As a long time guardian ad-Litem, it is difficult for me not to speak out when I hear mean things being said about public support systems like day care, health care, or school systems.

I always see the children being left behind.

Few people argue openly with me when I frame the health care issue around not caring for babies and very young children (there is not a religion on the planet that allows it)

Most people can  be brought to understand the cost to society of having children abandoned to gangs, drugs, and poverty.

The MN prison budget alone this year is almost  500 million dollars & MN has been creating prisons at a rate of over 10% per year for five years now and led the nation in its incarceration growth rate last year.

Because people move away from pain more ardently than we move toward pleasure,  I point out the economics of leaving children to fail in our schools, streets, and communities, and the benefits of turning this around:

Quality of life measurements

Judging institutions by what they create – buying more crime

The hidden cost of crime

Bad public policy

MN day care

It is a bigger step to convince people that healthy children become healthy citizens, but it is true.