Effects of Proposed End to General Relief

Re “Desperate People, Meaner Streets,” Commentary, Jan 21:

Wrong! Immoral people, meaner streets. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, you didn’t hear of people riddling a bus with gunfire, killing an innocent girl, because they didn’t like what a rival gang member on the bus said. You didn’t hear of people being killed just because they pulled off the side of the road to change a tire. Crimes are committed by people with no values.

I’m glad to see that Diane Williams is back on her feet. She says she was helped by six different groups, and only one was a county program. I assume that the rest were private organizations.

On Christmas morning, 1995, I drove to my brother’s house to celebrate the holiday. On the way, I passed by the Home Depot, where there was a large contingent of day laborers. They were not shoplifting food, they were willing to work on Christmas Day!

She ends her piece saying “Without justice, there can be no peace.” Webster defines “justice” as the administration of what is just (as by assigning merited rewards or punishments). How can general relief be considered a merited reward or punishment? And what does that have to do with peace? Peace is required for anyone, black, white, or purple, to get a job or start a business. Nobody wins in chaos.

MARK A. OVERTURF

Reseda

* I am writing to thank Williams for sharing my thoughts on the proposed removal of general relief. As a working person who is not on welfare, I am scared I could get held up for my wallet. Anyone that publicly flaunts one tad of wealth will be a target for an angry welfare recipient, and will most likely get robbed, if general relief is taken away.

Sadly, Gov. Pete Wilson, in his anger toward those who are on welfare, also punishes us and puts the working people’s lives in danger. We must not force poor people into criminal desperation. I’d rather pay taxes to help the needy than risk getting held up at gunpoint by a needy person who has lost general relief. In the end, I just want to see all welfare recipients get jobs that they can survive on. If I have to pay taxes to support those in poverty, I will, because money means nothing when you risk getting killed for it.

JODY LAWSON

Burbank