There but for the grace of ...
by digby
Jonathan Cohn:
Like all good public intellectuals, Harold is a policy omnivore—as comfortable discussing the latest thinking on anti-poverty efforts as he is talking about the intricacies of Medicare. But Harold offers some truly unique insights, because he knows the social welfare state as a user, as well as a scholar.
Several years ago, he and his wife became custodians for his adult brother-in-law, who is intellectually disabled and has various medical problems. Harold has written about this experience before, movingly—and what it’s taught him about the value of programs like Medicaid. Now he’s decided to put his thoughts on a video.
It's quite a contrast to this, isn't it? Both ideas are as American as apple pie, but one is decent and one isn't.
Read this piece by Pollack too, about a young 18 year old mother who was suddenly homeless and trying to figure her way through the system to get some emergency help. It's terrifying.
(Oh, and by the way, imagine illegal immigrants traversing that byzantine system. It just doesn't happen.)
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