Hi, we're from the government and we HAVE to help you
(H/T: Hot Air)
Let's see, the government is here to help the downtrodden and those in need. And face it, when there's lots of money (from us taxpayers), reality has no right to intrude on a government mission, right?
So, here's a case where a WHOLE sub-group, an entire sub-culture, is refusing to help the government help them. These people have the audacity to tell our government that that they don't have a need nor want the help!
Yet, there are some in our government that won't take no for an answer. And will continue to waste our money and our government workers time to keep doing stupid things. In this case, the person best doing the head-constantly-pounding-the-wall for no real reason at all, our very own Dope of the Week, is:
Jeanne Carroll
Deputy Director of the Ohio's Office of Family Stability in Ohio
The Cleveland Plain Dealer has this story (Emphasis in BOLD are mine. And I have taken out some "white space" to shorten the article up):
Counties caught in conundrum: getting Amish to take food stamps
Claridon Township -- Tim Taylor's job calls for finding ways to distribute food stamps to Geauga County's Amish. He might as well be trying to sell them cars.
The horse-and-buggy crowd philosophically opposes the support program overseen by Taylor's agency, the Geauga Department of Job & Family Services. Accepting public assistance is verboten within the Amish culture. It simply is not done.
Yes, these Amish, these gentle folk that have sadly been in the news for the wrong reason (the senseless shooting of little girls an a one-room schoolhouse in PA) have drawn this lady's ire. She just refuses to understand that their whole philosophy of life is one dedicated to the worship of God and self sufficiency is a large part of that philosophy. Frankly, they just want to be left alone.
Have we, as a nation, gone so far down the road that we have to insist that we cannot take care of ourselves and that we have to take their help?
But Taylor is under orders to at least try to get them enrolled. The Ohio Department of Job & Family Services has asked Geauga and Holmes counties, which feature the state's largest Amish populations, to lift dismal food-stamp participation rates.
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Taylor and his Holmes counterpart, Dan Jackson, called the mandate a waste of tax dollars, time and resources. In their eyes, the directive is government bureaucracy that ignores the obvious in setting an unrealistic goal. "No matter how much we do, the Amish won't sign up," Taylor said. "It's not something they endorse."
But the offer needs to be extended, said Jeanne Carroll, who is deputy director of the state's Office of Family Stability.
Geauga and Holmes lag far behind the rest of the state in getting eligible families registered. The state cannot presume that a group won't participate, Carroll said. Eligible families need to be made aware of the food-stamp program and given ample opportunity to join. "We can't assume they don't want the benefits," Carroll said. "Frankly, they may."
Who said anything about assuming?...
When the Amish outright say no, why won't she listen to them? Why is it that some governmental officials think that they always know better than those they are trying to serve? THAT is the essence of the Nanny State - we know what's best for you...
The state required Geauga and Holmes to draft plans to lift participation rates. Both intend to launch small-scale advertising campaigns to reach the Amish and others. Holmes might use a billboard within an Amish enclave to promote food stamps.
Alternative approaches are possibilities, too. For instance, participants can use food stamps to buy seeds and plants for a garden.
But no matter the slant, few - if any - expect the Plain People to take part. The Amish typically shun outside support, said Steve Smith, a researcher at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania who studies the culture. The insular community finds its help from within. Neighbors assist neighbors.
In Geauga, local bishops strongly discourage taking any form of government hand-outs, said Levi Miller, a farmer and blacksmith in Middlefield Township
[snip]
Taylor and Jackson said they've both asked the state to readjust participation goals for their counties. Carroll said the request is under consideration. This is the first year for the performance standard.
[snip]
They [Taylor and Jackson] said that they feel uncomfortable pushing the program on a community that has made its opinion clear.
"We have a job to do," Jackson said. "But it's not to harass people to accept a service they've chosen not to."
Oh sure it is, if you work for the government.....just ask your boss!
Actually, and in all fairness, I have nothing but admiration for Taylor and Jackson. In this case, they are trying to respect those that they are supposed to assist. They understand - if only the rest of government would follow their example - help those that both want and need it.
