Vermont Selectboard Un-Candidate #11

      All my cowardly angst for nothing! The Abanaki Indian and the Chairwoman didn't call or email me. I'm a day or so behind with the Reformer so maybe there's something interesting there.
     I used to tell my wife that I was such a lead dog that no one was behind me.
Let's see if this anyone, canine or sapiens  can get behind this idea: If I were elected to the Selectboard, I would work toward getting a resolution passed asking the State Legislature to pass a law that individuals receiving Social Security because of age and are receiving Medicaid be allowed to work and earn up to $1,000 a month without loosing any benefits from any state social programs including but not limited to Food Stamps, Fuel Assistance, and Medicaid.
     I propose this for several reasons: First, it is non nocere - do no harm legislation- because old people are generally not going to work anymore so they are going to stay on the programs anyway. Second, if you are subsisting on food stamps and Medicaid, as wonderful as they are, your life is still going to be very grim. If you have a vehicle, it is extremely hard to find the money to maintain it. It it dies, forget it. You can't afford to buy another one, and since you're poor, your credit rating probably sucks and you can't qualify to rent a car. Plus, where would you get the couple of thousand dollar down payment? I relate strongly to this problem as my little five cylinder truck has 152,000 miles on it. My surgeon wants me delay getting a knee replacement as long as possible because I am active and have to live twenty-five more years to redeem myself from my cowardly behavior - if I can. She also says I have enough of something left. She prescribed me a super brace which I wear while I'm up but still if I hit an
 uneven spot -and Vermont, the Green Mountain state, has a lot of them- I stumble and get pain. The knee is not strong, and I can't walk far. So I need a vehicle to get around in. When you qualify for food stamps and Medicaid, your income level is so low there's no money to do anything nice with, like go to a restaurant above the McDonald's level and order from the Value Menu.                 Another major problem is your teeth. If you're in your sixties and beyond, your teeth start falling apart. Medicaid is kind enough in Vermont to cover getting it pulled out, but what's the next step? You have a hole in your jaw that is susceptible to food falling into it and becoming infected. Then what? As more and more teeth falls out, your mouth collapses, and your face looks like shit. As the teeth die or fall apart, they become very sensitive - read painful- to hot and cold foods and drink. As you get more and more teeth pulled out, you can eat less and less. Then what - baby food? You don't dare smile because your lack of teeth looks like a horror show.By this time, what's there to smile about anyway?
     Allowing old people to work and having that money exempt from our benefits from the state programs that the good people of Vermont provide would allow us old folks on Medicaid who are able to work to maintain and replace our vehicles, and get root canals and crowns so we can continue eating and not look any more grotesque than we already look to the young people.
     I also propose this legislation allowing individuals receiving Social Security payments because of age and who are on Medicaid be exempt from the minimum wage. We're old. We probably won't deserve the minimum wage. We're just too old and slow. I'm dealing with reality here, not ideology. Plus, we're probably not going to want to work an eight or ten hour day or be able to.
     All you read about is how illegals here perform jobs Americans won't. I say let us old people try to pick the fields, pick the apples, blueberries, and raspberries, man the cash registers, and clean the pools for a couple of hours at a time and at less than minimum wage. We know we're old and slow but we need our vehicles, our teeth, and an occasional dinner at a nice restaurant.
    I hope your down with this plank in my Selectboard platform.
Peter Nickerson  peternickerson12@yahoo.com  352-359-0850 Philosophy Major