A welfare client is supposed to cheat. Everybody expects it. Faced with sharing a dinner of raw pet
food with the cat, many people in wheelchairs I know bleed the system for a few extra dollars. They
tell the government that they are getting two hundred dollars less than their real pension so they
an get a little extra welfare money. Or, they tell the caseworker that the landlord raised the rent
by a hundred dollars.
I have opted to live a life of complete honesty. So instead, I go out and drum up some business and
draw cartoons. I even tell welfare how much I make! Oh, I'm tempted to get paid under the table. Bu
even if I yielded to that temptation, big magazines are not going to get involved in some sticky s
tuation. They keep my records, and that information goes right into the government's computer. Very
high- profile.
As a welfare client I'm expected to bow before the caseworker. Deep down, caseworkers know that the
are being made fools of by many of their clients, and they feel they are entitled to have clients
ow to them as compensation. I'm not being bitter. Most caseworkers begin as college-educated libera
s with high ideals. But after a few years in a system that practically requires people to lie, they
become like the one I shall call "Suzanne", a detective in shorts.
Not long after Christmas last year, Suzanne came to inspect my apartment and saw some new posters p
sted on the wall. "Where'd you get the money for those?" she wanted to know.
"Friends and family."
"Well, you'd better have a receipt for it, by God. You have to report any donations or gifts."
This was my cue to beg. Instead, I talked back. "I got a cigarette from somebody on the street the
ther day. Do I have to report that?"
"Well I'm sorry, but I don't make the rules, Mr. Callahan."
Suzanne tries to lecture me about repairs to my wheelchair, which is always breaking down because w
lfare won't spend the money maintaining it properly. "You know, Mr. Callahan, I've heard that you p
t a lot more miles on that wheelchair than average."
Of course I do. I'm an active worker, not a vegetable. I live near downtown, so I can get around in
a wheelchair. I wonder what she'd think if she suddenly broke her hip and had to crawl to work.
Government cuts in welfare have resulted in hunger and suffering for a lot of people, not just me.
ut people with spinal cord injuries felt the cuts in a unique way: The government stopped taking ca
e of our chairs. Each time mine broke down, lost a screw, needed a new roller bearing, the brake wo
ldn't work, etc., and I called Suzanne, I had to endure a little lecture. Finally, she'd say, "Well
if I can find time today, I'll call the medical worker."
She was supposed to notify the medical worker, who would certify that there was a problem. Then the
medical worker called the wheelchair repair companies to get the cheapest bid. Then the medical wor
er alerted the main welfare office at the state capital. They considered the matter for days while
lay in bed, unable to move. Finally, if I was lucky, they called back and approved the repair.
When welfare learned I was making money on my cartoons, Suzanne started "visiting" every fortnight
nstead of every two months. She looked into every corner in search of unreported appliances, or mai
s, or a roast pig in the oven, or a new helicopter parked out back. She never found anything, but t
ere was always a thick pile of forms to fill out at the end of each visit, accounting for every pen
y.
There is no provision in the law for a gradual shift away from welfare. I am an independent busines
man, slowly building up my market. It's impossible to jump off welfare and suddenly be making two t
ousand dollars a month. But I would love to be able to pay for some of my living and not have to go
through an embarrassing situation every time I need a spare part for my wheelchair.
There needs to be a lawyer who can act as a champion for the rights of welfare clients, because the
system so easily lends itself to abuse by the welfare givers as well as by the clients. Welfare sen
Suzanne to look around in my apartment the other day because the chemist said I was using a larger
than usual amount of medical supplies. I was, indeed: the hole that has been surgically cut to drai
urine had changed size and the connection to my urine bag was leaking.
While she was taking notes, my phone rang and Suzanne answered it. The caller was a state senator,
hich scared Suzanne a little. Would I sit on the governor's committee and try to do something about
the thousands of welfare clients who, like me, could earn part or all of their own livings if they
ere allowed to do so, one step at a time?
Hell, yes, I would! Someday people like me will thrive under a new system that will encourage them,
not seek to convict them of cheating. They will be free to develop their talents without guilt or f
ar - or just hold a good, steady job.