Foster children would be allowed to get clothing only from second hand stores

By Todd A. Heywood | 04.22.11 | 11:40 am

Under a new budget proposal from State Sen. Bruce Casswell, children in the state’s foster care system would be allowed to purchase clothing only in used clothing stores.

Casswell, a Republican representing Branch, Hillsdale, Lenawee and St. Joseph counties, made the proposal this week, reports Michigan Public Radio.

His explanation?

“I never had anything new,” Caswell says. “I got all the hand-me-downs. And my dad, he did a lot of shopping at the Salvation Army, and his comment was — and quite frankly it’s true — once you’re out of the store and you walk down the street, nobody knows where you bought your clothes.”

Under his plan, foster children would receive gift cards that could only be used at places like the Salvation Army, Goodwill and other second hand clothing stores.

The plan was knocked by the Michigan League for Human Services. Gilda Jacobs, executive director of the group, had this to say:

“Honestly, I was flabbergasted,” Jacobs says. “I really couldn’t believe this. Because I think, gosh, is this where we’ve gone in this state? I think that there’s the whole issue of dignity. You’re saying to somebody, you don’t deserve to go in and buy a new pair of gym shoes. You know, for a lot of foster kids, they already have so much stacked against them.”

Casswell says the plan will save the state money, though it isn’t clear how much the state spends on clothing for foster children or how much could be saved this way.

Comments

Anonymous

just so you know not all of the foster kids are unloved. or mistreated. they dont even have to prove that to take a child out of thier home. just have to think it could happen. yes some have been abused but not all .. did you know ? that the parenst are charged for food and clothes.. and they have to pay for a lawyer. so why are they chagred 200 a month for clothes. and the kids aint geting that money. its not right to talk about how bad they are treated when in fact must where removed and where not abused. even if u jump thru the hoops. fia still my fight you. its because they are after not childrens rights. but money.and some parents of foster childern bring them stuff to vists wonder how many get to bring them home?
Anonymous

He’s not managing the money intelligently. He’s just depriving local retailers of business. In a down economy do they really need that? Try thinking instead of just hating.
Anonymous

He’s not managing the money intelligently. He’s just depriving local retailers of business. In a down economy do they really need that? Try thinking instead of just hating.
Anonymous

ok frist did you know that not all the children in fostercare are abused. the only raw deal they got is fia is after money. because parents have to spent alot of it fighting to get them back. did you also know. that the parents are charged for my for the childrens needs. most parents even bring things in. wonders if it goes home with them. or the have somewhere they throw it?also you should not down play the parents it could be anyone. i know lots of people the children where removed and they where not abused. since when should be being poor a reason to remove someones kids. and why should they remove kids because she is being abused? she leaves and goes to a shelter. so if thats how they say the kids are being abused then they need to take away kids. thier parenst get aid. because they are poorer then the parents that get aid becase aid gives you less. and they need to start removeing kids in shelters. they state is not always honest..fia is full of dishonestly
http://www.facebook.com/simplyred1962 Judi Miller-Patton

Ridiculous statements….sure, my kids grew up on mostly clothing, even toys, from second-hand stores…but twice a year, we would make a trip to the mall for new clothing for school & Christmas. These foster kids , a LOT of them, already feel as if they are “second-hand” children. Why reinforce this perception, by making them get nothing BUT second-hand clothing????

Just because he grew up on second hand clothing, and “turned out OK”, he has NO IDEA of the self-esteem issues foster children already deal with! To basically tell them that they are not worthy of new things could be a devastating and life-altering blow to their fragile minds and hearts!!!

Anonymous

Why is it that people keep thinking that even if this law passed, which it won’t, that foster kids would ONLY get secondhand clothes? It would, in worst case scenario, only apply to the vouchers. Surely they’re not putting foster kids in a home that has no other income? That would make no sense.

Why do you think the foster parents are so awful that they wouldn’t spend theri own money on the kids? And if they were, then they shouldn’t be foster parents.

Anonymous

I’m the Executive Director of the Foster CARE Closet in Lincoln, Nebraska and this just plain sickens me! I take in donations of “used” clothing and quite frankly there are many items I wouldn’t put on a dog. I’ve been a foster child, an adopted child and now I’m a foster parent/adoptive parent. This attitude of apathy towards others, a devaluing of life is pathetic.

We have taken the Foster CARE Closet from rags to new. No, it’s not 5th Avenue, but it’s Wal-Mart. It’s NEW SOCKS, UNDERWEAR, SHIRTS, PANTS, WINTER COATS, HATS AND GLOVES AND SHOES. Do we still take in the used? ABSOLUTELY! We have to, to clothe children in the foster care system with 7 BRAND NEW OUTFITS is not reasonable, but we do strive to serve over 6000 youth with 2 BRAND NEW OUTFITS TWICE A YEAR. The rest is donated.

We’ve partnered with KVC, a lead agency in the Nebraska Southeast Service Area and we’ve built a FABULOUS working relationship with Wal-Mart. By doing this, we’ve taken those dollars and multiplied them over and over. Does Sen. Bruce Casswell know that he could be getting taken to the cleaners with his staunch stance of “used” clothing? Does he even realize that he could purchase a BRAND NEW pair of shoes a Wal-Mart for about $12.00 -vs- a “thrift store” buy of $20.00? How about those shirts? I’ve seen shirts sell at the Goodwill for $3.00 and when purchased at Wal-Mart BRAND NEW it was a $1.00. Does he have a special place in his heart to support these ministries instead of investing in the foster care children?

Sen. Bruce Casswell, if you’d really like to look at how to clothe your foster children well, with partnerships and still INCLUDE NEW CLOTHING, please feel free to look us up on the web, facebook or just send me an email back.

Oh, and Senator Casswell, ALL OUR SERVICES TO THE FOSTER CHILDREN HERE IN NEBRASKA ARE FREE OF CHARGE!

Sincerely,

Leigh Esau, Executive Director
Foster CARE Closet
402-617-0667
http://www.fostercarecloset.org
or facebook Foster CARE Closet

http://profiles.google.com/riotsquirrl Margaret Rood

You should do a press release responding to this nonsense!
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_Q4WMICGGXR7YXNP64BNM7ZNGYM Hal

This really makes me sick. These are legal American families. The government is spending millions/billions giving cash to, housing, feeding, and educating illegal residence. What the hell is wrong with Michigan!! If there are morans willing to spend such money on people breaking the law, why can’t they spend money to take care of our own people is needed. This isn’t the first time Michigan has come up with some very crazy stuff and it seems to just continue. What planet are you people from??

Anonymous

Don’t brand all Michiganers as (what are morans?) whatever. It’s an idea and not a bad one, but it will probably go nowhere. There’s nothing wrong with second hand clothes, even the wealthy often buy and sell secondhand clothes though they call them consignment shops instead of thrift shops. I still have some nice sweaters I bought in a thrift shop years ago.

Responsible, sensible people will cut costs and do without to be free and inependent and have the true dignity of providing for themselves and their families. My parents and grandparents never had a lot of clothes and no fancy clothes but they were free of debt and had what they really needed. Years ago, few Americans except the wealthy had more than one or two sets of clothes–it was those evil rich people who invested in machinery and factories who made multiple sets of clothing cost and time efficient for everyone to afford.

Cant’ say whether these are legal or not, and I agree, if illegals weren’t costing us billions every year in costs they pay no part of, those funds could go to Americans. Many churches have exchange programs where people give and receive used, but in good condition, items. It’s smart and dignified to save money.

Women’s magazines like Woman’s Day and others used to have articles on how to make great finds in thrift shops.

Anonymous

You should contact him with your ideas. Surprised that thrift stores there are so expensive. Around here they are much cheaper than buying new, but then the leftists here won’t allow Wal -Mart to build. I spend time in Ohio every summer and the Super Walmart there is very good.

Don’t jump too much on the guy, I doubt that he was at all suggesting that everything be purchased secondhard. Don’t your foster care parents pay out of pocket for some items? Aren’t hte allowances a supplement/

We used to have income qualifications to be a foster parent and they used to require two parent families. Now they’ve gone all pc and people are using the system to get checks and not work. If they never read to the kids and have them qualify as special ed (because they read below grade leel) they then get ssi money as disabled until they’re 22.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_T7WFVCT2VOS6KZIT2BXZ7CLIBU Lacewing

I have seen so much misinformation in your responses, I just can’t help but ask: Where are you getting your information about any of these things??

You think you can just skip bedtime stories and GIVE a kid SSI-worthy learning disabilities? It’s certainly doing the child no favors for a parent (or foster parent) to NOT read to a kid, that much is true. I consider myself an avid reader and a strong advocate of early literacy, and I am well aware of how much reading to a child can ENHANCE their reading ability — but withholding stories doesn’t CAUSE disabilities.

What makes you think it is easy to get SSI? Is this some talk-show host ranting about it and making this into some modern-day “welfare queen” idea? Let me tell you this much, I have a kid with severe ADHD, a bleeding disorder, a musculoskeletal abnormality AND autism, and despite all the doctors and therapists I bring her to every week who feel she is disabled, she doesn’t “qualify” for SSI. Whomever is telling such ridiculous tales of getting easy SSI checks at all, much less for a child who is simply not a strong reader, is misleading you, and it is apparently distorting your perception of government benefits and of those who receive them.

Anonymous

Who said anything about skipping bedtime stories. What I said was there are people who do not encourage their kids to read and then, when the kids are behind their grade level, have social workers classify them as ld—to make them eligible for ssi. Same social workers told them how to lie on the forms.

Has nothing to do with talk shows, I’ve never heard one talk about it, but then I work so I don’t get to hear too many of them. Additionally, I have actually seen social workers teaching people how to lie on the forms to get benefits they’re not eligible for. Also seen parents who, because of their own children for years and did not send them to school. So now the kid enters high school not even knowing the alphabet.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_T7WFVCT2VOS6KZIT2BXZ7CLIBU Lacewing

Despite having a great deal to say, I will limit my comment. I will no longer be reading this thread, as I am moving house and won’t be online for several weeks, so I must wrap up my part in the discussion.

Not encouraging children to read does not make them learning disabled, whether a social worker said so or not.

You say you were aware of parents not sending children to school for years, and parents purposely trying to make their children do poorly in school to get unearned benefits? You say you saw social workers instructing people to lie on forms to fraudulently obtain benefits? Then unless you reported these people to authorities for their wrongdoing, it would appear you were complicit in child neglect and/or in defrauding taxpayers. If that’s the case, then what a shame for everyone involved.

Good day to you, madam, despite your repeated and very mean smugness about being employed in a time when so many people desperately wish they were able to find a job.

Thank you to everyone for a lovely discussion. I will now go finish packing moving boxes. Have fun without me. :)

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_T7WFVCT2VOS6KZIT2BXZ7CLIBU Lacewing

I appreciate your posting about the Foster CARE Closet. It gives me hope to know that there are people such as yourself who are doing such kind things for kids who aren’t always treated well. It sounds like your organization is providing foster kids with decent clothing and a good dose of dignity in the process. Thank you for the work you do, and for figuring out ways to make the most of your purchasing power to give the most help to the kids you serve.

Anonymous

Once again, we see the Republican version of “FREEDOM!”

It’s the one where the rich are “free” to have their taxes cut more than 60% since the 1970s — and the poor are “free” to buy their clothes wherever the government tells them to.

It’s the one where corporations are “free” to send all of their profits overseas so they don’t have to pay any income tax — and where families are “free” of things like benefits, decent retirements, or even jobs.

It’s the one where big pharma is “free” to get billions in taxpayer funds — and where families are “free” to go bankrupt just because they got sick.

Ya know, it’s almost as if they’re using a different dictionary than the rest of us … which makes sense, given that they seem to inhabit a different reality.

Anonymous

Almost 50% of the peole in this country pay no federal income taxes andd the vast majority of those are getting our money as rrefunds for money they never paid in. That is wrong–pay no taxes, you have no skin in the game and should not get to vote to use govt to steal from your neigh bors. 50% of us are paying ALL the fedreal income tax burden. The communist confiscatory tax rates simply penalize the hard working and fisclaly responsible–those who create jobs and hand it over to the serfs who will mindlessly vote for their slavemasters.

Do some study–with present government labyrinths it takes about 20 years to research, develop and bring a new drug to market. As with EVERY new product, those costs have to be reimbursed by the price of the first sales. All those scientists, secretaries and administators like to get paid for their work too. The rich are the initial buyers of new things, absorbing the initial high prices. After a few years, when the costs of production are paid off, the price goes down and these things (from new drugs to laptops and cell phones, which have generally rdropped in cost by about 80%) become accessible to all.

Go see the people on welfare in urban areas–they all have cabler, cell phones (all the kids too) play stations and multiple pairs of $100+ sneakers and designer clohtes–and plenty of money for movies, parties on the weekends, sweet sixteens that are epensive as weddings and trips to PR and DR several times a year. And to pay the guy in the bodega to hold thc cell phone every day where they are not allowed to bring them into school. But hte people who pay the taxes and are being ripped off to pay for all this, do without. Most of us are lucky to get a short vacation every three years or so.

True justice is you get what you work for. True corruption is using governemnt to steal from those who do work. My parents grew up during the Depression and knew what real poverty was and like hundreds of millions, they learned to work for what they needded and to put wants off until the necessities were paid for.

Anonymous

” That is wrong–pay no taxes, you have no skin in the game and should not get to vote to use govt to steal from your neigh bors.{sic} “

No, you are wrong, as everyone in this country pays all kinds of taxes: sales taxes, gas taxes, FICA, etc. So this notion that some are getting by without contributing is proof someone failed to “do some study.”

Sadly, being wrong on the facts wasn’t the worst part of your comment.

Attacking kids in foster care also wasn’t the worst (though it did show a stunning lack of human decency).

This was the worst:

“Go see the people on welfare in urban areas …”

Too cowardly to just come out and type “Go see the blacks in the blackity black areas,” eh?

On the bright side, you let show what the right has tried to hide for years: for you all, it’s not about the best policy that will benefit the most. It’s about the best policy that will punish The Other the most.

That belief really shines through whenever you think The Other is somehow getting something you’ve decided they don’t’ deserve. The proof of that is in what you typed next:

”… they all have cabler {sic}, cell phones (all the kids too) play stations and multiple pairs of $100+ sneakers and designer clohtes{sic}–and plenty of money for movies, parties on the weekends, sweet sixteens {sic} that are epensive {sic} as weddings and trips to PR and DR several times a year. “

That little bit also proves that you’ve never been to any “urban areas,” nor know of a single person who has ever lived in one.

I’m not sure when the conservatives decided that the poor, the sick, the young, those in need, and the old were the enemies of our nation, but it’s abhorrent coming from a G.O.P. that labels itself as the preferred party of G.O.D.

I mean, really, if you all actually think of yourselves as Christians, please stop—you’re making the baby Jesus cry.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ANQFHZPF6FCEFQ64DOG5L5DGM4 My Points

“Attacking kids in foster care also wasn’t the worst (though it did show a stunning lack of human decency).

This was the worst:

“Go see the people on welfare in urban areas …”

Too cowardly to just come out and type “Go see the blacks in the blackity black areas,” eh?”

So calling blacks who live in black areas is worse than attacking kids in foster care? Did I get that right?

Anonymous

No, you got it all wrong. Actually in this urban area most of the blacks are not on welfare and a good percentage are two parent muslim families who provide for their own. Their kids are graduating from high school at 14, 15, & 16. Others are West Indians who often work two jobs to save up to buy a house. The vast majority of those on welfare here are hispanics. And close by, high income blacks and whites and Asians.

For several years now, the black two parent family has a higher aerage income than the white two parent family. Problem is, except for the West Indian and West Africans, the vast majority of black kids are illegitimate.

Two parent families have higher high school and college graduattion rates, much lower rates of delinquency, gang membership and teen pregnancy.

Manykids in foster care would have much better lives if they were adopted, threre are many many families of all backgrounds who would love to adopt them and give them a good home—and the liberal forced perpetuation of a dysfunctional foster care system, which has degenerated into just another send me the checks program for many women who don’t want to work has ttrapped those kids into the welfare lifestyle.

Kids who are in very short term foster care (a few months or so) would not be largely affected; they are actually pretty resilient, as most city kids are. Longer term, they should be adopted.
Anonymous

“For several years now, the black two parent family has a higher aerage (sic) income than the white two parent family…”

On what planet is this occurring?
Anonymous

Go check the stats, it is true in the US. The reason is because there are many more professional black families and owners of small businesses. The problem is that there are way too many illegitmate children with never marrying mothers, which is one of the key reasons for low incomes—especially if you don’t work.
Anonymous

No, you didn’t get that right. At all.

Just pointing out that Tasha22 is too chickenshit to just come and say what she obviously thinks (that The Others just aren’t worthy of gov’t assistance, thus all gov’t assistance is bad).

Anonymous

You must not pay income taxes. Paying sales taxes doesn’t entitle you to vote—anyone swho shops citizen or non, passing through the state pays sales taxes. But we would have much better laws if you didn’t get to vote in federal elections if you didn’t pay federal taxes (except for active duty miltiary and the elderly who have paid all their livces.)

No one is entitled to live off others. But you can certainly can pay fourt imes the amount of taes to take care of these things—or simpy give it to the charitable organizations in the area.

We did a better job of taking care of people before the welfare system Ben Franklin long ago talked about the objective being to get people out of poverty by requriing them to work, not by making them so comfortable on the dole that they stayed there forever.

There is no baby Jesus–he grew up, became a man, and told people to take cdare of their own responsibilities.

You really need to wake up, as I mentioned, I have worked in urban areas in particularly for legal services and have seen everything I spoke of, year after year. Flat out had girls calling and demanding that we give them an aprtment and checks because they were pregnant, and got that way to get away from mom. B oy were they shocked when they found out they had to stay with her until they were 18 AND had to go to school until they were 17 (That was the other thing–girls deciding to get pregnant so they could sit at home and collect checks and not have to go to school–and some of them actually fairly bright and could have done something with her life and talent. We’re still trying to get her on the right track, but it’s a struggle.

Check with most NYC schools and ask the princinpals how many kids don’t show up for state exams because they ahve taken off for PR or DR and taken extra weeks before and after normal breaks. They do not have a work ethic which is why they don’t make progress in school or professionally. The welfare programs have destroyed their need to work and develop themselves and quenched any talent or ambition they might have. They ahve far more than any immigrants and more than my parents or grandparents but never had to work for it and expect to never have to work. Many don’t even bother to read and consequently don’t really get much out of school even if they do go. Tens of millions of immigrants had far less and made far more of it–their children and grandchildren now have to do without and have their children do without to pay out mostly bureaucrats salaries so their voting base will keep voting them in to steal fro the productive. This was always a socialist idea first stated by the German dictator Bismarck and later part of the Communist Manifesto—that you’d have their eternal loyalty if you handed them a bit of someone else’s money that they didn’t have to work for. And some people sell out cheap.

ALL of Chirst’s apostles and disciples worked, as He did. When they gave, they gave theirn own money, they did not use government to steal from others and then pride themselves (another deadly sin) about how wonderful and caring and superiior they wrere. They knew the tithe was a debt to God and one could not be puffed up about paying what he owed to the God Who provided all, Who will still provide for each individual if he does what God’s Word tells him to do–not the least of which is work, don’t have kids if you’re not married and can’t support them, live iwthin your means. IF you can only afford K-Mart sneakers then that’s what you get.

Anonymous

You need a hug. And a dictionary.

Other than that, I’m not sure how to respond to someone who “thinks” (and I use that term loosely): a.) poverty was less of a problem in Ben Franklin’s time than now, showing an amazing talent for revising history; b.) thinks anecdote is the plural of evidence, showing a stunning lack of the way world works; and c.) has decided that the Bible somehow justifies your greed and selfishness, showing a rather stunning inability to get it.

Other than that, I suggest you up your meds, because your crazy is showing.

Anonymous

What’s with this “Other:” stuff? Where did you get that from? Worked in a major urban area for YEARS and saw all that and more—including the kids who throw away the free lunches coming to school with five times the cost in junk food AND paying $1 a day (more than they would pay for lunch) to the guy in the bodega to hold their cell phones. (They’re banned lest they be constantly yapping on them and texting all day long. Hmm, can’t pay for lunch, but you can pay for the store to hold your phone and for 24/7 incessant phone yapping and texting? )

You obviously know NOTHiNG about conservatives since they are the ones who take care of their families, old and/or sick and don’t expect you to. And they take care of their neighbors too—perfect illustration—MS was up and runing right after the hurricane passed. Even thought they took a driect hit and had more damage–homes completely flattened. No rioting, no looting,. Cops did their jobs even though they lost their homes. Compare with the entitlement mentality of New Orleans (before the competent Governor Jindall) Cops walked off the job and looted, people robbed each other. Governor Blanco had to “think about it_(ie. evacuating people, evne though for the first time in american history a president had to call her) until it was too late. And the dopey mayor who wouldn’t get his people on the aAmtrak trains that were willing to take out as many people as could fit, ranting and raving and blaming everyone else.

IAll the conservatives I know give more than 10% and do volunteer work of some type in addition to working often two jobs or six or more days a week. They take care of their children, their families and their elderly. And i go to work and hear a liberal dope who makes at least three times what I do (and has no kids) babbling about how we should all pay for her aunt’s health care!! So tempted to say, hey, b, YOU pay for it.
Anonymous

What’s with this “Other:” stuff? Where did you get that from? Worked in a major urban area for YEARS and saw all that and more—including the kids who throw away the free lunches coming to school with five times the cost in junk food AND paying $1 a day (more than they would pay for lunch) to the guy in the bodega to hold their cell phones. (They’re banned lest they be constantly yapping on them and texting all day long. Hmm, can’t pay for lunch, but you can pay for the store to hold your phone and for 24/7 incessant phone yapping and texting? )

You obviously know NOTHiNG about conservatives since they are the ones who take care of their families, old and/or sick and don’t expect you to. And they take care of their neighbors too—perfect illustration—MS was up and runing right after the hurricane passed. Even thought they took a driect hit and had more damage–homes completely flattened. No rioting, no looting,. Cops did their jobs even though they lost their homes. Compare with the entitlement mentality of New Orleans (before the competent Governor Jindall) Cops walked off the job and looted, people robbed each other. Governor Blanco had to “think about it_(ie. evacuating people, evne though for the first time in american history a president had to call her) until it was too late. And the dopey mayor who wouldn’t get his people on the aAmtrak trains that were willing to take out as many people as could fit, ranting and raving and blaming everyone else.

IAll the conservatives I know give more than 10% and do volunteer work of some type in addition to working often two jobs or six or more days a week. They take care of their children, their families and their elderly. And i go to work and hear a liberal dope who makes at least three times what I do (and has no kids) babbling about how we should all pay for her aunt’s health care!! So tempted to say, hey, b, YOU pay for it.

Anonymous

I wish I could like you twice for that.
http://www.facebook.com/sally.anderson3 Sally Anderson

What have we degraded to when we strip the dignity from children! Have these kids not been through enough that you have to place an even greater stigma on them? I am utterly disgusted! Why not propose slaughtering and eating them at this rate? Or perhaps sweatshops, make them work for the basic necessities!?

Frankly, I have never been so glad I left Michigan.

Anonymous

Guess I lost my dignity when I was working three jobs and buying from thrift stores while paying taxes for people who never worked to live better than I did. It’s not “dignity,” dignity comes from valuing yourself and others nad is reflected by proper BEHAVIOR. Jesus Christ had dignity and he wasn’t dressing in royal garments.

What you are talking about is pride, which is one of the deadliet sins, the cause of much hate and argument.

And actually, more kids do need to be working for what they want. Most of us grew up doing chores for people, shopping, babysitting, having paper routes, mowing lawns, etc etc to have some spending money—-and that is very very good for ikids. All kids need those experiences of working and becoming self-sufficient and competent.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ANQFHZPF6FCEFQ64DOG5L5DGM4 My Points

Exactly! My dignity does not come from the cost of my clothes or the price of my home. Or the car I drive. Those who believe this is where dignity come from really have no dignity to begin with!

Anonymous

With answers like these I’m surprised you’re claiming dignity, too.
Anonymous

Dignity is a matter of character, how you conduct yourself, not your possesions, and kids need to learn that. Adolescents, particularly boys tease each other. Sometimes it’s cruel, sometimes it sounds cruel, but it is just their way of showing affection. Junior high girls can be pretty vicious about clothes, but that happens when they afll have the same thing. So everyone can be vctimized unless they either confront the evil and go their own way (in which case they will usually be respected and find true friends) or cave in morally and conform. We should be encrouaging the former, and not enable their weakness by helping them to cave into the keep up with the Joneses mentality.

Kids who rise up above it show leadership and will often become respected. I went from a parochial school into a public school in 9th grade and some of the girls who thought they were cool were actually cruel. They gave me something of a hard time for not being precisely like them, but I ignored them, until they started on another girl. IN which case, I told them offf for the cruel bitches they were, went over and introduced myself. She was a great person. She did live in the projects because her parents were divorced, but she had some unusual talents—lke being able to play a full church organ at the age of 14. She was being trained to be the organist at her church. We were good friends for years until we lost touch in moving around. I don’t know if they ever said anything to her, but one of the girls who thought she was cool actually apologized to me at the end of the year. We were never friends because I considered her of low character for how cruelly she treated me when I was the new kic and how she, totally unjustifiedly treated my friend. But she had grown up and was a new kid herself next year. She found a place and so far as I know, never treated anyone like that again.

And it was about clothes, superficial bs. And no, none of them were secondhand—except that my friend did give me a dress of hers.

l_scribner

All he is succeeding in doing is taking the focus off real problems. The US doesn’t need anymore useless laws designed to limit American freedom! If you want to do something to improve foster care focus on the real problems. This video will show you some of the the problems but certainly not all of them.

http://youtu.be/ztEqMounuRU

It doesn’t show the children who have suffered abuse and who have died in state care.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ANQFHZPF6FCEFQ64DOG5L5DGM4 My Points

“limit American freedom”? You are not FREE to use other peoples money. Stealing from the people with money to give to those without money does not make that person FREE.

Anonymous

Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?

Anonymous

That is a problem, thankfully not that frequent, of long term foster care. They have become so politically correct about placing kids by color instead of by stable family that they have put kids in some bad places. There are some good residential facilities with great staff who really take care of kids. They often have more opportunities than kids living in normal families because there are so many programs and activities funded for them.

l_scribner

The problem is they are not loved like they would be in a normal family and many of the children in foster care don’t need to be there. They have family who love them and can care for them and would do it for free. Also even when the kids get adopted the funding doesn’t stop if you think they adopt them and also take on the financial responsibility you are wrong.

Anonymous

Depends on the state. But the point of adoption is to find a good family who will take care of the child.

Ardiva

So the kids buy $80.00 worth of clothes at a secondhand store vs buying $80.00 worth of clothes at a regular store…saving HOW much money??
Please refresh my memory Senator….

Anonymous

THHINK. If you’re buying at a thrift store, the prices are usually very very low–so you can get a lot more for the same amount of money. That was the point—getting more with what is available. Did it myself.

Anonymous

If someone else is paying for your clothes, you don’t get to be choosy. When you get a job and pay for your own, you can choose what you want. I spend several years buying clothes from thrift stores (nice things if you know where to go) while my tax money went to buy $100 sneakers for people who were laying around eating, screwing and watching tv and gossiping.

Problem here is that govt should not be telling you where to buy and it shouldn’t be taking hard working people’s money and handing it over to others. Those who work and pay have the right to decide where there money goes
Anonymous

I have friends who were foster children and foster parents. When you have sane, two parent working families as foster parents, the kids are usually well treated. In urban areas, you have the welfare minded who have a dozen kids in the house, some illegitimate by different sperm donors and some foster kids. A teacher calls the house and they can’t even keep track of which kid is which beause it is all about the “free’ money. This should not be allowed.

Most of our hard working parents and grandparents had far less than these kis would have even buying from a thrift shop and they built this country. We need more orphanges properly run and easier adoption laws so the many good people who want to adopt children can do so. And we need to stop the pc garbage that in many areas will not allow white families to adopt black children. (But interestingly enough, they can adopt Asian children, though they have to get them from overseas.)
Anonymous

Big Government rEPUBLICANS working hard to help our poorest and most economically stressed. This guy is wasting taxpayer money to save $1.98 while his state needs JOBS more than most others. Almost comical. To be expected from a state where the governor is affectionately known as “Il Duce”.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_PTY5PNINQJIZ6ONIZE2PT4GHXM Report Monkeys sck

I think he just is pushing his good old Christian shopping network is all. Have you seen the prices those store have ? I swear I can go into almost any chain store near where I live and get the same product brand new cheaper than they sell it used. This is just another scumbag right wing Christian trying to behave like a horses @ss and succeeding admirably. I am willing to bet if someone were to even suggest cutting his salary and benefits package he would scream like the pig he is.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ANQFHZPF6FCEFQ64DOG5L5DGM4 My Points

“flabbergasted”? Really? I’m flabbergasted that this woman is flabbergasted that taxpayers have a limit. I’m sure it sucks being a foster child. I’m sure it would be nice if they all had brand new clothes and brand new shoes. It would be nice if they had a house, with a real family and their birth parents were still in their lives. There are many things that would be nice to give them. Doesn’t mean we can or should. My family also buys things second hand. There is no shame in it. And it should be a requirement for those seeking taxpayers assistance…like welfare. You should not be able to get welfare if your bank statements show you shopping for clothes anywhere but salvation army. Well, you shouldn’t get welfare for any reason, but that’s another story.

Anonymous

Because that’s what Jeebuz would say, “Persecute the poor amongst you and let the children fend for themselves.”
Anonymous

What would make the welfare system less onerous would be to require all welfare recipients to work 8-10 hours a day six days a week. THey could do some of those bureaucratic jobs or be school aids, or make phone calls or do filing and earn their housing and benefits. It would give them work expeirences, job skills, a resume, and keep them out of trouble.

It woudl save money because some overpaid bureaucratic jobs (and even some janitoriail jobs–in some places janitors make more than principals) would be done at a lower cost. When people got tired of working 10 hours a dya six days a week, they’d have the experience and skills to work in the private sector.

They would set a good example for thier kids by working, too. Everyone wins.

Anonymous

That would be a great idea, Tasha…IF there were any jobs in the private sector. When hundreds of people with college degrees show up to fill a few positions at a new fast food place, I don’t think welfare recipients working as janitors 10 hours a day is going to help them find jobs, unfortunately.

Anonymous

My sugggestion was to start them off in goverment and education jobs—school aides, cafeteria workers, office workers, and goverment offices.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Sumiko-Saulson/757267245 Sumiko Saulson

They have a well – I can only say “modified” version of your proposal in San Francisco, Tasha – the City has all welfare recipients who are able (note: not just able-bodied, also anyone able to even if disabled) working at minimum wage as many hours as it would take to earn the welfare check if they had a job. Most of the jobs are physical – sweeping streets, cleaning the city buses.

The only thing is, they are working 2 days a week because that’s how many hours of work it would take to earn the little bit of money from a welfare check. The other three weekdays, they are required to go out and look for gainful employment which would pay them quite a bit more.

The problem about your 8-10 day an hour six day a week plan is not only would it violate certain labor laws, but it would leave the welfare recipients with no time left over to actually go out and look for a job where they could start paying into the tax system. And the goal would be private sector work, right? But look at the bright side… a more conservative version of your plan could probably get bipartisan support, because when you think about it, San Francisco is pretty liberal.

Anonymous

Ten hours a day violates labor laws? Many of us do that routinely. I have diabled friends and relatives who work. They could expand the jobs to school aides, clerical people in city and school offices and the like which would give them business experience, and maybe some ideas of work and education they would like to do.

A friend of mine supervised some people from a Pride in Work program and she had to tell them to stop sending her people because they were lazy and did such a terrible job that she had to work extra hours to fix it. I don’t know if she did an adequate job of showing them what needed to be done (many people don’t), but it still could have been a good opportunity for someone .

I’m sure we could work around the hours requirement. Someone who has never worked, or has not worked in a while would need a few months’ experience before they start seriously looking for private sector jobs. I’m sure it could all be worked out and perhaps they could get the cooperation of temporary agencies.

I would have them work the regular hours all week, because we still have to cover the cost of housing too. You now have people who know what it is to work for what they need and want. I would think that busineses, who are often complaining that they can’t find workers with good work habits or skills, might be willing to take someone who has done well on the program, and they could contact the labor or welfare deparment.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Sumiko-Saulson/757267245 Sumiko Saulson

Hi Tasha….

If someone works 10 hours a day 6 days a week they have to be paid overtime, so that is the labor law that applies here. The government doesn’t even want to pay overtime to its regular, permanent employees so it won’t want to pay it to welfare recipients.

Putting people to work was part of FDR’s “New Deal”. He created new government jobs like street paving that could put people back to work in government jobs and give benefits to the citizens like fewer potholes in the streets.He did that to help end the Great Depression. You can’t give it 100% credit for ending the Great Depression because WWII created a lot of factory jobs which also contributed to end of the Great Depression, but it actually did help.

The San Francisco plan is similar – they found things the Citizens wanted to see better taken care of – like cleaner buses – and instead of having the tax payers pay one amount of money to hire a third party contractor to clean the buses and one to sweep streets, they had people getting City welfare do it. The program doesn’t apply for people who get Federal and State aid, though.. it’s a City program. San Francisco also taxes cigarette smokers like crazy (apparently, smokers are responsible for dirtying up the streets with cigarette butts and should have to pay for people on welfare to sweep the streets or something in the minds of the SF city government).

Anonymous

We should also turn a section of all foster homes into brothels so the girls over 12 can pay the government back what they owe.

Of course State Senators would get a discount.
Anonymous

Honest to God, what are you smoking? A person’s “bank statements” don’t show where they shopped; they show deposits and withdrawals, and even if they show who checks are written to, they don’t show where a person buys clothes with cash. It’s always so simple with your simpletons.

Beside which, you’re missing the whole point. If you give foster children a set amount of money, it doesn’t SAVE the state a dime if they shop in used clothing stores. It just means the kid buys fewer new clothes than used ones. And frankly, I’d rather have my tax money go for a good-fitting pair of new shoes for a foster child than two pairs of broken-down shoes molded to someone else’s foot.

What a greedy, selfish society we live in when kids are in need through absolutely no fault of their own are used as pawns when GE doesn’t pay a dime of tax on $29 billion in pure profit and pays a staff of 1000 tax experts to make sure they don’t.

Anonymous

I was in foster care as a teenager in NH and I got a $180 voucher 2x’s a year (this was in the early 90′s). That voucher was to cover clothes, shoes and toiletries. Now I am not suggested I needed everything to be all shiny and new, usually I went to K-Mart (this was before Walmart’s in NH) to get what I needed; but what should the state care where I spent the $180? Whether it be K-Mart, Walmart, Goodwill, etc., $180 was $180.

Anonymous

Now you got the voucher directly? Did your foster parents not provide clothes and toiletries for you at other times? Tell us more about your experience.

Anonymous

No, I didn’t get the voucher directly, my social worker would get it and she took me out shopping. As part of her job she was supposed to see me once a quarter for a set period of time so we usually used that time twice a year to go shopping. I didn’t like my foster home. Every time I think of it the image of a puppy mill comes to mind. There are some wonderful foster parents but this couple in particular was most definitely in it for the money.

One example was food – They would eat regular large meals for dinner and I was told to get myself some spaghetti-o’s. They kept THEIR food locked in a specific cabinet and they had a lock on their fridge.

I did however like my social worker. She was a good person and I will always have a special place in my heart for her.

Now conversely, in MA the kids in the system were given a check for $300 a quarter for clothes (yes $1,200 a YEAR) and they could spend it however they wanted as long as they submitted their receipts. I know this because after I complained enough I was taken out of the foster home and I went to a residential school in MA. I think that was ridiculous, however the kids weren’t doing anything wrong, that was the way the system was set up in MA.

For those who think that foster kids are nothing more than welfare recipients I would like to point out that I didn’t have a choice in the matter. My mother had broken my jaw with a hammer and if I had stayed with my parents I am convinced she would have eventually killed me. I was a child who became a ward of the court and had no means of supporting myself. I wasn’t a welfare case. I hope everyone can see the difference. I was a legal ward of the state of NH.

Anonymous

Oh and for the record – I am a Tea Party conservative. The person suggesting this may be a Republican but his suggestion doesn’t reflect the views of all fiscal conservatives.
Anonymous

Thanks for your explanation. What was the reason that you had to stay a ward of the state and they would not let you be adopted? I know in some places, they won’t let white people adopt black children, that is one issue. What did you think of the residential school? I’ve seen some that are very good and the staff was wonderful.

I wish you could have been adopted, but know this, just because someone, through their own shortcomings cannot act as lovingly toward you as you deserve, it doesn’t mean you are not valuable and deserving of love. It is their failing, not yours, and that is the truth even though it may not ffeel that way. THere are people whose parents do the right things and do love them who feel unloved.

Some of the privately endowed residential schools here do very well by the kids. I think those are better than a bad foster home.

I hope that you find yourself a good job, get a good spouse and have a nice family–and maybe take a child out of the system. If you want to talk privately, let me know your email.
Anonymous

What may need to happen is that we may need to find ways to get kids out of being legal wards of the state faster. In spite of some of the haters on here, this has served a productive purpose—to get some people looking at how the foster care system might need to be revised.

The point, and this is what everyone should be able to agree on (but some wont’ because they’re socialist sociopaths who must bash anyone whose only solution isn’t take someone else’s money) is how to make things better for foster care kids with due care for the taxpayers.

What they forget about the New Testament is that it also commands that you don’t get to burden one for the sake of the other. You don’t get to take 90% of what someone else has worked for simply because he makes more than someone else with less talent or who worked less. Everyone should pay something and a flat tax would be fair. Then everyone has skin in the game and when you pay, you are more responsible about how it spent.

If someone gets rich great—thousands of the first libraries in most areas were built with money donated by Andrew Carnegie–who started off with nothing and worked his way into wealth. (As were many other things.)

Get over your marxism, leftists, it has never built, it has only destroyed the productive and enslaved them and enslaved the less productive and morally depraved them by playing on envy and resentment instead of confronting envy and resentment as the evils they are. Now while objectively I think some of these useless drug head movie stars and ball players make too much money, in essence I really don’t care. It takes nothing from me unless I choose to see their games or movies. And since they cost too much, I don’t.

We need more freedom, more jobs, more prosperity which means less government , far fewer taxes and more opportunities for people to produce what they will and give when and where they will. There are many other needs out there too.

http://www.facebook.com/martharaysik Martha Raysik

He is a great thinker. This country is wasting money buying new clothes for those kids! I am sick of my tax dollars going to help out the future generations. They should all stop that free-lunch program too, or make the foster kids have special welfare signs or put yellow stars on their clothes, and then make them eat cheaper food too. They could even be made to come in a hour earlier then the rest of the kids and clean the schools bathrooms or do something else to earn their keep. They could work in the mines on the weekends, because they probably won’t study anyway, so might as well make them work. Of course only the ones over five. Maybe 4 and a half would be okay.
Anonymous

not shoes…. no ones foot is the same really…. kids should have their own shoes so they don’t have foot problems
Anonymous

oh.. and not underwear… for crying out loud. Underwear and shoes have to be new. Period. Amen.

Anonymous

Why does everyone seem to think that the cash amounts the taxpayers are giving to the foster parents is the only money available? Unless you live in an area where people are simply using the system to get $, and that does happen, it certainly happens often enough around here, foster parents should be providing for the kids themselves. My neighbors have foster kids (generally short term) and he has a business. I have no idea what they get from the state, but they treat the foster kids like one of their own.

Anonymous

I seem to haz stumbled upon a nest of Flaming Hair Fire Libnoidal Self-Righteousness lol. Glad to see another conservative voice willing to wade through the Pit of Terminal Sanctimony.

“We will not sit down and shut up!” Cheers :-)

Anonymous

LOL. Wasted too much time on here, but people need to grow up and start using their talents and brains to meet needs and not be limited to more and more stealing of what someone else worked for.

As Lincoln said, “You can’t make the poor man rich by making the rich man poor.”

Anonymous

All you poor people, please exit the state via I-75 and I-94, do not stop on this side of the border for snacks. The sooner you leave that nice peninsula surrounded on three sides with the best fresh water in the world and let the rich people own all of its invaluable resources, the better.
Anonymous

People you need to wake up! This is how the republican party thinks! Kick the less fortunate while there down and then make excuses about how good it could be? How about we start by cutting jobs in government that are a total waste of money and save some real tax money! Thats a fact! That will save money too! But im sure thats on the bottom of the list!
http://profiles.google.com/joshlust Joshua Lust

Great idea – let’s take kids who have been removed from their homes and everything they know, put them in a brand new school system where adjusting is hard enough, and force them to wear hand-me-down clothes that beg other children to ostracize and tease them more.

As a foster parent, helping these kids to fit in the best that they can and trying to rebuild their shattered self-esteem is worth the measly $400 per year that the state pays for clothes – and only if you can prove you need them.

I am all for welfare reform – make adults work 40 hours per week, then supplement what they need only after their income. Leave foster care kids alone, they have a hard enough time already, and are powerless to change their circumstances.

Anonymous

What about teaching those other kids to be kind and judge by the content of character? Only one year was I in a school where some girls bothered people about their clothes. And it was only a few who thought they were hot. The boys didn’t do it. Now I know it is different in the inner city, where clothes and fights are all some of them talk about, but that just underscores my point. The kids who do it should be rebuked and taught to be decent human beings.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=583065347 Ryan Hanks

I wouldn’t be worried about the cost as much as the emotional effect it would have on these kids. Already you are unwanted, abandoned or taken away from your parents. Now you can’t even buy jeans at Target? Goodwill and other second hand stores do have some nice stuff. But why do the foster kids of all the people have to make sacrifices. Don’t tax the business man or large company, not until we take everything we can away from the foster children. Hell, we could save even more money taking them out of school during elective classes and making them sew soccer balls everyday.

http://www.facebook.com/martharaysik Martha Raysik

Sew Soccer balls? Ryan, you are way off base. Another liberal no doubt. My idea of putting them in the mines is going to save us taxpayers more money! Anyone can sew a stitch on a ball, but the tiny ones can do the mine work better, as the mines don’t have to be blasted out so high. We can prescibe them something that will calm them down and dull their emotions too. Keep em doped until they figure out liquor works too. Only a few will become shooters the “odds” are.
Anonymous

Businesses all pay taxes, and many are being driven out of business by the taxes, particularly in blue states. The problem is you have no other reponse to anything than to raise taxes and take other peoplel’s money. Alway that, we built the greatest country in human history and the most prosperous long before we had income taxes, which are a communist idea. Govt doesn’t have the right to take your income before a) you have even seen it, and b) before you give your due to God. You could seize all the wealth of the wealthy and still not pay everything off. And all you’d accomplish is making the wealthy destititute.

Cut taxes and businesses have money to hire people. When more people are working, more people are paying taxes. When you rebuild the economy, families can afford to adopt more kids.

Kids should learn from an early age (as 99% of people in the world did up until now) how to work for what they need. The vast majority of kids had some kids had some kind of chores, especially if they grew up on farms. My brother had two paper routes at a very young age. It’s good for kids to work and earn money and learn how to manage what they earn when they are very young. They will be less likely to impulse buy and waste all their money when they are teens, and they will also learn to save for larger purchases.

Many of us had parents and grandparents who knew what real poverty was, who lived through the Depression (bo’s mission is to create a second one so he can seize yet more unconstituional power), had relatives who came here (even recently) with only a few dollars and the clothes on their back–and worked to prosper. Some, because they came up with good ideas, even become wealthy in a short period of time.

BUt that necessity to innovate (Frito, Lay, Hewlett, Packard, All State adn State Farm were allformed during the Depression and now help and employ millions of people).is quenched by those who can see no further than tax someone else (47% are not paying any fedreal income taxes and most of those are getting handouts of other people’s hard earned money). Taxing is a dead end, spiritually,morally, economically, creatively.

Eliminate taxes as a solutioin for anytihing other than required national defense and be creative, start figuring out ways that people can meet their own and their neighbor’s needs. I’ve already put out several ideas.

We managed to save a parochial school that was going to be closed because people brainstormed every idea they could think of to help. Some ideas were good and were used, others weren’t and died on the vine. But the school is great and the kids are doing wel–even in hard times.

Anonymous

I guess my basic question is this: Aren’t the Republicans supposed to be for smaller government? Regulating where someone can shop seems an awful lot like BIG BROTHER!

There is so much wrong with this politician’s argument and thought process, I don’t even know where to start.

Anonymous

Oh, you didn’t get the memo? The smaller government was for the OTHER citizens. You know, the ones that take away resources, power and wealth from them.

It is back to the time of Kings and Queens that tell you what you need, and that is a whole lot less than them, because they are better than you. (cough).

http://profiles.google.com/shartwell0 Stephen Hartwell

A BLATANT CASE OF GOVERNMENT OVERREACH!!! STOP TELLING US WHERE TO SHOP. THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A FREE COUNTRY and such.

Anonymous

psst. he didn’t tell anyone where to shop. just where the state would pick up the tab for the shopping

http://twitter.com/gabi532 Gabi Gaenicke

TERRIBLE!!!! HE NEEDS TO GO HOME!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Gordon-Smith/567118669 Gordon Smith

i shop at goodwill all the time and get good stuff for my 2 year old and even my 5 year old, but my 8 year old? forget it, he wears out shoes and jeans in about a month, and all the stuff at good will for his size is either worn out or crap, just like this idea, CRAP!
http://profiles.google.com/lou.dubin Lou Dubin

Friends,,
Everyone is saying ,, Blame it on Obama or blame it on the older seniors who are now on Medicare,,
BOY DO YOU HAVE IT WRONG!
BLAME IN ON THE LAST TWO OR THREE DECADES OF CITIZENS WHO HAVE NOT DONE A DARN THING WHEN THEY COULD HAVE!!

Our seniors have seen us threw the second world war,, milllions gave their lives , limbs and blood with out a complaint, Women worked in the industries and children learned to save everything.
The next twenty years brought back a prosperity unsurpassed by any country,

The last 30 years we began the long slow slide into mediocrity, for by indifference and now blame everyone but ourselves.

IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO WAKE UP, I PRAY GOD THAT MAYBE IT ISN’T !

We have become like Rome, allow all the ( non citizens, non patriotic) people to take the non skilled jobs, cant get our hands dirty now can we,?
We allow the rights of the individual to bar the rights of the many. In the name of political correctness we have sent God out of our lives, He is not welcome in our schools , courts or speech.

We let our flag be burned and our name be spit while we let our kids see garbage at the movies and play video games that in the 50′s and 60′s would put the purveyor of such in jail for life if he didnt have an accident on the way there!

WHAT IS WRONG IN AMERICA.. ITS (YOU)!!

Anonymous

Whats wrong in America you ask??? LIBERALS!!!!

Anonymous

Ì know I was and remain impressed how the fabulous Bush Boys were able to gut out our surplus of revenue, start wars, deregulate everything, and still can get our TAX dollars, yours and mine, to pay for their ‘house of cards” which is a never ending mess, Thank you Republicans, thank you very much.
Anonymous

Oooo……! Please tell me more!

Anonymous

I guess this makes sense. Second hand clothes for second hand citizens and their second hand educations and their second hand…

Some political parties work on the well tested rule: keep them ignorant, keep them poor. That way they have less power and take more abuse.

You see, the only way to hold down the human brain is to convince it that it is not the most amazing thing on earth, which of course it is.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Tom-Allen/606069564 Tom Allen

This also helps insure that the prisons that will eventually be privatized will make have a sufficient number of inmates to keep them profitable.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000214995854 Holly Bailey

maybe people could scrap their left overs in a box and we could give the food to the foster kids and we could get rid of the bridge card!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000214995854 Holly Bailey

maybe people could scrap their left overs in a box and we could give the food to the foster kids and we could get rid of the bridge card!
Anonymous

I can just see it now, the GOPs ideal future. Where the police inspect kids clothes to make sure they are theadbare enough, arresting and interrigating foster parents who buy their kids anything nice.

The message from the GOP is, if by some circumstances, whether your fault or not, we don’t want you here.

‘And the workhouses.’ demanded Scrooge. ‘Are they still in operation?’

. . .

‘Many can’t go there; and many would rather die.’

‘If they would rather die,’ said Scrooge, ‘they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.”

—from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_NCHT4U4LB2KWL27JTCAZFM4GJM üø

shouldn’t wall street bankers who are also receiving tax dollars, be forced to buy their clothes at the sal-vation army also?
http://profiles.google.com/justlance Just Lance

Isn’t there already an cap on how much money is allowed for clothing and such? What should it matter if they get new or used clothes. Let them get what they want until the money is gone. Life is about choices. Between stimulus and response, we, as humans, have the unique gift of choice. Let them learn how to make good choices and build solid, healthy habits at the same time. I bet most foster kids are grateful for the things they have.Its the adults who come up with ridiculous ideas like this one that worry me. Subvert the dominant paradigm. Think!
http://www.TheSantaClausFoundation.org SantaClaus

Your budget proposal that foster children should get vouchers to buy only second-hand clothing is appalling!

What, if anything, did you learn about compassion at the Wheatland Congregational Church? Do you believe you are a Christian? You don’t appear to be behaving as one.

I hope your constituents throw you out of office!

Shame on you!

Sincerely,

The Rt. Rev. Santa Claus, OAC
http://www.TheSanta.im
Child Advocate
Anonymous

If yout think that foster children and lining their closets with designers clothes on $200/year clothing allowance you MUST be out of your mind. Reducing that amount from budget won’t save the state from financial ruin and it definitely won’t say to a child who’s been ripped away from their parents that we really just want whats best for them.
Anonymous

If yout think that foster children and lining their closets with designers clothes on $200/year clothing allowance you MUST be out of your mind. Reducing that amount from budget won’t save the state from financial ruin and it definitely won’t say to a child who’s been ripped away from their parents that we really just want whats best for them.
Anonymous

The negative stigma this will create for foster kids is just unimaginable. And, this Senator is missing a major sensitivity chip.
Anonymous

Second hand clothing for second hand children…sounds like typical republican compassion.
Anonymous

Where is this guy from? From some Dickens novel? Will foster children be required to carry a bowl and ask for more soup? Or will they be required to work to earn their keep? What is he going to do with the savings – give a tax cut to some fat cats?

We should send these republicans back to the century they belong in.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_MOQTYC5YM2TXMPGGXGU34LB4QU Cynthia Miller

Some of these folks who are agreeing that it’s okay to force foster children to buy used clothing are the same ones who stand up against abortion. They need to start adopting these unwanted kids. That way, they’d no longer be in the system and we wouldn’t be forcing them to wear anything.

I paid my taxes this year… and paid more than GE did…who made a 5 billion dollar profit and got a 3 billion dollar tax refund.

Anonymous

That’s because GE is a friend of BO. So you paid more than a billion dollars? There is no way in hell you paid more in taxes than GE. And every one of their employees pays taxes as does everyone of their stockholders.

Now what is your evidence for your first statement? Some of us have adopted, and some of us worked two jobs in order to adoplt and then had our money stolen by socialists who doubled the property taxes. THEY forced those kids to stay in the system by taking away what we had planned to for adoption fees and start up.

THe people who work for their money have the right before God and the sense to do what is best with their money, and most of the time to give it where it does the most good. Get the govt out of their pockets and out of their way and more people will be able to adopt and foster. Many people would like to adopt, but can’t afford to because they are tax slaves to the socialists who make sure htey and their friends are protected from their laws. (Like bo getting his book $$

Anonymous

before he raised the tax rates, like Clintons with their Caymans accounts. like Geitherner, who just dind’t bother to pay his taxes, like Rangle sucking up 4 rent controlled apts. when he wasn’t eiligible for one–and taking them away from people who truly needed them.

Many people who would like to adopt would like to have a mother stay home to help the new child adjust, but can’t because they have to pay their tax slave bills–which increases the cost of everything else too. Many people would like to adopt but can’t because the leftists in some areas have refused to let white couples adopt black children.

Anonymous

I have read all of your various attacks, ramblings, claims, stories, opinions, and quips. I am left with only one conclusion; you have either several people assisting with your responses, or you have a multiple personality disorder. There are glaring inconsistencies in your claims, rantings and sarcasms, and overt racial remarks. It does not inform, rather it exposes.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_MOQTYC5YM2TXMPGGXGU34LB4QU Cynthia Miller

OH, so sorry !

Make that a 15 billion dollar profit.

Anonymous

GE has special status as a FOO — Friend of Obama.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2NMPFO2UYZCA67GL6QGWIVYSME sam rosenblum

You can go to discount stores like ross or target and get clothes for the same price as a thrift store. why should a child who has already been damaged by adults get crapped on some more. It is disgusting. where is the grace, where is the charity of spirit. what has happened to us? i raised two boys by myself and it was difficult but i always wanted them to feel they fit in because they didn’t have a dad and that hurt them to the core. here you have kids that have no stable family and we say give them used clothes. why not give them used food – the scraps off our plates? they should be smothered with love. they should be made to feel like they are just as good. we are all in this together – this experience called life. one day we will all have to answer for our actions. at least i believe that. for those who live by love and grace the goodness of the universe will envelope thee. the bitter selfish man can go to church every day but that won’t get you into the kingdom of heaven.
http://profiles.google.com/kein.junk.mail.bitte Junk Mail

There is something wrong with the way this article is written. It is written as if some group of children is being banned from certain stores, which is not really the case—they just don’t have the money to shop there (like me). I did not research this story, but I think the facts presented could be spun another way: Foster kids are not getting what they need. Could the State, with its budget constraints, do more for these kids? Yes, the State will extend them a hand, with a gift that has some constraints, namely that it be spent in the most cost effective way we know how to operationalize. Alternatively the State could contract with some Chinese company to make some really inexpensive, quality, but probably cruelly distinctive uniforms that these kids could wear if they wanted. His personal story is not really justification, but there is a good chance a lot of his constituent’s kids wear used clothes and hand-me-downs. If people on social services, even underprivileged kids, start living a higher standard of living than the underprivileged kids of tax payers not on social services, scary backlash things like the tea party start happening.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_6ACZHBMVMPNZJRVWOUTYCEWXEA Chad

I think you people are in arms over nothing. I’ve had to wear worn clothes (not always, but enough to know it) and my parents did as well. It’s almost a family tradition from my Grandparents down to all my aunts and uncles (all 7 of them) to their kids.

For the most part, these are not exactly unwanted clothes. There are many reasons to give up clothes: grew out of them, person that wore them died, closet cleaning, etc… I think it’s a little heinous to think that these are somehow “inferior” because people used to wear them.

Why should we throw away perfectly good clothes into the garbage when there are people that could use them? This also helps the environment by not using the chemicals and waste to make new ones. It also cuts down on Corporate welfare (which we need to unanimously stop).

The only concern I have is that there will not be enough age appropriate clothes for them wear. Other than that, most other arguments are purely semantics.

Not everyone has the luxury of buying new clothes. When the wallet feels the pinch, you need to learn to save and get what you can within your means. If that means buying from second hand stores, then so be it. In fact, if the economy doesn’t pick up, there will be a lot more people buying from those second hand stores to wear anything at all.

Also, before anyone bashes me, I’m mostly liberal and tend to side with Democrats. But, for this particular piece, I tend to agree with this Republican.

Anonymous

Take care lest thee be cast into the “must hate children” fire by rampaging liberals! It burns!

Anonymous

Ohhhh, puhleeese!

Anonymous

I understand what you have said is in the broadest field of understanding, and I applaud your caring, but the issue here is that you have a family base, and understood these things given new or used were given in love. For foster kids many arrive from an upheaval of trauma in the middle of the night with a small bag filled with a few things, and some with just the clothing on their backs. And that is just the beginning. Since the clothing budget is very small for foster parents having the ability to bargain hunt and sale chase is necessary. Sometimes that choice leaves you with the ability to buy something nicer for that child, and that is a treat indeed.
http://www.facebook.com/patty.macdonell Patty MacDonell

It isn’t a matter of saving or recycling. Arguably all of us should wear second-hand clothes when we can for ecological reasons. But the suggestion being made does not appear to actually be about money.

It’s about perception. It’s about ensuring that a group of people understand that they have second class status. It’s a way to blame the victim, to divide and conquer, to keep the rest of us fighting for crumbs to the point where we begin taking our fears and frustration out on kids with NOTHING. And if that wasn’t Casswell’s intention, then he’s more insensitive than he has any right to be.

http://profiles.google.com/andrey.petrov Andrey Petrov

Of course from purely economical perspective the guy sounds reasonable. He just saves money by using what he’s got more efficiently. Looks like a reasonable deal.

Problem is he is utterly heartless. Of course nobody can tell where you bought your clothes and yes a cloth worn a couple of times is as good as a new one. But now think how does it really feel for these kids to know they won’t get anything new. You do nothing wrong but you never good any good stuff. Other kids get good stuff. This will provoke jealously and anger. A person raised as such second-class citizen will probably have harder time integrating into society. Not to mention apart of that there are many many ways for them to feel inferior.

So yeah – you save money. Now. But you create a problem in some 20 years in the future. Way to go.

Anonymous

So you think that only what the state takes from the taxpayers and gives to the foster parent that buys things for them? Then that person should not be a foster parent. Maybe it’s different where you are, but decent foster parents spend their own money on the kids too. The check is a supplement, not the sole support of the kids.

Anonymous

Excellent point. Raising children isn’t supposed to be a profitable business but an act of love and caring. I’m all for the state helping in the effort but some here are missing that point.

I’ll bet a lot of them have never personally spent a dime on a foster kid through their church, or synagogue, or a local organization. They seem more interested in elevating their own sagging esteem by playing ‘instant advocate’ and demanding someone else foot the bill. (I said ‘a lot’, not ‘all’)

Anonymous

Once again, his suggestion does not prohibit generous individuals spending their own money from buying brand new clothing for every foster kid in the state. It just says the state will not pay for it.

If you think that is ‘heartless’ how about the many kids who are not foster kids but who end up dressed in hand me downs. Should the state buy them all clothes too, so that they won’t be resentful and cause problems in 20 years?

http://profiles.google.com/andrey.petrov Andrey Petrov

I do believe It is heartless to save on foster children in this particular way.

Foster children are so few and their life is probably not going to be easy. Saving on children is generally is not a good idea in the long run, be it schools, kindergartens or whatnot
http://www.facebook.com/people/Sumiko-Saulson/757267245 Sumiko Saulson

@DaMav – The way the article is written is somewhat misleading, so you don’t really have all of the facts here. Firstly, State Sen. Bruce Casswell dropped this idea a while back, so the news is reporting it “after the fact”. The problem is, his plan would not actually save money – right now, the kids get about $200 a year for clothes that does not go directly to them, but to a foster parent or a social worker: Remember, a some of these kids are in state-run group homes, and foster parents are not involved. The overhead in running a gift card system (administrative and security staff – gift cards in a warehouse are often stolen) makes it costlier than the current system of cutting a check which the social worker or parent can then spend at any combination of clothes stores new or used.

Lastly, understand that as “wards of the courts” the legal status of these kids is that they are in the custody of the government – therefore it is not welfare at all because the state has legal custody of the child and is legally responsible – under the law, it is as though the state has become the parent of the child upon removing the custody of the child from his/her parents. If the state does not want such responsibility it should use a combination of making it more difficult to remove children from parental custody and making it easier to adopt children to make sure more children are in the custody of someone other than the state.

Anonymous

GOP Grease Our Palms
GOP Give Ourselves Pardons
Anonymous

My God some people are just cold blooded. While we’re at it why don’t we have them turn tricks for money and if they don’t make enough paper we can just eat them.
Anonymous

The most disturbing thing about Jacobs and many of the people commenting here is that the biggest thieves to your treasury are people who are already filthy stinking rich, yet you seldom even mention how much they are regularly stealing from you. One poor child getting assistance barely takes more than a fraction of a worthless penny from you. But one rich person can (and its already happened) can eliminate or severely compromised your entire retirement fund as well as those of thousands of others. Yet the hypocrites rarely weigh in on them. Make no mistake, this grand theft is usually done legally – not that it makes any difference because thieves at that level rarely see a single second behind bars (which is why its the easiest game in town).

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002044095276 Trey Lynch

With all the incentives for hard work, productivity and creativity drained — while we perversely reward envy, sloth and a sense of “entitlement” — we get a whole bunch of the latter, and ever less of the former.
Anonymous

Exactly. Endless billions to bail out the UAW, fatten up GE over Green Energy nonsense, ongoing subsidies for wealthy organizations like NPR and Planned Parenthood, and larded on benefits and fat salaries for relatively well paid public employee unions — when will it end?

Dakotahgeo

Oh please… your ranting is so ‘yesterday,’ aka out of date.. New day, new song, please.

Anonymous

You must be texting from the Kloppenburg Victory Celebration, lol

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