Forget what the talking heads say about the recession being over. The economy is still in the tank, unemployment is at scary levels and it cost me 57 bucks to fill the tank on my Hyundai last week. Tough times call for tough decisions, I get it.

Still, the proposal by the U.S. House of Representatives last month to slash $70 million from the budget of the Legal Services Corporation, which provides legal services to low-income Americans, seems odd.

At a time when more and more Americans find themselves falling into the category of "low-income" due to the current economic climate. The House is pushing to take money AWAY from an operation that serves the most at-risk, needy members of our society. Fortunately, the Senate rejected the cut, and at this point negotiations are underway to find a middle ground.

The problem of course, is that a compromise could be to split the difference and the LSC could still lose $35 million in funding as its base of potential clients grows daily.

New York State Bar Association President Steven Younger spoke out last week against the possibility of cuts to the funding.

"The Legal Services Corporation assists thousands of low-income Americans by providing them with lawyers in serious civil matters, including child custody, orders of protection, apartment evictions and home foreclosures. Cutting LSC funding is a cruel blow to people who are already in crisis," he said. "If our neighbors lose custody of a child, become victims of domestic violence or become homeless - all for lack of a lawyer - the cost to our government will be far greater than the cost of providing legal services."

That was a sentiment that attorney Robert Elardo shared with me late last year when we spoke of statewide finding cuts to civil legal serve programs. Elardo, the managing attorney at the Volunteer Lawyers Project in Buffalo, said at the time that his organization was facing far greater demand for services as its funding was facing decimation.

"We're barely hanging on," Elardo said of his organization. "It continues to be a big problem, trying to get our funding from New York State. They are way, way behind in not only paying us, but in even approving contracts that are done and in need of a final signature."

Elardo's colleague, Karen Nicolson, CEO of Legal Services for the Elderly Disabled and Disadvantaged of WNY, said her organization had lost in the neighborhood of $132,000 in funding and both laid off staff and stopped handling eviction cases.

The state is a mess fiscally. It is a complex matter and obviously tough cuts have to be made. The same can be said nationally. But when the federal government is operating on a budget in excess of $3 trillion is slashing $70 million from a program that aids the neediest members of our communities really a sound cut?

Add to that the fact that the $70 million represents 18 percent of the LSC budget, and the fallout could be catastrophic for Americans, including New Yorkers, who are already struggling to keep their heads above water.

The current proposal would result in a loss of more than $5 million to organizations providing legal services to low-income New Yorkers.

"Since the cuts would come mid-year, the true impact is equivalent to a $10 million cut over six months," Younger said.

Talking with leaders of the various civil legal service organizations that serve Western New York, they all say the same thing: failure to serve those in need on the front side will only lead to increased expenses on the back side. The longer an individual or family is left to struggle, the more of a financial burden they are likely to become on the state and/or federal government.

Every American will be affected by these types of cuts because we all fall into one of three categories: Those in need of services, those soon to be in need of services, or those who will feel the collateral damage from the fallout of those members of your community who are left without services.

Let's hope that Congress comes to its senses and maintains the current level of funding for this program.