For the Children
GamerDad is only about politics when it comes to the Right (Think of the Children!) or the Left (Nanny State!) as they pertain to children and media. But I am also a child advocate and while I agree and disagree with both sides of the political aisle, I’m especially alarmed by the GOP budget. Specifically in how it cuts aid to the poor and children. Are you curious about how this can affect you? Well, I’ll let the Children’s Leadership Council fill you in:
*The Maternal and Child Health Block Grant, which provides funding to programs that support community-based initiatives to address the comprehensive physical, psychological, and social needs of the maternal and child population with an end goal of ensuring that all mothers and children have access to the services and supports they need, is facing cuts of $50 million.
* School Based Health Centers – which provide medical care with preventive and psychosocial services in addition to school-based and community-based health promotion efforts – would be cut in a number of ways, including Title V ($61 million); Title X ($327 million reduction) and Community Health Centers ($1.3 billion cut). If cuts are enacted, more than half of the school based health centers across the nation would be forced to close.
* The House proposal would eliminate the Low Income Heating Assistance Program Contingency Fund for the rest of the year (a cut of $390 million). The portion dedicated to children is $148.3 million, 7.7% decrease from 2010.
* HR 1 zeroes out funding for youth jobs training and education programs operated under the Workforce Investment Act for the remainder of 2011. Over a quarter of a million young people would not be served and would be impacted by these cuts.
* The House proposal would reduce funding for Pell Grants – given to low- and moderate-income undergraduate students to help pay for college – by approximately $5.7 billion, or 24 percent, and would reduce the maximum discretionary Pell Grant award by $845 (from $4,860 to $4,015), or 17.4 percent. This cut would affect all 9.4 million students who receive Pell Grants.
These are just a few of the cuts in that would affect children. You can find more information at http://www.childrensleadershipcouncil.org/.
March 18th, 2011 at 12:09 pm
GamerDad – I have two children in that age group.
I have one additional concern. Our government is spending $10 Billion PER DAY. I cannot condone saddling my children with the amount of debt that we will occur if we continue on this path.
We need to cut the budget somewhere. If you prefer not to see cuts to children’s programs, where would you like to see the budget cut? Also, what percentage of the total annual budget for each of these programs are the cuts you listed above?
March 19th, 2011 at 11:37 am
I’d prefer cuts in corporate welfare and I believe in increasing estate taxes on estates worth several million. We need to bring taxes on the wealthy UP to REAGAN levels. We need to cut defense spending – not military spending on troops and equipment – but sweetheart deals have to go. The poor and most of the middle class got screwed by the Tech Bubble, the Housing Bubble, etc., The poor and the middle class didn’t benefit from these econ bubbles, only the wealthy and lucky did, so why should the poor and middle class have to pay for it?
END THE DRUG WAR.
Politics aside, I think cutting investment in the poor and lower middle class just increases crime, drug abuse and other problems. We’re developing an aristocracy and an underclass and you know what? That’s what America was trying to get away from in 1776.
In short, I think we have a revenue problem as much, if not more, than a deficit problem. Life is already really bad for the poor – making it worse won’t help this country be strong.
March 19th, 2011 at 11:44 am
I’d also like to mention that my entire childhood consisted of Chicken Littles complaining about Reagan’s spending and deficit. It was the biggest boogyman in America! They had that clock at Times Square!
Then the tech bubble happened and the deficit went “poof!”
We began this century with a surplus. Bush gets a pass because of 9/11, but Iraq, tax cuts, unfunded mandates like the Drug Benefit and No Child Left Behind and other mismanagement are all his fault and much of the deregulation is too.
Now a deficit is a bad situation, sure. But I think we can weather it rather than cutting already inadequate services for the struggling.
(Also, why do we only care about deficits during Democrat administrations?)