27842 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS November 17, 1981 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS SOCIAL SERVICE DIRECTOR what it's like to be a Social Services director As an example: A man called the other SUPPORTS REAGAN EFFORTS in a time when social services is not a day complaining about some young girls growth commodity. He said he would who were getting assistance. These girls, he answer to the best of his ability and he said, were having young men into their HON. JAMES T. BROYHILL wouldn't pull his shots. homes for ulterior purposes. On the other OF NORTH CAROLINA So, the following is the result of that hand, the man knew of an old lady who IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES question-and-answer period. couldn't get assistance because her son was Q.: What's it like sitting in the hot seat of living with her and she simply did not meet Tuesday, November 17, 1981 Social Services director now? the standards of eligibility. We have to con­ e Mr. BROYHILL. Mr. Speaker, A.: It's kind of frustrating. We are going sider his income with hers. during recent days we have heard pri­ through a period of uncertainty and there Q.: What one change would you make in marily from the people who are very are going to be some cutbacks. We know the system if you had your way? much opposed to the President's ef­ that. It is frustrating to me to have to let A.: Well, aside from reducing the amount forts to reduce Federal spending. people off. I have never had to do that of paperwork, I would make it possible for before. It's unpleasant. I have had to let five my staff to have some discretion in making Today I would like to call to my col­ service workers go, and that will get me decisions on whether to help or turn down leagues attention the comments from through July, and then we will have to have help. We need more authority in emergency Mr. Ben Carpenter, the very efficient, some other reduction in force, and then situations. I have a $25 million budget, but I effective, and respected director of the more after that. After awhile, it becomes can't apply any of that in real emergency Department of Social Services in difficult to organize an agency with what situations. Gaston County, the largest county in you have left. There are caseloads that are Q.: Is there going to be a significant my congressional district. not being covered and the staff is pushing number of people hurt seriously because of Mr. Carpenter indicates that the for some kind of resolution. I could give a budgetary cutbacks? news media has exaggerated the ef­ better resolution if I knew what the bottom A.: There will be a significant number who line was going to be. think they are hurt. We have a $4 million fects and the size of the Federal Q.: What, in your opinion, is the thrust of AFDC <Aid to Families with Dependent budget cuts. He is indeed correct. President Reagan's social services propos­ Children) budget. That will be reduced Mr. Carpenter recognizes the need als? about $400,000 annually, spreading over to return more authority, power, and A.: The president is determined to get 2,000 cases. There will be some cutback in flexibility to the States. He is indeed some control over the bureaucracy, and I the foodstamp program, and that will hurt correct. support this. He is determined to give to the some. The administration is trying not to Mr. Carpenter recognizes the need states certain responsibilities which the fed­ hurt the older-people programs. Whether to reduce the bureaucracy and to cut eral government has assumed down through this will be a significant amount, I have no down on the paperwork and regula­ the years. This has merit, because if you can way of knowing. get hold of the bureaucracy, you can get Q.: What is the state of "welfare" in tions which occupy far too much of hold of the other problems. Red tape takes Gaston County today? How many are on his employees' time. He is again cor­ time from the real job. I ran a survey some your rolls? rect. time back and found that only 35 percent of A.: There are 5,000 on AFDC; 12,000 on Mr. Carpenter believes that local ad­ the staff's time was going to service. The food stamps; five or six thousand eligible for ministrators should have as much rest was going to paper work. We have Medicaid in any given month; 1,600 service flexibility as possible in administering picked that up now to 60-65 percent. We are cases <non-financial cases such as those in the complex programs. Again, he is offering more service without more people. protective services, adoption, counseling, correct. If the amount of red tape could be cut, we family planning, etc.) ... probably between Mr. Speaker, I wish the Members of could get that up to 80-85 percent without 15,000 and 20,000 people in all-about 10 more people. Block grants could do that, de­ percent of the county's population. We are Congress had the same opinions about pending on what the states would do. spending about $15 million of our $25-mil­ these programs as my constituent, The president is determined, also, because lion budget on Medicaid. This is growing who is on the frontline administering of the election mandate, to reduce the from 17 to 22 percent annually. the programs we enact here in Wash­ amount of money going into entitlement Q.: If there are no significant cutbacks, ington. I believe more deserving programs. The whole thrust is to balance what will a graph over the next 10 years people would be served at less cost to the budget and to do that he has to cut into show? the hard-working taxpayers. social programs. A.: It would probably show that we would I urge my colleagues to read the Q.: Is there as much cutting back as has have about the same percentage of popula­ interview written by my friend, Bill been prophesied in the press? tion-about 10 percent-and that Medicaid Williams, the editor of the Gastonia A.: I think that the press has had some alone would grow to $40 or $50 million in statistics that are not exactly right. For in­ those years. The county's cost would be $10 Gazette. Thank you. stance, some time ago, there was a story million as opposed to $1 million now. AFDC MAN ON A " HOT SEAT" that said that 40 percent of the payments to would remain about $4 million a year. The (By Bill Williams) mothers with dependent children would be staff probably would be about the same. There is one man in Gaston County who cut out. That was totally misleading. My Q.: If you had your 'druthers,' what would probably has grown accustomed to the hot personal belief is that this will be no more you prescribe for Gaston County's social seat, but then everything is relative. The than 10 percent. services efforts during the next 10 years? seat he thought was hot last week might Q.: What is your general philosophy of A.: The first thing would be a coordinated have been cool compared to what it might "Welfare?" human services effort. I would consider the be next week, or the week after that. A.: I am a fiscal conservative. Any pro­ total needs of a person in terms of what you The man's name is Ben Carpenter. He is gram ought to be cost effective. The great­ can provide to get this family self support­ director of the Gaston County Social Serv­ est value possible should come from a ing, to get this person to be a contributing ices Department. He has been in that posi­ dollar. There would be some local ability to member of society. Second, I would provide tion since April Fool's Day, 1974. He is still control what is being done, and that we institutional care for the person who needs trying to figure out who got fooled, himself don't have ... in terms of caring for de­ it, the person who is not going to be able to or the Social Services board. pendent children, providing a decent nutri­ live alone in society, can't meet his or her One day this week, I picked up the phone tional level, services to foster children and own needs because of physical or whatever and without any forewarning to the man on to abused children. I believe in that. But I problems. And third, I would institute some the other end dialed Carpenter's number. I believe that we have lost the ability to apply system of internal cost-effective auditing. asked if he had 10 minutes, and he said yes. on the local level remedies for unusual situ­ We are externally audited all the time but I told him that I wanted to do a column on ations. internally we don't look at the correlation e This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by the Member on the floor. November 17, 1981 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 27843 of one part of county government with an­ zens enjoy a smalltown atmosphere BILL TO IMPROVE FISHERY other. Part of this is because we rely so within a modern urban setting. CONSERVATION AND MANAGE­ much on the dollars that come down to us Early in the 19th century, the area MENT from elsewhere.• which we now know as Stanton was part of Rancho Los Alamitos.