Maybe not where your money is.
It seems the Idaho Legislature loves children. Especially the unborn or foster children that have been removed from their negligent parents’ custody.
Shame, shame.
Why do these people who do such things deserve our dear tax dollars?
There’s no way a young single mother of three who is facing another pregnancy can imagine state support if she would consider terminating that child. No, if she would bring up that consideration to a medical practitioner and she received advice to go beyond our borders, our Attorney General would consider such advice criminal.
She would not get a dime from us Idaho Taxpayers in her situation. And any health care provider talking to her has to contemplate loss of licensure and jail time. That is where the Idaho Legislature has put their mouth.
And their laws. Our laws.
But the focus of the Idaho Legislature recently has been on how the Department of Health and Welfare has been caring for foster children.
Foster children are those remanded from parental custody for some significant reason. These kids get put into state custody for something pretty bad. It’s not like the parents were giving them cold cereal every morning.
Parents going to prison. Parents addicted. Parents who have harmed their children. And it’s not just a swat on the butt we are talking about. And there is no close relative that can step up. These kids are the least supported you can think of.
Our family took in a niece when she was looking at jail time. She graduated. It was hard.
I have heard many others tell the same story. When available, Idahoans step up. But sometimes, there is no family resource. And that’s when we revert to state custody. And here, the Idaho legislature is all mouth and no money.
Put your money where your mouth is.
That’s what you say to a braggart who challenges you. Show me you really believe in what you are spewing. Or are you just show?
Sometimes the money comes out. Often the braggart slinks off.
Our Idaho Legislature has continued to spew its dissatisfaction with foster children care. But no one has made them put up the money. Not our governor. Not themselves, in their own self-respect. And worst, not us voters. That’s our job, to hold their feet to the ballot box fire. Instead, we keep reelecting them. As long as they are Republican, they have our vote.
If you cared about the placement, the support of a foster child, what would you do?
Would you do your best for them?
I would. Our niece was not fostered with us, just placed for her senior year. It took a lot from our family to care for her. Maybe that’s what all you Idahoans expect that we should all just take care of each other.
I wish such were the case.
I have told you; some kids have no resources. Then it is just the state: the last resort.
So which state person should care for this foster child? Most of these situations are very complex and often contentious. It’s not like ordering your Big Mac.
But we pay these state workers about what MacDonalds pays.
The new hire at the IDHW who will work with foster children is paid $16 an hour. This is according to the Idaho Legislature’s budget mouth. They have put their money there. They are not just spewing. They have ponied up.
It’s like the guy says he can beat me at eight ball and put’s up a quarter.
I’ll beat him anyway, and he can keep his quarter.
And our legislators, whom you have elected have approved these budgets, though reluctantly.
I posit they don’t really care about children.
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