FOCUS
Save our safety net

By the Rev. Frank A. Chong

The circus was a favorite activity when we were kids. We held our breaths as the tightrope walker went through his routines. Occasionally he would lose his balance and slowly regain it. Once in a while he would fall. We all gasped as he fell into the safety net. We cheered as he bounced back up and climbed down safely.

The social safety net in our community is in a state of disrepair. It could suffer even more dismantling if any of the proposed budget cuts take place.

Cuts hurt!

We are nearly seven months past 9/11 and the bills keep coming. Borrowing from in-laws, relatives and friends is maxing out. Full-time work has been cut back to part-time. The three part-time jobs are down to one. But kids still need clothes and the shoes that you wear are already showing more than two holes.

It is estimated by the Aloha United Way that one out of two people in our state uses the services of one of its agencies every year.

The social safety net is not just for poor people. It is the glue that holds our community together. When tragedy strikes, we depend on the social safety net. When faced with an emergency we depend on the social safety net. When one loses one's balance and falls off a tightrope, we expect a safety net to be there.

As the Legislature looks at ways to balance the budget, keep in mind that healthcare should be for all, not only those who are fortunate enough to still be working at a full-time job; that children need childcare whether or not their parents are working or are looking for jobs; that immigrants are a vital part of our community and deserve all of the rights and privileges of any contributing member of our community; that domestic violence is often triggered by the loss of a job; that substance abuse often increases when one is under stress; that the elderly still need our assistance; that food and shelter are still considered luxuries for many in our community.

In old Hawai'i when a net was thrown " ... out into the sea and all the fish came swimming to me" it often took an entire community to pull that net back to shore. If the net was strong and without any holes there were enough fish for everyone to eat.

Balancing the budget will be no easy task. It must be a budget that speaks to the needs of the entire community and may require an increase in some taxes, using some of the hurricane relief fund and other special funds, and a lot of creative thinking. These are unusual times requiring ordinary people to make extraordinary decisions.

The ancient Aramaic word for "net" comes from the same word meaning "hope."

When life changes in an instant, the most important thing that we can offer is hope!

Save the safety net!

The Rev. Frank A. Chong, M.S.W., M.Div. is executive director of the Waikiki Health Center.