those who want to keep the outsiders out.
I think I'll listen to Woody Gutherie:
As I went walking I saw a sign there
And on the sign it said "No Trespassing"
But on the other side it didn't say nothing
That side was made for you and me
And on the sign it said "No Trespassing"
But on the other side it didn't say nothing
That side was made for you and me
In the shadow of the steeple I saw my people
By the relief office I seen my people
As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking
Is this land made for you and me?
By the relief office I seen my people
As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking
Is this land made for you and me?
Nobody living can ever stop me
As I go walking that freedom highway
Nobody living can ever make me turn back
This land was made for you and me
As I go walking that freedom highway
Nobody living can ever make me turn back
This land was made for you and me
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