Food for thought

On the poverty front, Ontario brought down its budget this week. In a
preview, the Toronto Star editorial (20/March 2010) called keeping the
special dietary allowance for those on welfare with medical conditions a
test of the government's much publicized fight to reduce poverty (25% in 5
years). Well, the government failed the test and cancelled the program.
Why? Because of abuse of the program. Apparently, doctors were too keen to
sign applicants on to the program. There was no word about the abuse of
NOT keeping the program and withholding food from the needy! The
supplement ranged from $10 to $250/month, a significant amount for a
single person receiving just $585/month to pay for everything. 162 000
were in the program and that included 54 000 disabled persons. A doctor's
letter to the paper said,

"The cancellation of the Special Diet Program
Allowance is a blow to the health and dignity of people living in extreme
poverty…As a physician working largely with people on welfare, I have yet
to meet one person who wants to stay on social assistance, or one welfare
person who doesn't struggle everyday to feed themselves." A replacement
program will target 'severe cases' (i.e. reduce costs to recoup some of
those billions handed out in bailout packages to the auto industry et
al.). John Ayers