Mike the Mad Biologist has a post up this morning entitled “Republicans, As They Always Do, Want to Cut Meals on Wheels”.
I drove for Meals on Wheels1 very briefly back in ’92 or ’93. It was their shortest route—maybe ten or twelve stops give or take. I was filling in for somebody who was taking a vacation; and it was just one day a week for four weeks2.
From my miniscule experience, I can tell you that Meals on Wheels drivers work hard at it; and they might be the only people that the folks they serve see on any given day3.
Cutting funding for Meals on Wheels is about as disgusting as it gets.
1I heard about it through the First Unitarian Church in St. Louis which I was a member of at the time.
2I had arranged with my boss to take a long lunch break on the four days.
3That would be OK with me, but I’m a fairly extreme introvert. I can’t even imagine how important that small bit of human interaction is for some of the old folks on the route.
Rule #1 ALL Republicans are selfish stupid pieces of shit.
Rule #2 If you find a Republican who seems to be on your side, see Rule #1.
Rule #3 If anyone tells you they are proud to be a Christian, see rule #1.
I am also a pretty extreme introvert. My COVID lockdown only lasted about 4 weeks before I was called back to work, and the time really whizzed by for me, but I do need some human contact. I wonder how I would feel to be on the receiving end of Meals on Wheels. I think I would be OK with it, but I would feel better if I had been a provider of those meals before I became a recipient. I wonder if there is an atheist version of MOW I could lend a hand to?
We used to say the Libertarians would be most happy in Somalia. The Republicans are trying to turn the USA into Somalia. Meals on Wheels is one of the charities I support. For those who aren’t able (fiscally or physically) to leave home to buy and/or prepare meals, it’s a lifeline. What they’re able to do with so little funding is astounding.
On now on the PBS Newshour: the effect the cuts in Medicaid are having on home- and community-based benefits. The money they’re working with is so paltry that any waste would have to be infinitesimally small.
@3; in my area, MOW is not religious-based.
There is a megachurch that advertises a monthly food giveaway–they get the food from the state food bank. Despite the fact the church boasts a 5k membership, they’re always harassing my neighborhood (which is about a mile away) to go work on the food handout. I’ve told doorbell ringers to staff it from the congregation.