Safe Passage for Children really nails it in this short paragraph (below) about how legislators just don’t know what child friendly programs do or how they work. It’s also true that it’s been proven by very conservative people that investing in children is the most effective investment of tax dollars a society can make.
It hurts me that we routinely deny other people’s children daycare, mental health services, food, insurance, early & high quality education and the things children in most other developed nations get lots of. There appears to be little concern about the long term effects or the cost to our community (tax base, jails, school quality, public health and public safety) of allowing at risk youth to pass through childhood without the basic well-being attributes required to cope with life and lead a normal existence. All Adults Are The Protectors of All Children.
From Safe Passages today;
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This week the legislature proposed increasing the Department of Human Services (DHS) budget $482 million less than what’s needed to keep even with inflation. This would require major service cuts. The word was “something had to be done” to control this budget. What exactly? Few legislators know DHS well enough to say with authority whether any particular program is inefficient or unnecessary. Nor do they appear knowledgeable about who their plans will hurt. We know that blind, across-the-board reductions never work out for children. Yet legislators are prioritizing initiatives such as ineffective R&D credits, and expanded tax breaks for businesses and individuals who won’t suffer without them. Each legislator supporting this budget should learn how it will harm children, and take responsibility for saying publicly why it’s worth the pain. Share this with your state representative by email or phone. |