States Making Deep Cuts to Child Welfare Budgets

States are making deep cuts to child welfare programs, due in part to severe budget shortfalls brought on by the recession. This highlights what is really valued (or not valued) in this Country. The true character of a nation is reflected in how it values its people, especially its children. And we know that whenever finances are tight, social welfare programs and budgets for protecting children are all too often among the first items to be cut. What does this say about the Country?

With the severe difficulty in achieving health care reform, consumer protection, labor rights, equity in elections vis-a-vis corporate influence, and other human needs, (battles that have already been fought in other industrialized Democracies), it is abundantly clear that American priorities aren't geared towards protecting its people or improving the quality of their lives. The NPR report linked above supports what I wrote last year regarding Shaniya Davis.