It has been called "the immortal declaration". Five simple words that played such a vital role to ignite the flames of revolution. One solitary phrase that changed the course of history. "All men are created equal..."
The second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence actually begins with this sentence:
"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, than among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
Lofty ideals, written by a slave owner! Therein lies the first clue that these words were to be interpreted in the most subjective form. Two of the five words in question are particularly important. How one defines them determines how the rest of the document is to be interpreted. The featured words are "Men" and "Equal".
"All men" is generally thought to represent the whole of humanity. But when it came to the right to vote, a right the American Revolutionists based their dissention with Great Britain upon, Jefferson and his co-conspirators denied this right to women and slaves. Not only so, but when the Constitution of the United States was adopted years later, this elite group created the Electoral College as a means to maintain the power to choose a President within the hands of those smart enough to make the wise choice. Thus while only white men could vote, not all white men could be trusted to vote wisely. Therefore, in theory at least, these less educated, less wealthy men could only vote for an "elector", someone they could trust to make the difficult and important decision regarding who should become President. These electors, then, would meet after the general election and would cast the official votes for President.
It would appear that "All men are created equal, except..." if they happen to be anything other than a well-educated, wealthy white male.
"Equal" is equally subjective. Equal in what way? Obviously, not when it comes to voting. Nor with regards to slavery, as has already been noted. Not all men were treated equally during the American Revolution, either. For example, there was a printer from Germantown, Pennsylvania by the name of Christopher Sauer, Jr. Because of his religious beliefs he was opposed to all violence, including wars of any nature. Thus he was not supportive of the American Revolution, believing instead that Christians should "submit...to the governing authorities... The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted. (Romans 13:1, 2 NIV)". As you might guess this did not sit well with the Revolutionists. The fact that Sauer was a printer also meant he was in competition with another printer named Benjamin Franklin. That is believed to have influenced his fate. In 1778 he was considered "an enemy of the State". He was arrested and asked to take an oath of loyalty to the State of Pennsylvania. Again, based on religious beliefs, he refused, quoting Jesus who said "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not break your oath"... but I say to you do not swear at all. (Matthew 5: 33-34).
Consequently, Christopher Sauer, Jr. was beaten and tortured by the colonial authorities simply because he would not swear by oath to remain absolutely loyal to the Revolutionary Cause. He committed no other crime, nor was he charged with anything. Yet listen to his own account of his ordeal.
"They frequently struck me in the back with their bayonets till they brought me to Bastian Miller's barn, where they kept me till next morning. Then they strip'd me naked to the skin and gave me an old shirt and breeches so much torn that I could hardly cover my private parts, then cut my beard and hair and painted me with oil colors red and black, and led me along barefooted and bareheaded in a very hot sunshiny day."
He remained under arrest for four days before successfully appealing to George Washington and released. However, he was soon arrested again. This time all of his personal property, including his printing press, was confiscated and sold at auction in August 1778. He was permitted to keep only his spectacles. Christopher Sauer, Jr. lived out the rest of his life in poverty. 1
As you can see, "all men are created equal, except...". if they do not agree politically with the popular persuasion.
Things haven't changed all that much in the past 233 years. The "inalienable rights" are still denied, though the target group may have changed. There are many subcultures within American Society that can rightfully claim they are the object of prejudice. Muslims, blacks, Hispanics, the poor, gays & lesbians, and Native Americans can all make worthy arguments. I stand in solidarity with them. I also would add another group to the list: The disabled.
Persons with disabilities have long been denied the basic rights the rest of us take for granted. Things have certainly improved in the past 25 years or so, but we have a long way to go. As a general rule of thumb I would say that socially things have improved dramatically. Building codes now require accommodations be included for the physically disabled. By and large people are becoming better educated and more empathic toward disabled citizens. These conditions are to be commended.
However, it should be noted that the average citizen does not have to pay out of pocket for these accommodations, which may explain why such concessions are made so voluntarily. It doesn't really cost us anything to smile or greet a young man with Down's Syndrome. And while we may silently huff at having to surrender the nearest parking space because it has a blue wheelchair painted on it, we will concede that a person in a wheelchair or one dependent upon a walker probably should be allowed to park there. Again, what does it really cost us?
Unfortunately, the song changes once the wallet becomes involved. And the chorus becomes louder during times of recession.
There are a few areas of life in particular that we would rather ignore, if possible. One such topic is EDUCATION. Education is an expensive concern nowadays. No doubt about it. The educational demands of those with special needs becomes increasingly expensive. For one thing they require closer supervision, thus the student to staff ration must be strikingly smaller than in the typical classroom. Whereas a mainstream elementary classroom might have one teacher for 25 - 30 students, their special education counterparts may need to have one staff for every 4 - 8 students. Additionally, there is a need for a wider variety of specialties. In addition to the teacher there are commonly Speech Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Psychologists, Behavioral Specialists, Therapeutic Support Staff persons, Companion Aides, Social Workers and Teacher Aides included in the routine education of a special needs/disabled student. And of course each of these persons expect to be paid a salary.
Another cost of Special Education that is often overlooked is transportation. Nearly all of these students require special accommodations in order to be transported to and from school 180 days a year. This is typically accomplished by using a fleet of vans, as opposed to buses. Some of these vehicles need to be equipped for wheelchairs, but most do not. Still, because of the behavioral needs of the students or their sensitivity requirements they are not able to be transported on the usual school bus with some 50 other students and only one adult who doubles as the driver.
Secondly there is the cost of MEDICAL/HEALTH CARE. Without exception these persons, regardless of their age, have much higher medical expenses than most of us will ever dream of. Therefore, persons with special needs qualify for Medical Assistance (M.A.). This is covered under the program called Medicaid. Without Medical Assistance most families with a disabled child could never afford the health care necessary to meet the child's needs. When the disabled person reaches adulthood, the problems intensify. Many health insurance policies will not cover adult dependants, or if they do, there is an obvious increase in premium that may be too much for families to bear. At the same time the disabled person typically finds employment options are non-existent, resulting in no employer-sponsored health care plan. It becomes absolutely vital that the government intervenes on behalf of these persons.
As I already alluded to, the next logical concern involves EMPLOYMENT. Disabled persons come in all varieties of abilities and skills. To assume that a disabled person cannot support his or herself is a mistake. Many cannot. But some can, with the proper training and support mechanisms. This is where Vocational Rehabilitation comes into play. Vocational Rehabilitation is a process of education and professional training in a closely supervised environment. Many candidates will remain in Vocational Rehabilitation for most or all of their life. Naturally such a program involves a cost - - an enrollment fee, if you will, to cover the cost of staff salaries and facility expenses. In turn, candidates receive a paycheck in proportion to the work they are able to do.
A good number of these candidates eventually are able to move out of the Vocational Rehab facility and onto some form of Customized or Competitive Employment. Frequently these will require a Job Coach in the beginning to teach them their new responsibilities but the Coach withdraws as the candidate masters the job. In short order the disabled employee functions successfully as a contributing member of society. Because disabled employees tend to be highly loyal and dependable workers, this proves to be a win-win proposition for all. Wise employers with open minds reap the benefits of such a program.
Unfortunately, less than 20 % of disabled persons are provided such an opportunity. This is not because of a lack of ability. Rather it is due to a closed minded stereotypical response on the part of too many employers who associate the label "disabled" with "unqualified; bothersome; unproductive; lazy". Thus, the disabled community continues to work in Vocational Rehabilitation if they are lucky enough to find a way to pay for being a part of such a program. If they cannot secure the funding, they have no hope for employment of any kind.
Finally there is the need for HOUSING. Where will these dependent persons live? Most people assume they will live with their families. At the same time the ones making that assumption would never consider allowing their own adult children to live at home and be totally dependent upon them. But I suppose its OK as long as it doesn't directly affect us, right? Now understand, many families happily take on the responsibility of continuing to provide for their adult child who is disabled or has a special need. But for how long? There comes a time when the parents themselves need to be cared for, or they simply cannot outlive their adult children. Then what happens? Without an adequate income the disabled person requires assistance from someone. Once again, there is a cost involved.
So here is the point of this lengthy article. ALL MEN ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL. This is the reality of life - - no matter how much we may want it to be otherwise. There are far too many people who are not treated equally when it comes to EDUCATION, HEALTH CARE, EMPLOYMENT, and HOUSING. In these days of economic distress, unbalanced budgets, and high public debt everyone is screaming for financial responsibility. "Reduce government spending" is the battle cry these days. "No new taxes" becomes the mantra of the masses. But in the quest for financial responsibility does anyone stop to give any consideration to person-centered responsibility? How easy it is to declare "We must reduce government spending." I do not necessarily disagree with that. But the question is: how? Where I stand we cannot begin to reduce spending for programs involving the support of the disabled population who are unable to support themselves. In fact, the plain truth is we must INCREASE spending in these areas.
Yes, you hear me correctly. I am calling for an increase in government spending for the necessary support to individuals with disabilities and special needs. We must provide more resources for education, health care (Medical Assistance), employment, and housing. These people deserve that. I am calling for an increase because what we are currently providing is not nearly enough. Too many are3 being denied the services they need to live a reasonable life because the funds are not there. And already cuts are being made to these vital programs resulting in a greater number of persons losing benefits.
It is so simple to say we must reign in government spending. But of course, everyone wants to cut the budget items that do not affect them personally. So do not think of cutting veterans' benefits or defense spending, because that touches the lives of virtually every American either directly or indirectly, we are told. And public employees must continue to have their inflated benefits for healthcare and pension services even if it is at the expense of the mentally retarded person who doesn't realize what's going on. Since that person likely won't vote, what difference will it make? Who is going to lose sleep wondering where the paraplegic will live after his parents are dead? Certainly not John Q. Public.
I wonder if the followers and the promoters of Right Wing politics ever give any reasonable thought to the outrageous claims and demands they endorse. What bothers me the most is the vast number of self-proclaimed Christians who are leading the charge in this "Cut-Back Craze". How do they reconcile their devotion to Jesus, the all-time champion of the poor and disabled, with their blind refusal to consider the needs of these people. In their frenzied call to balance the Federal budget (and the State budget, too) without increasing any taxes they are in fact declaring that they want to make drastic reductions in human services (because we all know they certainly will not touch defense spending). Again, as long as it does not affect me, why should I care? So the reasoning appears to be.
The hard and difficult reality is that budget cuts have a human face. It is the face of the poor, and the face of the disabled. I have a hard time looking them in the eye and saying, "I'm sorry, but my $300,000 home and $55,000 car and $1,200 health club membership and employer-sponsored health care policy and $2.5 million Church Budget and $18,000 annual private school tuition for my 3 small kids and $1,500 child care fees and [fill in the blank] are more important than YOU! Go in peace - - oh, and God bless you!"
The words of Jesus are incredibly relevant for today:
"Then (the king) will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
"They will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' (Matthew 25:41 - 45 NIV)"
All men are created equal, except....?
1 Information obtained from Martin Brumbaugh's A History of the German Baptists Brethren In Europe and America. 1899.
gdgehr
October 29, 2011
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