GOP Robs Texas of its Future

[The Philosopher]

from Burnt Orange Report:

The Texas Republican Party is on a mean-spirited, heartless and cruel mission of SLASHeconomics that is unnecessary and uncalled for. It is blindly cutting the budgets for schools and social services with absolutely no regard for the devastating long term consequences of such cuts.

Rick Perry and his far right Republicans refuse to touch the Rainy Day money for next year's budget though this is precisely the time in which we should tap into such funds. Instead the Republicans have chosen to stockpile the money and rob children of their futures.

Outside of the box thinking, complex problem solving, the ability to explore creative and unique alternatives and a modicum of compassion are called for during dire and desperate economic times like these.

Are Texas Republican lawmakers made of the right stuff to lead? Is it capable of throwing away its memorized talking point campaign rhetoric, forget about its Obamacare and federal government bashing monologues, dismiss its highly paid message masters, unglue its lips from its sugar daddy donor's backsides and engage its collective brain to do what is right and work on behalf of all Texans?

Let's take a peek at the legislation proposed in Austin so far by the super majority Party.

http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/11127/gop-robs-texas-of-its-future">Click Here To Read More

[Lithos]

1. The Republicans are about to cost 330K jobs here

We're talking a major disaster to the economy. No idea what kind of spin they are going to put on it.

L-

[sonias]

2. Lawsuit: Texas Failing Foster Children

Here is another way they rob our future, plus it's mean spirited as well.

Texas Tribune 3/29/11
Lawsuit: Texas Failing Foster Children

(snip)
Children’s Rights filed a class-action lawsuit against Texas officials this morning, alleging, on behalf of 12,000 abused and neglected children in long-term foster care, that the state hasn’t done enough to get kids in state custody into permanent homes. The organization argues that exorbitantly high workloads for inexperienced caseworkers, combined with a lack of foster homes and a reliance on remote care institutions, has created a system in which children are bounced from placement to placement — with little chance at a permanent home.

(snip)
The Children’s Rights lawsuit, M.D. v. Perry, filed in conjunction with the Texas law offices of Haynes and Boone, Yetter Coleman and Canales & Simonson, accuses the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services of violating children’s constitutional rights by keeping them in foster care for more than a year without returning them to their families or finding them permanent homes. Currently, DFPS caseworkers have up to 18 months to reunify children with their biological families or find them adoptive homes; if they don’t, the child moves into “permanent managing conservatorship,” which advocates argue has become a no man’s land for older foster kids.

Among the suit’s plaintiffs? A 16-year-old girl who entered foster care at age 6 and changed placements 28 times within four years. And a 14-year-old girl who entered foster care at age 5 and has had 12 different caseworkers and 24 different placements.

Children’s Rights officials say that as of 2009, children in permanent foster care for more than three years moved an average of 11 times. As of March 2010, 75 percent of children living in institutional “residential treatment centers” were in permanent foster care. And as of May 2010, roughly 500 children had been in foster care for more than a decade.

:cry:

[w8liftinglady]

3. Holy crap!- this describes a large portion of my partner's students

he said a full 20% are fosters. poor kids. I know some generous,loving people who offer homes to these kids.I also know some who view them as a cash crop.


crying right there with you.

[sonias]

4. Can you imagine being a foster kid for 10 years?

How screwed up is that?

[TxVietVet]

5. That's because the conservanazis believe in "YOYO".

"You're on your own" once you come out of the womb. The rethugs talk a good line of bu$hit about family values and Christian morals, but it's just lip service.

The only thing they care about is satisfying thier rich conservanazi contributors with no regulation, no taxes and cheap illegal alien labor. No where in that scenario is concern for the poor, indigent, homeless, or the children.

I keep preaching that we need some progessive radio stations. Even low power will help. Someone has the experience to do this. I don't, but someone in our state and community does. The progressive/liberals/Dems need to get their message out. The conservanazis put out the talking points and lies 24/7 on our radio waves. Someone needs to counter that.
I don't have the expertise, but if I did, I have progressive radio blasting.

[sonias]

6. YOYO

"You're on your own" once you come out of the womb."

Perfect description! :thumbsup: